OFCOM reports...
Leave a lot to be desired. The recent consultation on the future of radio was interesting, not because of the content but more to do with the way they presented their findings. (IMHO).
Sound quality:
Plenty of anecdotal quotes from people saying how impressed they were. Didn't state who these people were, what they listened to the radio on previously. Had a lot of quotes from DAB user groups (Well, London and Manchester user groups with execellent coverage) who of course would be more pro DAB since they are in a user group. Hardly a neutrally presented case. Most regular readers of this esteemed webmag will realise that a 112kbps mp2 stream in stereo is hardly going to be considered stunning
Devices:
Claimed percentage of people that were listening to DAB, and listeing to the radio via the net and strangely enough throwing in the growing use of people who use mobile phones to listen to the radio - basically implying (read the review - quite clever really) that digital take up was wide spread. Mobile phones use analogue systems, so technically a standard radio so can hardly be thrown in as part of the "digital takeup".
Also they didnt make too much of the point that most of the rest of Europe, whilst may be a little behind us in take up , are actually using DAB+, (AAC) so have a greater quality of sound. If we move over then of course most of the DAB radios are redundant. Plus how would you program in such a move? One big switch over? Run side by side? How can you with the amount of bandwidth already being stuffed, hence the allowing of 112kps minimum for stereo streams.
All in all it seemed that they knew what they wanted to present, then wrote the report to represent it.
I also wonder what the resilency would be of Digital radio in the event of a modern day catastrophe...call me a doom monger but say we lost our electricity supply for whatever reason , it is far easier to jury rig transmitters and receivers for analogue than digital.
Im not a luddite, i like the idea of digital radio and DRM (digital radio mondial - not the bad kind :) ) seems a very good and longevistic way to go. But i don't trust OFCOM to represent the best way forward for the British population and I really don't know why that is. Is it incompetence or some other agenda? Please someone tell me if i am completely wrong about this because I would rather that than what I suspect.