Media: Broadcasting 7 Times Greener Than Streaming

Broadcasted radio consumes much less power than streamed radio.

Sometimes even a non-scientist like me feel like doing some experimentation. To find out how long a mobile phone battery will last if I want to listen to the radio via streaming vs. via broadcasting.

The Costly Business of DRM

Digital radio is conquering new countries every year. Most of them (over 40) use digital radio's de facto standard Eureka 147 (which includes DMB and DAB+). Some of them use DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), which is like the AM of digital radio. It covers vast areas with few transmitters (i.e. India). The United States has, as usual, gone their own way and uses HD Radio, a proprietary solution.

Germany has used DAB+ since 2011 and is now covering over 80% of the country. Deutschlandradio in Germany did however also use DRM. Until September 2012 when it was switched off. Why? It cost the broadcaster 12 million Euro per year to run the system, the same as DAB+. The difference? Their DRM capacity was limited to 40kbps, just about enough for one radio station. DAB+ gives them 400kbps, 10 times as much for the same price. And while there are hundreds of receiver models capable of receiving DAB+, there are only a handful capable of receiving DRM.

DRM is a good option when you want to cover big areas with few radio stations. DAB+ is great when you want to provide many stations via broadcast radio. So, DAB+ for choice, DRM for reach to remote away places. Then again, in Norway DAB+ will provide both as 99.5 of the population will be covered by the end of 2014. And there aren't many countries that are more challenging when it comes to building a distribution infrastructure. 765 transmitters are needed to ensure better DAB+ coverage than what is currently the case for P1, the widest reaching radio station on FM.

Then again, India and Russia are somewhat bigger than Norway, and DRM may very well be a good solution in such huge countries.

What the Hell is 'Euro-Chip?'

UPDATE March 20, 2014: Name changed.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has joined forces with the BBC and Deutschlandradio to in a better way promote digital radio across Europe. Or to put it in the words of the EBU:

'The 'Euro-Chip' initiative is a marketing project designed to promote an existing set of minimum features and functions that was originally created by WorldDMB, EBU and EICTA, for all new digital radio receivers.' 

This is a splendid project which has been presented by EBU Media Director, Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser, acting General Director of the BBC, Tim Davie and Director-General of Deutschlandradio, Willi Steul. But the name of the project defeats the purpose and does nothing by cause confusion and possible hostility from countries outside Europe.

I am attending the WorldDMB European Automotive Event in Berlin today with over a hundred other people that are working within the radio or the car industry. I'd say we know, understand and love radio. When the 'Euro-Chip' initiative was presented, many attendees reacted with surprise and a number of questions were asked:

- When will the new chip be introduced? 
- Is it a chip that costs only one Euro?
- It is not a chip? So it is some new software?
- How can we use this?
- Who produces this chip?
- When will the new chip be ready?
- Is it only for use in Europe?

A Marketing Project
We were told that this is only a marketing initiative to give digital radio a European wide push. The main message is pretty clear and easy, but it is being overshadowed by the name.

Or as Tim Davie put it when 'Euro-Chip' was introduced last month:

"Digital radio across Europe has been plagued by uncertainty. We may be reaching a tipping point, but first we have to bank what is certain about radio's digital hybrid future and join forces to promote a common vision across Europe."

Such chips that support FM, DAB, DAB+ and DMB are already in production and have been so for years. They ensure the interoperability between all new digital radio devices that are to be sold in Europe and eliminates uncertainty. All such radios will be able to receive radio no matter which way it is broadcast.

"This is of critical importance for broadcasters, manufacturers and the public. We must ensure that European consumers are able to buy future-proofed receivers that will provide them with radio services across Europe." Said Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser.

Many listeners don't even know what a chip is or that there is a chip inside radios. And why exclude the rest of the world by insisting on 'Euro' in the name? DMB and or DAB+ services are live on air in five continents.

There is really nothing new, except that broadcasters across Europe will work together to promote digital radio. Let us do so by using a language that people understand and a language that doesn't exclude or confuse. Please don't make it more difficult for us to do this, Annika, Tim and Willi. Scrap the name, not the project.

What Google Says
Or how about a websearch on 'Eurochip?'

