It will be easier to demo HD Radio receivers in stores come October.
Ibiquity expects to have retail demo modules available in stores at that time. The small devices allow radios to be demoed without an antenna.
The concrete and steel that make up brick and mortar stores block radio signals. This device gets around that, said Ibiquity’s Randall Richter. TVs and satellite radio gear are plugged into these kinds of devices in stores.
I can tell you from walking into Tweeter, the antenna drops are on the side of the stores, in listening rooms — not in the middle of the store where sales folk have demo’ed HD Radio’s and iPods. That’s been an issue.
At least one leading industry engineer told me he has personally walked into stores and had their personnel move their HD Radios from the back to the front, by a window, to be able to pull in a signal.
Good timing to get this device in stores before the holiday selling season.
