IS an HD Radio Worth it?
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NYCmetsfan
Banned
is it 50$ once or a subscription?
50$ dollars one time doesn't seem that bad for a few more channels for life
50$ dollars one time doesn't seem that bad for a few more channels for life
No, what you mention is Sirius XM. HD is different.
Manmademan
Member
My car has it. signals are a lot clearer compared to standard. I feel it's worth it even though I only listen to NPR.
The Albatross
Member
I think HD radio is mostly a sham. I remember the ads for it 7 or 8 years ago about how you were missing out on all of the biggest new HD stations... And... well I haven't heard any of those ads in 5 years and have never once heard of an HD station that isn't available in regular radio waves.
Satelite radio, eh, if you can get a promotion it's okay. Otherwise, overpriced.
Satelite radio, eh, if you can get a promotion it's okay. Otherwise, overpriced.
I bought a car stereo. I don't regret it... but I also only listen to one local station (who has an HD channel)
it's a one time charge. look at the local channels in your area.. the only HD-only channel we have that I find remotely interesting is a "true oldies" station from the 50s/60s. We used to have a classic alternative station, but that was axed for another clear channel top 40 stream...
edit - if you actually listen to local radio.. it sounds a ton better. and again a one time charge. so to me, worth it.
edit 2- and by one time charge I am referring to however much extra the stereo costs.. the stations are just local radio (free). fwiw, my stereo (pioneer) in my premium tier basically came with HDRadio, Sirius, or both. I didn't have an option at that tier/premium with no super-radio option. So if given a choice between the two, I would definitely go with HDRadio as it will always be there, unlike Sirius if you stop paying.
it's a one time charge. look at the local channels in your area.. the only HD-only channel we have that I find remotely interesting is a "true oldies" station from the 50s/60s. We used to have a classic alternative station, but that was axed for another clear channel top 40 stream...
edit - if you actually listen to local radio.. it sounds a ton better. and again a one time charge. so to me, worth it.
edit 2- and by one time charge I am referring to however much extra the stereo costs.. the stations are just local radio (free). fwiw, my stereo (pioneer) in my premium tier basically came with HDRadio, Sirius, or both. I didn't have an option at that tier/premium with no super-radio option. So if given a choice between the two, I would definitely go with HDRadio as it will always be there, unlike Sirius if you stop paying.
NealMcCauley
Member
It's supposed to offer cd quality sound. Check where you live to see if any stations can broadcast an hd signal before you decide for sure.
we have it on all major local stations except for two.
no, and technically it's worse
A really shitty analog signal may still be tolerable to you. But at that same shitty signal, HD will just die. HOWEVER, all (?) HD1 stations will fall back to analog (so it's like the quality goes in and out). But anything that is on HD2 will break up like normal digital signals.it really isn't a "paid" addition. It just depends on the radio. Also $50 may be pretty steep an example.
http://amzn.com/B00A02HHNG
This thing is $100 total.. so I wouldn't call this a $50 extra.
They have been around for a while too.
It matters whether you have broadcasters in your region.
I personally love it because there's a couple of AM stations I regularly listen to (local NPR and sports stations) that have FM HD simulcasts. Under most conditions, the HD broadcast is more reliable, significantly cleaner, and higher fidelity.
As with all things digital though, it's generally a binary situation. Either it's working or it's not ... there isn't an in between with noisy reception or anything. It just stops. Generally in that situation it just drops to the analog broadcast. That works fine if your listing to the primary multicast (HD-1).
If you're listening to a substation though (HD-2), some radios may fall back to HD-1 and then the analog station? Problem being if you're listening to a substation, the primary is a totally different feed. Might matter the radio. Some may only switch if you're on the primary?
Either way, I think it's definitely a nice to have. If you're going to be using this car and radio for a while, it's worth the extra $50 IMO.
Oh BTW - the other nice thing is metadata. It's up to the station, but there's plenty that will have a scroll with the song title and artist, etc. that shows up on your radio.
HD Radio is simply a digital broadcast. The actual quality is up to the broadcaster, but assume at best it's like CD versus tape. HD won't have any noise and is crystal clear. Analog clarity will be based on proximity to the antenna and is a lot more susceptible to interference (particularly AM which has lots of issues with physical obstructions).
I personally love it because there's a couple of AM stations I regularly listen to (local NPR and sports stations) that have FM HD simulcasts. Under most conditions, the HD broadcast is more reliable, significantly cleaner, and higher fidelity.
As with all things digital though, it's generally a binary situation. Either it's working or it's not ... there isn't an in between with noisy reception or anything. It just stops. Generally in that situation it just drops to the analog broadcast. That works fine if your listing to the primary multicast (HD-1).
If you're listening to a substation though (HD-2), some radios may fall back to HD-1 and then the analog station? Problem being if you're listening to a substation, the primary is a totally different feed. Might matter the radio. Some may only switch if you're on the primary?
Either way, I think it's definitely a nice to have. If you're going to be using this car and radio for a while, it's worth the extra $50 IMO.
Oh BTW - the other nice thing is metadata. It's up to the station, but there's plenty that will have a scroll with the song title and artist, etc. that shows up on your radio.
In so far as they normally do.
HD Radio is simply a digital broadcast. The actual quality is up to the broadcaster, but assume at best it's like CD versus tape. HD won't have any noise and is crystal clear. Analog clarity will be based on proximity to the antenna and is a lot more susceptible to interference (particularly AM which has lots of issues with physical obstructions).
I'm not sure what that means? There are plenty of broadcasts that use it. Obviously you need to check for you location, but it's 'taken off' just fine.
If you're implying there aren't a ton of HD-Radio-only broadcasts, that is likely true (though again depends on location), but there are plenty of simulcasts from bigger stations. So if you're mainly looking for higher quality versions of stations you are already listening to, that's where it shines.
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