Early on, many of us concluded that in spite of various issues regarding its business model and technical limitations, Ibiquity’s HD Radio was worth backing. I became a fan of the technology and I am still supporting it. After all, it was the only horse that really qualified to run this race. With the FCC’s adoption of HD-R as our digital radio standard, the gates are now officially all the way open and we’re off and running.
As the aging grandfather in a growing universe of glitzy multimedia consumer electronic alternatives, radio realized it would have to pull out all the stops to remain relevant and competitive. Back when Project Acorn was conceived, almost everybody agreed we needed some kind of digital transmission solution to keep pace with other media.
For better or for worse, HD Radio emerged as the industry’s digital platform to modernize its legacy over-the-air delivery technology, all within the constraints of existing channel allocations. The collaborative efforts of present broadcast stakeholders along with the consolidated venture-technology companies that invented IBOC have brought us to where we are today.
