An in-car HD Radio device from Jensen.
(Credit: Ibiquity Digital)Ford Motor just can't seem to get enough lately of high-tech flourishes for the dashboard.
Earlier this month, the automaker unveiled plans to integrate Wi-Fi into its Sync entertainment systems so that drivers can turn their cars into wireless Internet hot spots. On Tuesday, Ford said that starting in 2010, car buyers will be able to get a factory-installed HD Radio receiver with iTunes Tagging capabilities:
"Through the Sync system," Ford said in its press release, "iTunes Tagging will provide Ford customers with the ability to capture a song they hear on the HD Radio receiver for later purchase. With a simple push of the 'TAG' button on the radio display, the song information will be stored in the radio's memory."Up to 100 tags can be stored on Sync until the iPod is connected to receive the download of metadata. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of 'tagged' songs will appear. Customers then can preview and, if desired, purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store."
Ford is proclaiming itself the first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging as a factory-installed feature, but its announcement comes nearly a year after consumer electronics company JVC began touting its KD-HDR50, an in-car stereo system that comes with a built-in HD Radio tuner that incorporates iTunes Tagging.
For more on HD Radio and the gadgets that get it, see:
Apps are the next big thing in car tech; New York wants to crack down on how truckers use GPS; why run-flat tires suck so damned much; the search for the perfect iPod Touch rig in your car; and a ride in the BMW 650i Convertible.
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Episode 140
Show notes• CNET drives the BMW 650i Convertible in a rather bemused way
• Consumer Reports takes on the stuck throttle floor mat thing
• Why an FM modulator makes a monkey out of your hissy FM transmitter
• New York state wants to crack down on truckers using GPS the wrong way
• Run-flat tires: Not worth the various headaches, hassles, and costs?
Toyota starts a hybrid price war, new Camaro won't get a 4-cylinder or convertible, Twitter on OnStar and Opera browser on F-150's, plus a ride in the X5 xDrive35d.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• EV start-up wants to merge with GM
COLUMBIA, Md. -- iBiquity Digital Corp. will supply its digital HD Radio technology to all Jaguar vehicles, along with some Kia sedans and SUVs, starting in 2010.
iBiquity's contracts also will supply HD Radio to some 2011 Audi vehicles.
In addition, iBiquity will supply HD Radio technology to additional Hyundai models. Hyundai's Genesis sedan, the first vehicle to include HD Radio, currently includes the receivers on its models that have navigation systems. The 2010 Genesis will offer the technology on some models without navigation systems, and Hyundai will offer HD Radio on additional models beginning in the 2011 model year.
iBiquity, of Columbia, Md., developed and markets HD Radio. Radios with HD Radio technology are produced by several suppliers for automakers.
(Source: Automotive News)
This new multimedia system from Advent (Audiovox/Jensen's top-tier line of dealer installed car audio equipment) packs nearly every bell and whistle that the company offers into a clean and easy-to-use double din receiver. They've even upgraded the interface with cleaner, updated graphics. Check us out as we check it out on the floor at CES 2009.
JVC adds 7 CD receivers to its 2009 lineup
(Credit:
JVC Mobile Entertainment)
JVC rings in the New Year with not one, not two, but seven new CD receivers for its 2009 mobile entertainment product line.
JVC Mobile's new flagship KD-R900 In-Dash CD Receiver has two USB 2.0 ports (one front and one rear) for connection to an iPod, an iPhone, USB flash memory drives, digital audio players, portable HDD devices, or any two devices simultaneously. The ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
New Jensen touch-screen multimedia system
(Credit:
Audiovox/Jensen)
The VM9423 touch-screen multimedia system is the first of six new Jensen models that will launch during the first half of 2009. This top-of-the-line system has a built-in HD Radio tuner, integrated iPod connectivity, and iTunes tagging. The VM9423 is GPS navigation, backup camera, Bluetooth, and Sirius/XM satellite radio ready--all of which require additional modules to add their respective functions. We cringe thinking about the mess ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
It's White House or bust for Detroit, will Intel go into the car battery business? Mercedes puts two displays in the dashboard, and we drive the 2009 Acura TL.
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SHOW NOTES
2009 Acura TL
• Vote for Tech Car of the Year
(Credit:
HD DIGITAL RADIO)
HD Radio enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast both digital and analog audio from the same channel, as well as add new sub-channels and text information. HD Radio has been on the market since 2002, and yet--over six years later--we're only just beginning to see the technology proliferate. Currently, there are only a handful of car stereo receivers that have HD Radio tuning built in, with the bulk of the units on the market requiring external, and at times expensive, add-on tuners.
So, why doesn't anyone seem to care about HD Radio? Most likely, it's because many people don't understand the benefits of the technology.
Increased sound quality
By moving to a digital format, HD Radio offers a huge jump in audio quality. Comparing HD Radio to analog radio is similar to comparing CDs to old school tapes, or DVD movies to VHS--the boost in quality is that noticeable, even on our Chevrolet Aveo's crap stock speakers. Digital AM stations begin to sound like analog FM stations, and digital FM audio quality begins to approach that of a CD. All of this is accomplished using 1-10 percent of the bandwidth and power of an analog station.
Currently most HD Radio stations are broadcast on the same redundant stations as the analog programming. When the receiver detects a digital station, it switches over to the digital feed. If the signal deteriorates, the receiver can drop back to a lower bandwidth digital signal or back to the analog signal.
Text information
HD Radio's digitally transmitted audio also features text information that could be used for station information/telephone numbers, announcements, or artist and title information. In the case of artist/title information, this opens doors for increased functionality. For example, the Alpine TUA-T550HD HD Radio receiver allows you to tag songs for downloading in iTunes when connected to a compatible iPod.
Subchannels
The bandwidth freed up by using a more compact digital signal allows multiple subchannels to be broadcast on the same frequency. That means a station could offer alternative programming on a subchannel. For instance, if a song you didn't like came on, you could just jump to the substation. Or your favorite Top 40 station could start offering classic rock and indie music subchannels to vary content. If a station goes all digital (forgoing the analog redundancy), up to seven subchannels will fit into a single frequency. More content is almost always good.
Subscription-free
Unlike subscription-based satellite-radio stations, HD Radio content is free. The only cost paid is the one-time purchase of the HD Radio receiver. HD Radio stations broadcast their digital content over the same radio frequencies as their analog content. Here in the San Francisco area there are about 26 digitally broadcasting stations, 17 of which have at least one substation with alternated content.
While the FCC hasn't mandated a digital switch for audio broadcasts, as they have with television, there will most likely come a day when it will. FFC mandate or no, we'll be seeing more and more digital broadcasts in the immediate future, with premium automakers starting to include HD Radio receivers as standard equipment in many cases.
LA Auto Show a mix of highlights and doom, Green Car of the Year, your cell phone becomes a traffic probe, Chrysler offers a "Web Edition".
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SHOW NOTES
• Nissan 370Z has rev-matching manual gearbox
• Billion dollar deal to create places for EV's to plug in?
