Digital Radio

[Gullscorer]

The government is going to run a campaign to promote a greater take-up of digital radio, as apparently they are way behind their target.

Well, I for one hope that people don't turn to digital radio. I've had one for three years, and I have to report that digital radio is total ****..!! The sound quality is rubbish, the choice of stations is extremely limited, mostly poor quality 'pop' music, and it's just not worth the money.

Please, whatever you do, stick with good old-fashioned FM, who's quality is vastly superior, and with long, medium and short wave to pick up stations from Europe and around the world. Don't be pressurised and persuaded into buying digital radio. You can still buy the tried and trusted FM radios.

Don't be radio controlled...!!

[EmetEdadsBeard]

I bought Mrs Beard a DAB digital radio for the house about 4 years ago.
Its Ok,except for whatever reason in this area on digital you cant pick Jack Sh!t up!!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

I've got one for Talksport only as you can only pick it up on am wave. It's great but i don't listen to anything else on it apart from maybe local bbc.

[ferrarilover]

My experience is entirely the opposite. My digital radio is brilliant and get PlanetRock, clearly the best radio station in England.

Matt.

[cambgull]

My experience is entirely the opposite. My digital radio is brilliant and get PlanetRock, clearly the best radio station in England.

Matt The n00b.

I'm with Matt on this one, PlanetRock is a brilliant radio station and the Smooth stations aren't bad either. The sound quality is fine too, Gullscorer. You've probably just got a rubbish speaker.

[AustrianAndyGull]

What sort of stuff do they play on planet rock? ( don't say rock for f sake! )

[HeavenAndHele]

What sort of stuff do they play on planet rock? ( don't say rock for f sake! )

Most, if not all, digital (and non-digital) stations let you listen online - if you go to http://www.planetrock.com there's a listen live thingy at the top, and if you can't be arsed (or it doesn't work) there's a playlist bottom right.

I've got a digital radio in the kitchen, my preference is either Absolute 80s or 6 Music. My house is a bit crap for TV/radio/phone reception generally but it seems to like living under the stairs - anywhere else and it sounds like Norman Collier...

[ferrarilover]

Floyd, ac/dc, Zepplin, Sixx AM, Aerosmith, Black Stone Cherry, that sort of thing. There's no **** about, they have a breakfast show presented by Alice Cooper.

Matt.

[Gullscorer]

Confirms my worst fears about digital radio...!!

[cambgull]

Confirms my worst fears about digital radio...!!

What, they play music? Scary stuff! Pretty much everything on digital radio is better. They don't talk utter drivel between songs.

[happytorq]

Satellite radio beats digital radio

[Gullscorer]

Everything beats digital radio.

For sound quality: FM radio. Choice and variety of stations: FM, medium wave. World-wide radio: short wave radio, and the internet; and I can even get continental stations on my FM radio.

Digital radio? Forget it...!!

[ferrarilover]

How does FM radio "beat" digital? I can get all the FM stations on my digital radio, as well as a plethora of others which are not available on FM. At the very worst, it's a push.
That's like saying terrestrial TV is better than Sky, it can't be, because I can get all the terrestrial channels on Sky, as well as about 950 others.

Although mostly unrelated, I'd like to put in a good word here for the new Bose TV sound system I've bought. It's excellent and really transforms the sound quality and enhances viewing pleasure. Thoroughly recommended.

Matt.

[Gullscorer]

Well, I don't have a satellite dish; if I did, I could no doubt, depending upon which satellite, pick up television from Europe, Asia, the Far East, or elsewhere.

But I have an excellent radio aerial, and I can pick up continental stations on FM which I can't on UK digital radio. And I can receive stations from around the world on other radio wavelengths which are not available on digital.

However, the biggest difference is in sound quality. It's vastly superior on FM, and, whatever the quality of the equipment in use (and mine is pretty good), I cannot understand how anyone with at least normal hearing cannot recognise the fact.

Of course, trashy music always sounds trashy, whether on FM or digital...

[cambgull]

Sigh... sound quality is based on literally everything involved in making the song and the unit producing the sound. The airwaves make no real difference. As proven at work when we used the same stereo to play Radio 1 on FM and on DAB. The sound quality was as close as exactly the same. If anything, DAB was very slightly better as the signal received was crystal clear, whereas the FM signal was that of the best frequency we could find. There wasn't really that much difference at all though. What does make a big difference is the production of the song and the equipment it is played on.

Standard FM doesn't have a patch on DAB for the amount of stations, as DAB has everything that FM and MW has and far more. I don't really get how you can say FM is better for this, because it just isn't.

As for picking up continental stations, I've heard French, German and Spanish radio. It's pretty awful, so why would you want to? Unless of course you just love the Eurovision Song Contest. The only benefit of foreign radio is if you like various types of Scandinavian metal bands and you can pick up Swedish Melodic Death Metal Radio or Finnish Female Fronted Metal Band Radio.

As for satellite, you're failing to understand how companies who offer satellite packages work. They offer packages which are designed for the country they're based in and (AFAIK) anything that you can pick up for free from foreign countries that aren't in Europe is illegal. God forbid, you might try and watch football from a non-European based source, because that would be even more illegal!