[SWLUG] digital radio & ogg audio player...

[Justin Mitchell]

On Fri, 2011-01-28 at 17:30 +0000, Matthew Moore wrote:
> >> Do you really need the DAB?  I've looked into DAB before and it sounds
> > like
> >> you don't get much from it, i.e. it's a bit naff.
> > 
> > a bit???
> > 
> 
> Like I said, only looked into it a bit, so don't claim to know much.  Is it
> really that bad then?  Please expand.


For starters it uses Mpeg 1 - Layer 2  (aka mp2) audio, which gives
worse quality per bitrate than mp3 does.

It was believed that at least 256 kbit/s would be required to get good
quality sound that equalled or bettered FM.

The majority of DAB stations currently broadcast at 128kbit/s or less,
significantly lower quality than FM.

The highest bitrate transmitted in the uk is Radio 3, at 160 kbs (was
192 kbs but they downgraded it to squeeze in another channel)

The DAB+ system has been around for quite a long time, and uses more
modern codecs like HE-AAC which give far better quality at lower
bitrates, but the uk shows no sign of changing to that (its incompatible
with older DAB receivers)

Personally i have high hopes for DRM (Digital Radio Mondial) which uses
HE-AACv2 to squeeze reasonable quality stereo (slightly poorer than DAB
is now) into the now practically empty Medium, Long and Shortwave
bands. 

Ofcom are considering introducing this on MW in the uk in 2012, there
have been various test transmission running for years (eg BBC World
Service), but you cant seem to buy a receiver in this country yet.