Eurochip is already the name of no less than two European projects. In the first one, scientists from research institutions 'study various aspects of the hormonal communication between the gut and the brain.' In other words, a research project about obesity. Eurochip is in fact an acronym. Sort of. It stands for 'European Obesity Consortium studing the Hypothalamus and its Interaction with the Periphery.' The other one is a cancer health indicator project.

Eurochip is also a company that has 'your branch and tree removal needs covered,' a car chip for BMWs and an Italian bike park.

Eurochips, on the other hand, is a network; The European Committee for Children of Imprisoned Parents.

Any original ideas for a new name? Anyone? 

It is not too late to change the name, EBU. Sometimes even marketing people can get slogans and names wrong. And it is never too late to turn around and actually change something that was a less than perfect idea. Now, we will have to use a lot of effort on explaning what the "Euro-Chip" is supposed to be and what it certainly isn't istead of spending our energy on explaining what it really is and why a concept is called a chip.

Update (Nov 27):
The EBU seems to have taken the feedback to consideration. They now occasionally refer to the initiative as 'The Euro-Chip concept.' A little bit better, but there will be no cigar for creativity or clarity.

French "Sabotage" Might Backfire

I have repeatedly written about the digital radio situation in France, even on their FM switch off plan. Everything seemed to finally be moving forward rather fast. DAB+ licenses were to be granted to the radio broadcasters of France, and even the four biggest broadcasters that returned their digital licenses last year would get them back without punishment.

These four broadcasters, Lagardère, Nextradio TV, NRJ and RTL are controlling most of the radio listening in France. They are saying that they don't believe in DAB+ and that they don't see the point of spending money on infrastructire and double distribution. To emphasise their message they use the opportunity so "sabotage" the call for tender - the process of granting the digital licenses. How? They believe that by not accepting their licenses they have been offered back, they send a powerful signal that digital radio will never take off via DAB+, that digital radio broadcasting is not the future. They claim that cabled internet and mobile broadband (3G and 4G/LTE) will solve the future distribution issues. This is first of all not the case, LTE is not the solution. And they do very well know that. This is however fine. If they do not believe or do not want to believe in DAB+, let them stay in the dark.

But if that is the case, that they really don't believe in DAB+, why do they at the same time try to stop the call for tender? They are allegedly objecting at the call of tender process, trying to stop competitors from distributing new radio channels via DAB+, on the basis of technicalities. Because they are so kind that they don't want their competitors to waste money on building a DAB+ network?

Of course not. Because they are yet again trying to stall the process in order to stay without new competitors for another few years. If they could remain as the only stations on FM and without any sompetition on DAB, they'd be lauging all the way to the bank.

Their strategy is a very dangerous one, though. The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) is the French institution that has been given the responsibility of regulating radio, television and other electronic media. CSA is not likely to stop the tender despite protests from the big four.

That means that there will be a national and operational DAB+ network without the big four players early next year. But there are plenty of others that are interested. A whopping 178 thers have applied for spectrum, according to Radio Numerique. These 178 will then be able to build new habits among listeners that suddenly have a much bigger radio selection on offer. They should also hire some of the top names of the big four, making their radio stations the best ones out there. And shortly the big four will see their market shares fall thanks to better recieving conditions, more radio stations and additional services via DAB+. Their way out? Unless they wait too long and lose too much money they can always buy one of the smaller stations with a DAB+ license. But being agressive and a first mover is almost always the way to go. Running after the train may help you on board, but only possibly, and certainly with a sweaty shirt, a little late and looking rather foolishly.  

The French FM Switch Off Plan

When the going gets tough, the French gets going. France has been very slow in adopting digital radio. But this is now set to change on short notice. CSA (The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel) recently announced that they open up for DAB+ in addition to DMB Audio.

Now they are moving fast from baby steps to giant leaps, according to daily newspaper Les Echos which claims that CSA has a two step plan. First they will allow digital radio in Paris to around fifty radio stations. Fourty stations in both Marseille and Nice will get the same treatment, thus making them able to start broadcasting digitally this year.

The second step is to call for applications in another 20 major cities, reaching a population coverage of more than 50%. It is expected that the broadcasters will follow CSAs last relevant announcement and go for DAB+, not DMB Audio. That lowers distribution costs per radio station as DAB+ is more effective for radio than DMB which is designed for mobile TV.

