DAB radio 5.1 tests in London

[bayards]

The Eureka DAB system,in use in the UK, is playing host to 5.1 surround tests for a 6 month period from October 2003. London's Capital FM, Microsoft and Radioscape are combining to broadcast WMA format codec 9 surround.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds11776.html or try this (I'm trrying to type this while in Muscat, Oman on a work trip)

http://www.modulartech.com/news/press18sep.htm

I have a DAB PCI card in my PC all specced up for 5.1 - but see they are testing on L-Band while normal DAB broadcasts are on Band III. Hmm.

Aitch
Tuesday 23 Sep

PS cross posted - as Mobile Audio may not have been the correct home! We may need a Surround Radio thread page - as I'm listening to German radio in 5.1 from satellite (testing too).

 

[Scottmoose]

The Eureka DAB system,in use in the UK, is playing host to 5.1 surround tests for a 6 month period from October 2003. London's Capital FM, Microsoft and Radioscape are combining to broadcast WMA format codec 9 surround.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds11776.html or try this (I'm trrying to type this while in Muscat, Oman on a work trip)

http://www.modulartech.com/news/press18sep.htm

I have a DAB PCI card in my PC all specced up for 5.1 - but see they are testing on L-Band while normal DAB broadcasts are on Band III. Hmm.

Aitch
Tuesday 23 Sep

PS cross posted - as Mobile Audio may not have been the correct home! We may need a Surround Radio thread page - as I'm listening to German radio in 5.1 from satellite (testing too).

Oh hell -I'm in the UK too (Hull to be precise). Hmm. The good old BBC haven't actually decided what on earth to do with L band yet I notice -dragging behind the times again. Typical.
That said, I loath DAB as the spawn of Satan. It's a child of the early 1990's. Compression using musicam! Arrrrgggghhhhh! I dislike compression at the best of times, but this is dire to my ears. Almost unlistenable in fact. The bit-rate is so pitiful it makes minidisc look passable! It's not the fault of the tuners either -the cheapest sound almost as good as the most expensive. It's just the almost total absense of any musical information. Just listen to a rock-group or orchestra at full tilt, and laugh as musicam breaks down completely as it runs out of bits to describe the music.
Still, I suppose in 5.1 it might improve. Just. I think I'll stick to nice high-quality VHF. Strange though isn't it. The music industry is generally striving for improved sound-quality -DVD-A, SACD, HDCD et al. And then we have the savagely compressed DAB using totally obsolete technology. Sits rather uneasily with the others doesn't it? Sigh.
Rant over!
Scott (The world renowned DAB-hater)
:ugham: