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OTA and Streaming Deserve Separate Processing

A letter to the editor from David Bialik

I read Alan Jurison’s article “As Goes Your FM Processing, So Should Your HD1.”

I respect Alan but I disagree on one major point. The processing of your stream should not duplicate your over-the-air product. 

First, streams and OTA have different operating parameters. Over the air, you can and do peak above 0 VU. This is not good procedure for a stream; your audio will break up.

Second, over-the-air receivers usually have better speakers and amplifiers compared to streaming radios or computers. Yes some phones do have good audio, but usually the listener is utilizing headphones or earplugs.

Third, there are differing bandwidths being utilized over the air and for streams. You should not process a wideband stream the same way you would process a narrow-band AM broadcast. (I understand that the author was only referring to FM.)

These considerations need to be taken into consideration. This is why I say that the processing of the stream must be taken into account and the processing should differ.

[Check Out More Letters at Radio World’s Reader’s Forum Section]

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