These two steps will clear the ground for France's ultimate goal within radio, to switch off FM.
Rachid Arhab of CSA tells Les Echos that a date for that will be set when 40% coverage has been reached, something which is achievable within a year given the plans to introduce digital radio to 20 cities in France.

This is a welcome step from France, finally making sure that they follow the "rest" of Europe in what is now set to be a common strategy to let radio go digital and to finally get rid of FM. Then again, they didn't have much of a choice should they avoid becoming a huge radio museum in the middle of Europe.

And now the plan is quite clear, according to Radio Numérique:

By the end of March :
• Letter to all radio stations to authorize them to broadcast in digital within four months.
Duration : stations have 2 + 2 month to start broadcasting
• Call for tender to those few stations that stopped transmitting digitally or gave back their frequency. The application will be 3 months after the tender is official. 

After the French elections:
• The new government will be asked to perform a public consultation to add DAB+ to the official standards list (this is mandatory due to the technical change). This will happen within 15 days of the new government taking office.
• As soon as the public consultation has been launched, a request will be sent to Brussels to add DAB+ to the recommended list of standards.

By August:
• There will be a call for tender for DAB+ frequencies in the 20 biggest cities.
• DAB+ is expected to have been validated in Brussels by then.

By September:
• Start of broadcasting in Paris, Nice and Marseille.

By February 2013:
• Start of broadcasting in another 20 cities.

Digital radio will then cover between 50% and 80% of the French population, something that will cause the government to set a switch off date for FM.

Why FM is More Expensive than Digital

The Kolsås transmitting tower outside Oslo has transmitters for DMB/DAB. 

I often hear that FM is cheaper than digital radio or mobile TV via DMB/DAB/DAB+. This is often argued, especially when it comes to small local radios. Let us create a scenario.

An FM vs DAB coverage comparison on a larger scale. 

Tinyville
This little town has 10,000 inhabitants, all living within an area of 20 square kilometers. There is a small hill on one side where the local radio station, TinyFM, has a transmitter and an antenna which has beamed out it's programs for years. TinyFM is however not very financially stable. The only revenues come from some advertising and the weekly radio bingo, where the listeners buy bingo coupons and play for money prizes every Thursday eveneing. It is therefore important for them to keep all costs down.

Will digital radio be more expensive than analogue for TinyFM? It will not, although this is a common misconception. 

FM costs
TinyFM paid 3500 USD for it's complete FM transission gear. They have one radio station on air and need the following:

1 transmitter / amplifier
1 VHF mask filter
1 VHF antenna
Small bits and pieces

What would it cost to do the same via DAB/DAB+?

DMB/DAB/DAB+ costs
We would need the same kind of stuff, although not identical gear:

1 transmitter / amplifier
1 VHF mask filter
1 VHF antenna
Small bits and pieces

And some more:
1 server
1 front-end

European Broadcasting Union showed such a DMB/DAB/DAB+ setup at a conference in Belfast in October, 2010. The costs? 4 800 USD. That is 37% more expensive than FM.

But there is a major difference:

For FM one transmitter/amplifier is needed per radio station.
For DMB/DAB/DAB+, you can have over 20 radio stations, 6 mobile TV channels or a mixture of mobile TV schannels and radio stations.

 The moment you decide to transmit two radio stations, the costs go down to 2 400 USD per station. With 15 radio stations the cost will be 320 USD per station. That is 9% of the cost of one FM station (or a 90% discount). The prices here are for the equipment, not for running costs. Electricity costs are similar on the transmission side as long as there's only one radio station. The moment you introduce more stations (as you can do digitally), electricity used per station will decline dramatically.

TinyFM will therefore encounter a little higher costs for transmission gear, although not substantially. The moment they start an extra station which could boost listenership and revenues, they should benefit. TinyFM may however not have the staffing nor the potential advertising revenues that may justify another station. In that case, they may want to stay with FM, something that governments in both Norway and the UK have opened up for. They will not put pressure on local radio stations to move away from FM, but they may see the benefits and decide to do this themselves.

