HD Radio Review at CES 2011
Jan 7, 2011 8:06 AM
Columbia, MD – Jan 6, 2011 – The HD Radio Technology showcase at the 2011 CES featured the latest consumer products for home, portable, auto and iPod/iPhone; as well as the 2011 Ford Fusion, VW Jetta, and Subaru Forester, each equipped with HD Radio technology.
In addition, several HD Radio advanced features were on display at the HD Radio Booth:
- Artist Experience – Visual images now display on equipped HD Radio receivers, such as album art, concert photos, station logos, and other imagery. First launched on the Insignia NS-HD02 portable HD Radio player, iBiquity will show several new products featuring Artist Experience; including the first OEM implementation, by Volkswagen.
- Bookmark – A music and information discovery service, Bookmark allows listeners to capture and store information about radio content in real-time for later reference. The Bookmark service can also deliver QR codes directly to HD Radio receivers, which enables consumers to directly link to a website or other resource using a smart phone app.
- Live Pause – For the first time, digital broadcast audio content and Program Service Data (PSD) can be stored on HD Radio receivers.
AutomotiveToyota has launched HD Radio in 2012 model year vehicles. Toyota will be the first OEM to offer the iTunes Tagging feature on all radios that include HD Radio.The first factory-installed implementation of Artist Experience was showcased by Volkswagen at CES in the HD Radio booth.Ibiquity says HD Radio technology’s growth in the OEM segment is principally driven by three trends: First, many brands have made their HD Radio offerings a standard feature, such as BMW, Volvo, Mini, while other brands have broadened their HD Radio vehicle line-ups, such as Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Lincoln, Land Rover and Audi. Second, HD Radio Technology is being installed on many new vehicles targeted to the mass market. Such models as the Ford Fusion, Ford Explorer, Ford F-150, Hyundai Sonata, Scion tC and iQ, VW Jetta, VW Tiguan, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Subaru Forester now feature HD Radio Technology in popular option packages. Finally, as an increasingly important part of the in-car entertainment experience, HD Radio receiver volumes continue to rise with the upward trend in overall new car sales.CES 2011 was the launching point of many new automotive aftermarket models featuring built-in HD Radio technology. Notable new models include HD Radio built-in head units from Alpine and Clarion, as well as several models that expand the product ranges of Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer and Sony.The JVC KW-NT50HDT is the first auto aftermarket unit with Artist Experience. This model also includes Total Traffic + (a Clear Channel service) and iTunes tagging, marking the first time these three Advanced Features are available on a single device.— continued on page 2
HD Radio Review at CES 2011
Jan 7, 2011 8:06 AM
CE Products
Insignia has announced the NS-IPHDR1, the first HD Radio-enabled “built for iPad” docking system. The product also features iTunes tagging, the service developed with Apple and radio broadcasters that enables consumers to tag songs for later preview and purchase on iTunes. iTunes tagging has now been implemented across many product categories since the initial launch on docking speaker systems.
AV receiver manufacturers Denon, Marantz and Yamaha continue to expand their HD Radio technology-equipped line-ups. New models range in price from $300 to $2,000. The offerings join a wide array of more than 35 HD Radio-equipped models from 14 major brands including ADA, Anthem, Auvio, DaySequerra, Denon, Insignia, Integra, Marantz, McIntosh, Niles, Onkyo, Sangean, Sony and Yamaha.
HD Radio Alliance
The HD Radio Alliance and iBiquity will develop and implement a wide range of marketing and promotional programs in support of HD Radio technology products during calendar year 2011. The Alliance reports that mass media, public relations, viral initiatives, CE retail support programs, auto dealer support programs, retail training programs, radio broadcast station promotions and trade show participation will be utilized. The Alliance predicts that these programs are expected to deliver more than $120 million in market value in support of HD Radio enabled products during the year.
The backbone of the consumer marketing programs will again be nationwide radio campaigns managed by the HD Radio Alliance with support from it more than 650 member stations.
