Smartphone Apps Innovate Automotive Radio

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc... 

Image via CrunchBase

There’s a popular saying about technology: “there’s an app for that.” For those who like to listen to the radio while in the car, but would prefer the variety and features of Internet radio, that saying will soon be true. Livio Radio is an application available for both Androids and iPhones that puts Internet radio in your car. It does require some additional hardware to be installed in your vehicle, including a Dice Car Kit (which simulates a satellite radio receiver) or a Bluetooth adaptor, one of which will be necessary to make this work. Both products are still in development.

The primary advantage of using the Livio app is that it does not require a monthly subscription fee like Sirius XM satellite radio does. Instead, a purchase of about $100 for the hardware and $19.99 for the smartphone app will have you set up, with no fees required in order to keep yourself in business. Whether or not the sound quality matches a satellite radio receiver is questionable, and while early testers are reporting good results, we’ll likely have to wait until the products hit the actual market to get some real data.

The good news is that innovations are still being made in the field of radio and portable music. While MP3s and iPods have been considered the death of the physical album, that doesn’t mean that the music industry has really suffered. Indeed, the converse is largely true in that the work of many more artists is available to a much larger fan base than in decades past. Here’s to hoping that trend continues to grow.

 

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Internet Radio

June 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The advent of the Internet brought us huge technological advances in productivity and entertainment. Businesses are more profitable than anyone believed imaginable and we can now take our television shows, movies and music with us everywhere we go using laptops and web-enabled mobile phones. Internet radio has been one of the biggest innovations for mobile entertainment, featuring customizable stations that actually learn what types of music its user prefers and is able to provide related artists and albums based on the user’s history.

When we think about Internet radio, Pandora comes to mind as one of the largest and most popular of such services. Pandora apps are also available for Windows, Android and iOS mobile phones and devices as well as the web-based service access via computer. It is not uncommon to walk through any office today and find cubicle inhabitants all listening to their own personalized Pandora stations through ear bud headphones. Of course, Pandora isn’t alone; other web-based radio providers include Yahoo Music, Google Music and Last.FM are all giving Pandora a run for her money, especially in the North American markets.

The future of the music industry, including satellite radio, traditional AM / FM radio and Internet radio, is difficult to predict. We have seen so much in the way of innovation and new technology over the last decade that it is nearly impossible to ascertain a future direction. One can only be assured of the fact that there will always be some type of radio, in one form or another, and that this entertainment venue will never die.

 

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History of Satellite Radio

June 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Howard Stern 

Cover of Howard Stern

Once upon a time, Americans received the bulk of their news and entertainment via the radio. Then came television and big budgets movies, followed by video games and the Internet. Traditional radio was suffering from a serious lack of interest. At the same time, those syndicated radio programs that were able to generate advertising revenue were being hamstrung by FCC regulations concerning adult-themed content. In order to revitalize the concept of completely auditory entertainment, radio needed some big changes.

These changes arrived with the advent of satellite radio. Two companies, Sirius and XM Radio, vied for the entirety of the market before merging into one holding company, Sirius XM Radio, in 2008. The popular syndicated programs of Anthony and Opie, Howard Stern and Blue Collar Radio are now free to do as they please, at least, up to a certain limit. Additionally, the recent innovation of satellite radio receivers being included as original equipment in most makes of automobiles has expanded the market considerably.

Of course, not having commercials means that the satellite radio providers must have a source of income in order to be profitable and stay in business. That means a subscription based service in which those who want to enjoy satellite radio programming must pay a monthly fee and have a satellite radio receiver. Receivers can be portable or stationary, as well as being installed in a vehicle. Many of these receivers are also capable of recording live broadcasts for playback at a later time, allowing satellite radio to compete even with MP3 players.

 

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Advantages of Digital Radio

May 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Digital Radio Comm Setup for Linux 

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Digital radio versions of all your favorite shows are available online. Every major network has them and they are easily available. All you need to do is log into a digital radio site, type in your postal code and you are good to go. The great thing about digital radio is that there is a variety of shows that you can listen to and enjoy. Therefore, there is something for the entire family.

