I was discussing this with my friend Mark yesterday as we walked my dogs, and decided it would make a good posting for here. So here you are...
The main point of my argument is that DAB has already been replaced. I don't think that DAB had much of a chance and at best was a stop gap technology.
Let's look at how I came to this conclusion.
The first is that I think it has already been replaced. With what? Streaming radio over the internet. Using my iPhone, or any other smart phone I can stream radio over the internet to my phone. But it doesn't have to be just radio, it can be tv, such as clips off YouTube, or whole programs with the BBC iPlayer.
Mobiles have a better signal coverage than the DAB network. I live in according to the maps of signal strength for DAB signals, a very strong area for the DAB signal. Yet using a portable DAB radio I was unable to listen to the radio on the way to work, and at work. Yet using my mobile I can do just that. So why would I use a DAB radio or even buy one? Another factor is that mobile coverage is constantly being improved by the phone companies. Sadly for DAB they are not improving the coverage, or signal strength nearly as fast (it is very slow).
Mark pointed out that there has been a lot of people buy DAB radios. I would argue not nearly as many that have a mobile that is capable of streaming radio over the internet. Therefore the market is already larger than the DAB one and this functionality hasn't really been pushed yet on the phones. Which it will as the phone companies look at ways to try and bring revenue in.
If DAB when it first came out had overcome the hurdles of cost (radios were really expensive) and improved the signal strength, it may of got a faster uptake, and been more relevant. But while it was trying to get it's act together, the fast world of mobiles and the internet have left it in the graveyard occupied by Betamax, HD-DVD, and other also ran technologies.
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2 comments:
If everybody decided to stream digital radio through their mobile phones at once, it would pretty much clog the bandwidth of the mobile phone providers. Granted, with the passage of time, the available bandwidth and data rate will continue to rise - but is it really the best use of the technology? Ultimately, the difference with broadcast radio is just that - one transmitter broadcasts to many, many receivers on a one-to-many basis. DAB itself may never fulfill its promise, but I think there'll always be a place for one-way digital broadcasting, even if the receivers are inside mobile phones.
Also, don't forget that at the moment, we have a benign government and we're not in a state of war. If either of those were ever to change, the first thing that would be cut or censored would be your internet feed. If all content is streamed through your regulated internet feed, then by definition there can be no pirate stations, no 'voice of the resistance', no alternative point of view. (I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, and a shortwave listener, so I am biased of course!)
Hi Darren, I agree with Paul's response. DAB is going to continue as long as there is demand to hear music, spoken word and news etc. on the radio. To use streaming radio on mobiles is dependent upon bandwith and available network coverage. Plus, it is reliant on the infamous short battery life of mobiles which, as you mentioned in your previous blog, at present is pretty poor.
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