Friends on technology, foes on content
This is something that broadcasters in several countries have discovered, although on a much larger scale than in Tinyville. In i.e. Norway, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands competing broadcasters have decided to join forces. They cooperate on technology and compete on content. That is obviously a win win situation financially due to lower actual costs. By cooperating on the same mux, all costs can be devided between several companies. Instead of having to pay everything yourself (equipment, installation costs, running costs, internet / radio lines, etc.) this can now be divided by 2, 3, 4 or split between even more companies. Big savings, in other words.

But there are also other benefits:

• It is greener as one network will serve everyone.
• Hosting can be done more efficiently and secure.
• Marketing is more efficient. Competitors can help each other in getting people to get DMB/DAB/DAB+ receivers with the benefits and possibilities they give.
• A clearer message is carried across. One organization can easier coordinate towards the government, network operators, bureaucracy, etc. This makes communication and formal processes easier and faster. 

Singapore's DAB Troubles Explained

Creative Commons photo by Augustin Rafael Reyes.

Digital radio via DAB will cease to exist in Singapore from December 1, 2011 it was reported today. That must be a major blow to those of us that promote DMB/DAB/DAB+, right?

Not at all. There is no drama here, as I will explain, although those opposing DAB will probably use this for what they think it is worth. There are several reasons why Singapore switches off DAB, a little over 10 years after their first broadcast. None of them are dramatic to DMB/DAB/DAB+ elsewhere.

1. Singapore is one of the very smallest country in the world, measuring only 693 square kilometers. That means that FM can cover the island state with a few transmitters per radio station. There is therefore not much money, in real terms, to save.

2. DAB has been a little on and off in Singapore. That means that there hasn't been much reliability for listeners. If there is no security, fewer of them will buy receivers. The government never initiated a switch off date for FM, nor a clear policy on the matter.

3. The available bandwidth has not been used efficiently. There has been 13 radio stations on air. In addition there are over 20 data services available, although these have been available to few people due to lack of compatible devices. The high number of services has affected sound quality and it has been like wasting bandwidth.

4. There are no stations available only via DAB. The 13 stations are all simulcast with FM, something that does not give people much of an incentive to buy DAB radios.

5. Media laws in Singapore are strict. They do have freedom of speech in theory and in their constitution. But reports say differently: "Freedom of speech is abysmal at best." Abysmal? It means "extremely or hopelessly bad or severe." Why would the government open up for a technology that gives listeners a wider range of choice, and potentially more critical news reports, if they can limit this effectively by limiting bandwidt as they are essentially doing by staying with FM?

6. The DAB network in Singapore seems to have been built in a less than ideal manner so that coverage is not great in all areas. Such problems create insecurity among listeners and slows purchases and thus uptake of the technology. (This point has been made after feedback from readers of this blog post.)

I still believe that this is a backward decision. DMB/DAB/DAB+ gives a wide range of opportunities and I have previously listed 21 reasons why FM should be switched off.

Half a billion people in over 40 countries are covered by DMB, DAB and/or DAB+ signals. My guess is that Singapore will launch DMB/DAB/DAB+ yet again within three years, although then better planned.

FM may not be built very well either
The following anonymous comments were posted to this blog post, allegedly from someone who knows Singapore.
In one part of Singapore FM cannot be received for some technical reasons all of the signals are mixed up so no FM station is clear. [...] This meant that a lot of people in the area went out and purchased very expensive DAB radios so they have radio. [...] I think the radio company has conveniently forgotten about their problem with FM in our area.

Like Selling Flowers to Unfaithful Husbands

Tivizen IP-100, the dongle that supercharges Ipads, Ipods and Iphones.

Do you have an Iphone, Ipod or Ipad? Do you miss radio or TV on the device? A lot of I-owners seem to be very pleased with their devices, but a little annoyed that there are no radio or TV functionality built in.

International DMB Advancement Group is cooperating with a Korean manufacturer to introduce a little dongle that plugs into Apple devices, directs the user to an app that instantly provides broadcasted radio and television to the device (via DMB/DAB/DAB+). Broadcasting means radio waves that distributes radio and mobile TV without an internet connection (just like to an traditional radio or television set). The dongle will therefore give you radio and TV without any costs or bandwidth constraints and without the need for an internet connection via Wi-Fi or 3G.

The device comes with it's own battery and can run off that one, run off the mother device's battery or even provide extra battery capacity to the "mother ship." The dongle's own battery works for 4 hours with constant radio or TV usage.

