1. How is this a surprise? As long as the major players control it, and the FCC is controlled by right-wing religious nuts, HD Radio will be a stillborn technology. Same crap, different format.

Posted at 9:14AM on Nov 10th 2005 by Geek

2. What evidence is there for Gartner to conclude that there will be 96,000 radios sold before 2006?

Reality points to lower numbers -- my educated guess is that no more than 5,000 HD radios have been sold, only a fraction of those are multicast capable, and if you count the HD head-end units that are also satellite-enabled and aren't necessarily being used for HD, well there is a different picture to be painted for HD radio, one where there are on average about 10 listeners apiece for each of the 500 broadcasters. And remember that most of these radios are used by people who work in the radio business, not their audience.

The consumer electronics industry estimate last week was that about 25,000 HD radios (a quarter of the ill-estimated 96,000) are "forecast" to be sold through the end of the year.

From last week's (November 3, 2005) congressional hearing on HD issues, this quote was attributed to Michael Petricone, the Consumer Electronics Association’s VP of technology policy:

"Over 500 stations are broadcasting digitally, thousands of radios have already been sold; over 25,000 are forecast to be in the market by year end, with tens if not hundreds of thousands to follow in 2006." (Source: http://www.twice.com/article/CA6280993.html?display=Breaking+News )

Bottom-line: Webcasting is a much bigger business than is HD radio in the United States, and now that it's going wireless it will likely grow its lead for the foreseeable future.

Neither is its technology sufficiently established nor reliable enough to build a business: AM digital is currently unworkably problematic, FM digital has major difficulties and no less a foe than Microsoft is petitioning the FCC for major changes in what is not yet a standard. Add another litigious opponent in the record business, working with the movie business on behalf of their mutual interests in restraining digital broadcasts, and you can see that this is not a mass media and may never attract the masses it needs.

Posted at 11:50AM on Nov 10th 2005 by Jim Griffin

3. I think they are going to have to significantly subsidize HD Radios to lower the price point to a competitive number. And where are those HD Radios going to be stocked at? Seeing as how they can't even be ordered online yet (without being wait-listed), I just don't see moving that many, unless it's going to be the first wave of fulfillment of the NPR group buy (which I sure would like to hear more about).

Posted at 6:14PM on Nov 13th 2005 by Johnathan Grant

4. HD RADIO IS A HOAX!
Find out why, here:
http://worldsupercaster.blogspot.com

Posted at 7:40AM on Nov 18th 2005 by Rich

5. MUSIClassical.com MEDIA survey says broadcasters especially public radio broadcasters should be wary of transmission investment in HD radio. Unless auto makers force feed HD to consumers the HD is dead.

Posted at 12:22PM on Dec 11th 2005 by Roberto

6. HD Radio may well wind up being only able to digitally play music from a hand full of unsigned independent musicians that are already available for download on the internet. All this and digital jamming of analog stations too. The iBiquity version of digital radio, HD Radio, is a hoax.

Posted at 12:29PM on Dec 11th 2005 by RACampbell