The advantages of digital radio are plenty. The quality of sound you get is crystal clear and it comes with the added advantage of text being made available. This means that you can read all about the program that is being streamed. You can browse through online guides to choose programs of your choice and should you want lyrics to a particular song that you are listening to, they are available to you as well. If you have newer versions of a digital radio receiver in your home, you will find that the means of controlling them are all the more varied but simple enough to use. This makes things a lot easier for you.

In addition, if you happen to be moving out of town, then there is absolutely no need for you to retune your receiver. All you need to do is plug it in and play. There are also several free stations that you can tune into making your experience even more pleasant. Amongst the several advantages to having a digital radio station, the variety in terms of choice alone should be good enough for you to consider it.

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Understanding Digital Radios

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Digital radio stations are quite popular these days. Almost every commercial and popular major network has a number of digital radio stations to their credit. These are available in a number of formats and are often in conjunction with the national broadcasting networks of the country. This means that you can get all the stations you want in one place. The simplest way to access these stations is to get online and visit the site of the digital radio station. All you need to do is register by entering your postal code and you are connected. After that, all you need to do is press the listen icon to begin listening to the station’s streaming in real time.

There are several advantages to having digital radio stations. You have clear sound and a large variety of radio shows to tune into and enjoy. Since you are online, you will also be able to see information related to the song being streamed. You will also have access to a program guide that will give you an update on programs.

The text that appears along with the broadcast can give you visual information on what you are listening to, lyrics of songs you are listening and more. The choices available when it comes to digital radio stations are plenty and you can be assured of something good for everyone in the family to listen to. The ease of using the digital radio stations is what makes it all the more exciting. You do not need to be technologically skilled to be able to tune in and listen to the shows of your choice.

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Setting Up An Online Radio Station

March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The great thing about an online radio station is that you can start one from the comfort of your own home. In fact starting an online radio station has become really popular thanks to the popularity of the Internet and sites like YouTube and MySpace. Setting up an online radio station is pretty easily, but you need to make sure you know about all the legalities.

Before setting up an online radio station, make sure you brush up on the Digital Millennium Copyright Laws. The law requires that you pay any royalties if you want to play songs on your radio station. I’m guessing you’re planning on playing music. If you’re just doing a talk online radio station than you should be fine there.

Next, set up your server that’s going to host your online radio station. Finding a hosting for your website isn’t super difficult if you’re good with the technical side of starting your own online radio station.

Read all the rules about what you can and can’t do. You don’t have to have any problems with the servers. Also read all the information on the hosting site you go with. Some will have a monthly fee and this fee will cover the royalties of some of the songs you’re looking to play. Cover your basis.

Be sure to have the amount of bandwidth that can support a large number of listeners. You don’t want anything to happen if you have more listeners than what your bandwidth can hold.

Lastly, set up your music player. Doing this will be based on which server you’re going with. If it’s your own server than you can just link all your music to your website.

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How Digital Radio Works

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people have a huge interest in radio digital radio but they don’t exactly know how it works. Here is a rundown on how digital radio works.

Digital radio is differs from of traditional radio in that its information is encoded on its carrier waves differently.  AM (amplitude modulation) or FM (frequency modulation) radio is a little bit weaker than radio stations using digital signals. These two options will use kilohertz or megahertz as opposed to gigahertz that majority of the digital radio stations will use.

Analog signals usually have a hard time knowing the difference between signals that are either desired or undesired. This is why you sometimes turn to a radio station and there’s a ton of static. You won’t experience this with digital radio.

In order to work, all radio stations will have to manipulate the electrical charge that are found in the air. To send out your radio signal, all that’s needed are an antenna and some electricity. What happens is that the electricity will make the particles vibrate and in return they will create an electromagnetic field.

For the most part satellite digital radio will be a bit stronger than your regular signals because the signal come from space and there’s less interference from there as opposed to getting the signal from the ground where there could be a ton of interference.

The great thing about satellite digital radio is that the waves are a lot longer and stronger than ground-base so sending digital signals all over the world without a ton of problems.

