| There's a lot of buzz right now about satellite | | | | weather forecasts, traffic updates and other |
| radio, largely because of Howard Stern's move to | | | | information right on your radio. |
| Sirius Satellite Radio. | | | | People who have been testing the first HD |
| While moving to Sirius might make sense for | | | | tabletop radio from Boston Acoustics have said |
| Howard because of his scatological language and | | | | maybe satellite broadcasters better start |
| on-the-air hi-jinks, it just might not make as much | | | | worrying. The Receptor HD radio measures just |
| sense for most radio listeners. | | | | 4.4 by 7.6 by 6.75 inches, with an extension |
| You see, satellite radio is about to see competition | | | | speaker that is 4.4 by 4.4 by 6.0 inches, but |
| from a new technology called HD Radio. | | | | produces sound that can only be described as |
| HD Radio is the digital system recently approved | | | | amazing. |
| by the U.S. Government for multi casts of local | | | | Besides being free and offering great sound, HD |
| AM and FM radio. This is, of course, broadcast | | | | radio has another important feature that satellite |
| radio - meaning there is no fee and no | | | | radio can't match. Its programming is local. Satellite |
| subscription required. | | | | radio may be commercial free, but there's no local |
| The benefits of HD radio are: | | | | weather reports, no traffic updates, no local |
| AM radio sounds as good as today's FM radio. | | | | news, no local personalities. |
| FM sounds almost as good as if you were listening | | | | The battle between satellite radio vs. terrestrial |
| to a CD. | | | | radio is not going to go away. Satellite radio will |
| Multi casting means that stations can add as many | | | | grow in popularity. And terrestrial radio is about to |
| as two additional digital sub channels to their | | | | get a second life - thanks to digital HD radio. So, |
| primary broadcasts. And broadcasters have said | | | | the real winner in this war won't be either. It will |
| that many of these sub channels will be | | | | be us consumers. We will be able to choose |
| commercial free -- at least initially - just like | | | | satellite radio, conventional AM or FM radio, digital |
| satellite radio. | | | | HD Radio or all three. |
| HD radio includes text messaging so that you | | | | It really is a case of "the more choices, the |
| eventually will be able to receive real-time | | | | merrier. |