What is HD radio?

What is HD radio? HD radio is an advanced version of the regular radio we all know and love. The advanced technology of HD radio is comparable to high definition TV or HDTV. The HD radio AM stations sound as good as the regular FM stations of today, and the HD radio FM stations sound good enough to where you would swear your listening to a CD.

The sound quality of HD radio is clean, broad, and deep with no static to speak of. The high sound quality is not the only thing that makes HD radio a superior choice for your listening pleasure. HD radio also allows broadcasters to do what is called multicasting. Multicasting is broadcasting more than one station on a single frequency. If you have ever wished your favorite radio station was playing something different then your going to love HD radio for that reason alone. Most of the HD radio stations are using this extra capacity to offer a broader range of alternative music genres that have never been popular enough to warrant a station of their own in their territories. More options lead to more listeners which leads to more revenue opportunities for broadcaster so they have been happy to adopt this wonderful new system.


Another got-to-have feature of HD radio is its ability to stream messages to a display on your radio. If you have ever wondered what band was playing on the radio while your listening, or what the name of that awesome song is, you’ll probably be able to find out because most stations are now using this ability to stream the names of the band and song. Others are broadcasting local news and traffic reports. One thing I must point out that unlike the forced transition we face with HDTV, HD radio will be a side offering in addition to regular radio programming. If you choose not to get a HD radio receiver you will still be able to receive your regular radio programming in the foreseeable future

According to Wikipedia, HD radio is available to eighty-three percent of the listening population with over 1600 combined AM and FM stations broadcasting in this new format. HD radio sets are available in a wide array of formats. You can get a HD radio for your home stereo system, your portable radio needs and your vehicle all if you choose to. Over 60 models of radio receivers made by Sony have the HD radio technology. Many other manufacturers have jumped on the band wagon as well. Consumer views have been luke warm up to this point because many have already found other ways to access their musical media and only use radio for traffic, news, and weather. The technology is still worth a look and I’d suggest you give it a try before shrugging it off as a fad.

Facts about HD Radio

A single corporation owns the HD Radio chip technology and they have no plans to license it.

Stations will more likely broadcast 3-4 regular FM quality channels than they will 1 CD Quality channel. As said, the more diversity, the more listeners and chance for revenue streams.

Normal FM already has the ability to stream text to radios. Several manufacturers already have radios that read this, even from the factory.

The corp who owns HD Radio wants to eventually implement pay-to-listen radio, the tech is already embedded into the 2nd gen receiver chips. So you end up with 2 FM quality channels and 1 CD Quality pay-per-listen channel.