The IBOC standard has been revised again. The last big change was the inclusion of multicasting.
This weekend at its meeting here at the 2008 NAB Show, the National Radio Systems Committee adopted an updated version of its IBOC standard — NRSC-5-B.
The Digital Radio Broadcasting Subcommittee, co-chaired by Andy Laird, vice president and chief technology officer of the Journal Broadcast Group, and Mike Bergman, vice president for New Digital Technology at Kenwood USA, adopted the changes.
The latest version includes what NRSC members are calling a minor FM IBOC RF mask change that Ibiquity Digital Corp., developer of the IBOC technology, submitted to the NRSC. The change, adding a “gentle skirt” to the bottom of the mask at the edge of the digital sidebands, will make it easier for manufacturers to comply with cost effective transmission equipment. Another change allows an extra two frequency partitions to be used in extended hybrid mode.
The document will be available to the public through the NRSC Web site following a final, procedural review that is expected to take about four weeks.