Digital radio is going to be huge in the upcoming years and it’ll be interested to see how well it does in the near future.

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All About Broadcast Journalism

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Broadcast journalism is a very popular industry that many aspiring journalists want to get into. Unfortunately it’s a hard industry to break into. While reporters report the news as accurately as possible, those working in radio and television create a unique outlook at all the things that are currently going on in the world.

Broadcast journalism is basically another type of news media that gets broadcast online, on television or on the radio. While reports rely mainly on the story, those working in broadcast can use the information, videos and photos to report the news. Broadcasters report the information in a more conversational tone.

Back in the day people went to the Radio to hear about the news and listen to “talk programs” and to hear some music. Things changed in the 1940s when it became news and drama programs. Television became popular in the 1950s and color television sets hit the market in the late 60s.

Broadcast journalism is meant to provide viewers and listeners with a service. This service is to give people up to date information about any news that could potential affect their lives.

There are multiple forms of broadcast journalism. One is a newscast program that’s about 30 to 60 minutes long discussing all the news for the day. Each newscast could include weather, entertainment, sports, local, world and offbeat stories. Then you have a more magazine-style segment that will have a few topics that will be discussed in better detail. These are headline stories, but they might not have necessarily made headlines that day. Last is blogging and interactive broadcasting. These are stories being posted within minutes of happening and as new information is presented the content will get updated.

The industry is one of the most competitive industries to get in. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to truly make it as a broadcast journalist.

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What Is RBDS And Why Its Features Are Not Used More?

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Radio Broadcast Data System is the American equivalent to Europe’s Radio Data System or RDS.  Without becoming technical about the technology it is essentially a system that carries text data to an FM radio.  It is used widely in Europe and is gaining popularity here in the United States.  This system comes standard on most vehicles.  You may recognize this on your vehicle’s radio as the call letters of the radio station you are listening to.  On some models you not only receive the station name but the song name and artist name as well.

Another cool feature RBDS has is that of auto tuning.  This is a great feature for those long car rides for vacation or holidays.  Typically when you lose the signal on your radio you need to manually tune in the radio to the station that has the strongest signal.  With the auto tune feature, your radio automatically finds the station with not only with the strongest signal but one that is similar to the station you were listening to previously.

Unfortunately not all of RDBS capabilities are being used here in the United States.  One of RDBS features are that it can interrupt programming, a CD playing or interrupt silence (when you are driving with your radio off).  It gives weather reports, road conditions, or other emergency related incidents.  There are companies that have developed software that can do this in certain cities, counties, and states.  However FEMA hesitates to do this.  Maybe for the cost the radio station would have to pay for this software.  FEMA is looking at new ways to employ RBDS to Emergency Alert Systems as a way to alert individuals during emergencies and natural disasters.

This system was introduced in the early 90’s to FEMA.  Why are they now beginning to integrate this technology when its use has been available for more than 15 years in the United States?

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How To Choose A Car Radio

January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You need to first consider budget when you are looking for a new car radio.  That is ultimately what is going to be the deciding factor in which radio you buy.  The next thing you want to look for is features.  What features do you want most in your car radio?  You know you that you want the FM/AM bands that’s a given.  For those of you out there who really want that cassette player, there are a few radios that still have that option.  There are units that have the single CD players, but if you have a lot of CD’s, then maybe you should go with a CD changer.  There are radios that offer the changer there in the console but some you may have to place under your seat.  If you listen to a media player maybe you would prefer a radio that has a docking station for your IPod or a jack for other media players.

You want your radio to be user friendly.  You want something that is easy to handle while you are driving.  Make sure you play with the units you look at before purchasing the radio.  You want to be able to see the screen well when you are driving.  Look at it from all angles.  Are the numbers easy to read?  Make sure the buttons are big enough for you to see what you are pushing.

Do you prefer to have a radio that you take the face off to prevent theft?  Some models have fully detachable faces.  This allows you to pull the facing off of your radio and take it inside so no one will be tempted to take it.  Others have a semi detachable face or a face that you can flip over to hide the radio.  You paid good money for your unit; you don’t want some knuckle-head busting out your window for your radio.

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