DRM Gets Writeup in Science Mag

New Scientist magazine turns its attention this week to Digital Radio Mondiale and what the technology might mean for global AM band listeners.
“In early June, electronics giant Texas Instruments unveiled the future of radio: a tiny receiver that took several years and millions of dollars to develop,” the U.K. magazine notes.
“Using the latest coding and compression tricks, DRM will squeeze high-quality stereo sound into the narrow AM bands and send these signals over greater distances and with less interference than ever before. The technology promises to breathe new life into ailing AM stations the world over. Convert a medium-wave transmitter to DRM, for instance, and a station that once struggled to reach 10,000 listeners could embrace a hundred times as many.”
The article discusses the potential use of DRM to deliver data and multimedia information, including software upgrades to appliances. It notes the benefits of AM’s long-distance coverage, the lower power needs of the transmitters and DRM’s position as “the only digital system that can be used on any AM frequency anywhere in the world. … Twenty broadcasters have begun DRM test transmissions including BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle and Radio Luxembourg.”
One international broadcaster calls DRM the “essential cornerstone” to a new radio revival. Others are quoted saying it could be an important way to reach inaccessible regions or those recovering from natural disasters. It notes that Red Cross has joined the DRM Consortium.
The new TI receiver module, it states, should help bring receiver prices down.
The article appears in New Scientist magazine (paid subscription required).