I was demonstrating the dongle at IFA, the world's biggest consumer electronics event which is being organized in Berlin every September. Virtually everyone that tested the device wanted one. Instantly. Like selling flowers to unfaithful husbands or umbrellas in Bergen, rain capital of the world. Except for the fact that I only had a few demo sets available, none which were for sale. I was offered cash, cheques and even drinks in return for one of my few demo sets. I had to decline and rather tell them that the device will be sold shortly around Europe.

The device will probably sell for 49-59 Euros. I would like to perform a little temperature measurement. Would you buy this dongle, which comes in black or white? Please comment below or send me an email. This will help IDAG (an organization which I head) plan distribution around the world. Do note that IDAG is a non-profit organization that works to promote, facilitate and coordinate DMB/DAB/DAB+ activities world wide. IDAG does not make money on this or other similar devices.

Voting, Chatting, Twittering.On Your TV, On Your Radio.

Interact via the internet while watching TV via DMB or listening to radio via DAB/DAB+
(CC by GG).

It has been over five months since I wrote about the first combination tablet being produced. The device in question is the Identity E201, a 7 inch Android tablet made by Enspert in Korea. It has been through some production delays, but it is finally being field tested in Norway, Germany, Netherlands and Italy with promising results.

Pick your radio channel (via DAB/DAB+).

Or watch TV (via DMB).

I'll cover the most relevant specs. The Identity E201 can receive mobile television and digital radio via DMB, DAB and DAB+ in Band III. The tablet has been approved by Google, so Android Market is available and the built-in GPS works well with Google Maps. It comes with Wi-Fi, but not yet with 3G. To get 3G, you will have to wait for it's sister model, the Identity E303 which will be available later in 2011.

What makes the device exciting is the combination of broadcasting (DMB/DAB/DAB+) and the internet (Wi-Fi). That means that you can watch live broadcasted TV while interacting with others through chat, Facebook or Twitter, receive breaking news through an RSS feed, get on-demand access the last or next episode of the programme you have just been watching and take part in on screen voting. Everything is accessed through an app, the beta version of which has now been launched.

Share your views on the programmes.

Post them to the wall.

Chat with friends, foes or strangers.

Plan your evening.

The examples above have already been implemented as pictured in this blog post, but there are virtually no limitations to which services you can add to live radio or TV programmes with such tablets when the API to the DMB/DAB/DAB+ chipset is available.

The Dutch distributor Rebox takes orders on these devices which will be available for delivery by the end of September. You can read more about availability on the on the website of IDAG (International DMB Advancement Group).


The Identity E201 has been approved by Google. That means that all
Android apps are available by a touch on your screen. The
DMB/DAB/DAB+ app is in beta. It's working title is MiniTV.



Media: Another Case Against T2

A DAB/DAB+ radio from Tecsonic and an Identity tablet with built in DMB/DAB/DAB+. (CC by GG.)

Whenever you have a problem, there will always be someone claiming that a solution will solve the problem in the near future. For digital radio and mobile TV, the so-called solution that is often being referred to is called DVB T2. I have argued that this is an immature standard without available receivers, that it will be very costly to build such a network and that current DVB-T networks will have to be replanned and possibly rebuilt. In other words, not the way to go. DVB T2 as the solution for digital radio and mobile TV is just another biased claim made by false prophets.

The solution is already here. It is called Eureka 147, more commonly known as DMB/DAB/DAB+. It is being used in over 40 countries around the globe, and over 500 million people will be covered by such signals by the end of the year. Germany is only the last country to launch such services, something that will happen through a soft launch in four days and officially one month later.

DVB T2 is not the way to go. It's not here now and may never be here in a form that will prove useful. And telecom networks won't do the trick either, as I have repeatedly covered earlier.

Radio futurologist James Cridland has written a piece looking at DVB T2-Lite. He claims that there are numerous issues with DVB T2 and that DMB/DAB/DAB+ is the way to go, not least due to it's flexibility which opens up for digital radio, mobile TV, additional services (i.e. live traffic information and interactivity) and a combination with the internet.

Cridland's post is well worth a read:

DVB-T2-Lite – a case of the BBC reinventing the wheel?