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Assuming you have a HD reciever it is about the same quality of satelite. I don't really think it is worth the hardware cost for a tuner unless you really really like your local stations.
Posts: 986 | From: Detroit, MI | Registered: Nov 2004
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High Definition car audio head units are one of the newest items to creep out of this years 05 CES (Consumer Electronics) show. There is an apparent hand full of companies out there already making units for the intergration of this fledging technology. But it looks like there isnt many channels out there broadcasting digital FM/AM yet, only 75 as of this month. This may be a revival ploy of AM channels somewhat similar to the AM stereo attempt in the mid 90's that never took off. But maybe this will - existing FM and AM channels will be seemingly seamlessly intergrated with traditional FM and AM fequencies that already exist, much like, but not similar to the transition of analog cell phones over to their digital counterparts. The advantages, well, not really many. Just the ablility to recieve an octave higher on existing FM channels and from 20hz-15khz in the AM sectrum, which is just limited to 60-7.5khz. Sure, it will kick AM sound quaility in the butt, but really, when was the last time you turned on an AM channel? And thats what the makers are betting on, that you will someday do just that. But with 112,000 or so AM stations below the digital par now, it may take years for even half of them to upgrade to the new digital format. At least the FCC is playing ball - they've already given the green light to add this reception technology into new chips radio units. But with AM stereo not panning out, the possiblity if this technology fizziing out may equal the same surge and disbanding of the once hyped DAT media type. Stations may be easier to get onto his new medium bandwagon, since it will only cost around 80k for a High Definition audio transmitter upgrade, unlike the millions of dollars invested into HDTV equipment that the television industry as dump into its newest advance. IBiquity, the so called "founder" of the technology, has been licensing this technology to various car manufactuers already as a option on their high end head units in conjunction with the already popular XM satelite radio, but without the monthly user cost of XM radio. Head unit manufacturers such as the JVC KD-SHX900 ($799), Panasonic CQ-CB9900U ($999, which oddly enough adds a 7 band parametric eq, so you can attentuate your newly discovered fequency reception range), and the Kenwood KTC-HR100 ($999), have all joined in the newly emerging technology battlefield. Some manufacuters have even been hinting TiVo like playback and recording features to their head units as well in order to futhor expand the new feature. But with the car audio market seemingly filled with DVD and MP3 Hard drive storage and playback devices, its unclear where High Definition will creep in to, and stay with newer head unit models.
Kenwood KTC-HR100 (head unit add on)
Panasonic CQ-CB9900U
JVC KD-SHX900
-------------------- Posts: 701 | From: Fort Knox, Kentucky | Registered: Feb 2005
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