DAB New Audio

2000/08/01 Waliño, Josu - Elhuyar Fundazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Elektronika

Existing radio systems, both FM and AM, have been subjected to interference of all kinds. This type of problems have ended with the DAB system. We talk about state-of-the-art radio technology: digital radio. This results in a CD quality signal, a multiple use and an emission without interference.

If we look at the word game that appears in the title of this article, we will realize that we are talking about a new technology (another) that comes immediately. Digital Audio Broadcasting or the digital audio radio will start this month and in the medium term will spread throughout the world. Two or three years ago, tests were started around the world and today about 230 million people receive their signal, but from now until 2006 it will come into full force.

But what is DAB? It is a digital radio that can be deployed in various ways: the emission can be both satellite and cable, so it does not suffer any interference or when we travel by car. Besides that, the quality of the audio is excellent; with the conventional antenna we will always receive a sound of quality CD. But these are not the main novelties offered by DAB: its main novelty lies in the capacity and interactivity of displaying other information.

Interactive radio

Digital radio, in addition to sound, can also send text and images to the radios of our homes or cars. Thus, in our gadgets we can find information about the prediction of time, the state of traffic or the latest news from newspapers on the car radio, as well as the words of the song we are listening to or other information. Finally, we will also be able to access the Internet content directly from our radio.

But if we want to use our radio as normal radio, it has the improvements: using the DAB radio we will not have to search for the radio we want to listen, since in the menu of the screen we will see the list of the radios that can be heard at that time and to start listening it will be enough to select the one we want to hear. As interactivity is a real option, they have started to think about what the commercial benefit can be: radio programs chosen to their liking by the user, etc., all those paid services!

The main manufacturers of radio and similar devices have already begun to manufacture devices that accept this technology. We already have the full range: home radios, car radio and even walkman.

In Euskal Herria, when?

In April 1998 the first tests of DAB technology were initiated in the State. These trials were carried out in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, and currently have also been extended to San Sebastián and Vitoria. Therefore, it can be said that in part of Hego Euskal Herria we have the use of DAB radios, although there is still no radio that performs this type of emissions. Licenses have been granted to ten companies and emissions must begin by June next year. By then it is expected to reach 50% of the state population and 80% by 2006. In France they are more advanced but have not yet reached the North.