Ibiquity Submits FM Tests to NRSC

Ibiquity Digital Corp. has turned over about 600 pages worth of FM test results to the standards-setting body, the National Radio Systems Committee. Ibiquity President/CEO Bob Struble called the IBOC results “the most comprehensive in U.S. broadcast history.”
In the four areas tested, IBOC DAB showed outstanding results for audio quality, robustness, coverage and compatibility with the analog host, said Struble.
He predicted the NRSC would take about 3 months to evaluate and generate a report on the FM results. Ibiquity hopes to have AM testing completed by early November. Though the tests were done with the AAC compression algorithm instead of PAC that Ibiquity is now using, Ibiquity will re-do the unimpaired audio quality tests with PAC and submit those as well.
Ibiquity says with this submission, the NRSC has what it needs from the FM tests to determine if FM IBOC performs better than analog.
It’s unclear, he said, how the FCC will treat IBOC although the company believes it’s in the public interest to set a standard for terrestrial digital radio broadcasting.
Ibiquity is proceeding with plans for commercialization with an eye toward Ibiquity partners having IBOC-compatible RF equipment on the show floor at NAB 2002 and receivers ready for 2003 CES.