RNS510 dab comes alive! (in Germany)

[drmanhattan]

I've recently returned from Germany in the Cali where I noticed a big difference in quality to that of UK DAB. While the stations' content in terms of music were, in my view, inferior, the sound quality and the technology behind it was much better. I was able to receive DAB+ for the first time on the RNS510 dab, and the difference between standard DAB as received in Britain was impressive. The sound quality was almost like listening to a CD, and it made me realise how poor UK DAB is at the moment. The RNS510 was also able to receive various images broadcast from radio stations as part of the slideshow function. For example, an image of the band/singer now playing. I hadn't seen this function work before and had actually given up hope of it ever working, until I drove through Germany. I came home wondering if DAB+ will ever see the light of day in the UK. Britain has some very good quality DAB stations in terms of content but it's a shame they can't broadcast better audio quality. I suppose I should be grateful we're not France, where there's practically no DAB at all! :crazy

 

[AlanC]

Hi drmanhattan,

The DAB stations are grouped together in what are know as a Multiplex (Mux). The lower the transmission rate, the more stations that can be included in each Mux, but at a cost to the quality. Better quality signals equals higher transmission rates and corresponding fewer stations per Mux.

In the UK we have two national Multiplexes available, and a number of regional ones. The view is we all want more choice therefore more stations and so a lower transmission rate is used in order to stuff more stations into each Multiplex. Germany's view presumably is quality is paramount, and so a higher transmission rate is used but with few stations per Mux, hence the higher quality sound and the slide shows.

Incidentally speech only stations, such as BBC R4, are usually transmitted at a lower rate than music ones.

As you can imagine when DAB was proposed, there was a lot of debate within the radio industry about this quality v quantity issue. Unfortunately the powers-that-be and money won and we now have a poorer sounding system in the UK as a result.

This is a simplified overview, however if you want to know more, more information is available here.

http://tinyurl.com/nkecwfm

Hope that helps.
Alan

 

[drmanhattan]

Thanks Alan.

 

[shambly]

DAB+ also uses a much more efficient audio codec than DAB so gives a better sound quality for the same bitrate. (HE-AAC v2 versus MPEG-1)

One of the penalties of the UK being an early adopter of DAB (and early radios can't support DAB+ So a switch would leave old radios silent)...

Simon

 

[AlanC]

DAB+ also uses a much more efficient audio codec than DAB so gives a better sound quality for the same bitrate. (HE-AAC v2 versus MPEG-1)

One of the penalties of the UK being an early adopter of DAB (and early radios can't support DAB+ So a switch would leave old radios silent)...

Simon

Agreed

Alan