Taking the Measure

Probably not. According to Tech Lab columnist Hiawatha Bray writing at Boston.com today, “…only 24 percent of consumers have heard of HD radio.” That, he says, is because no one is forcing us to care about digital radio, as there are no government mandates to end analog radio broadcasts (in contrast to the situation in over-the-air television).

But, Bray notes, HD radio may begin to get more attention, as HD radio prices fall from $500 and up to under $200. He reviews the $90 iLuv i168, the $150 Jensen JiMS-525i, and the $165 Insignia NS-HD2114.

He is pleased with the HD sound on AM stations, reporting, “We all know AM radio sounds dismal. But you don't know how bad it is until you hear the HD version of a familiar station like WBZ. Background hiss and crackle disappear, and the newsreaders' voices are rich and resonant. The improvement is almost shocking.” He does caution not to expect similar improvements on FM: “To my untutored ears, HD stations on the FM band sounded pretty much the same as their analog equivalents.”

He also notes some drawbacks. The radios he reviewed “…come with a pair of antennas, for AM and FM reception. You're likely to need them. Digital radios can be finicky about signal quality, and weak signals provide sound that breaks up at odd moments.”

But the main problem, he says, is that people rarely buy a radio just for the radio, and the technology is unlikely to take off until HD radios are commonly available in cars, in combination with CD players, or as components of home-entertainment systems.

Do you have any experience with HD radio?