hd-radio

Audi to make HD Radio standard by 2010

Audi of America today announced plans to offer HD-Radio technology as a standard feature in many of its vehicles, beginning with 2011 models, which will start arriving in dealerships in 2010. Let's face it, analog radio sounds horrible when compared to almost any digital medium, so Audi's decision to include the best-possible-sounding broadcast technology meets with our approval.

This is also good news for HD-Radio broadcasters, because although HD-digital broadcasts are both free and much higher in quality than analog broadcasts, consumers have been slow to adopt the technology. This is partially due to ignorance about the medium, … Read more

82: HDTV in your car at 62 mph

Pirelli's Cyber Tyre talks to the car, HDTV proven to work on the highway, Viper no longer a Dodge? And we go for a ride in the Mazda RX-8 R3. Listen now: Download today's podcast Show notes

• Pirelli Cyber Tyre

• 4G to power HDTV on the road

• California backs pay-by-the-mile auto insurance

• New Sony head unit with USB and ZAPPIN technology

• FCC to force a marriage of HD Radio and Satellite Radio?

Mercedes-Benz is going HD

Following in the footsteps of BMW, Mercedes-Benz announced it will offer HD radio in some of its 2009 models. HD radio is a digital broadcast that offers CD-quality sound for FM stations. BMW has been offering it on its models for the past year, and now Mercedes-Benz will include it as an option on the 2009 E-, M-, R-, GL-, and G-class, all but the E-class being SUVs.

Most radio stations in major cities have an HD broadcast now. There are approximately 40 stations in San Francisco alone. Because the format requires less bandwidth, many stations have multiple HD channels. … Read more

iLuv does HD radio, with or without the iPod

Everyone knows that there are virtually no products designed to work with the iPod, so iLuv has bravely decide to step in and fill the gaping void with an HD radio that includes a built-in dock for the media player. The i169 stereo can function as an alarm clock as well as receive HD transmissions, displaying song information and other data, though it looks fairly uninspired considering all the competition out there.

iLuv has made yet another bold move and produced a version that has no iPod dock whatsoever, providing the same functions as its sibling without the media player. … Read more

HD Radio and a four-channel mixer for iPod recording

Several CES booths had the telltale orange and black HD Radio sign, designating that they were selling at least one device with an HD Radio receiver in it. There was also some buzz over a new feature that lets you flag a song for later purchase on iTunes (this works only on models with an iPod dock). I stopped by iBiquity's booth--they're the developers of HD Radio technology--to get an overview of all the supported devices out there, and it's a pretty impressive list, including home radios from Creative, JBL, and Sony, plus automotive radios from many … Read more

A round-up of in-car HD Radio options

As carmakers continue to integrate HD Radio into their models at the factory level, an increasing number of car-stereo makers including JVC, Sony, Dual, and Alpine have brought out HD-compatible aftermarket products over the past few months. Check out our roundup of the latest options for getting HD Radio while on the road.

Review: Alpine CDA-9885

Alpine's CDA-9885 joins Sony's CDX-520 and JVC's KD-HDR1 in the category of HD Radio-compatible car stereos. The in-dash system combines attractive styling and a easy-to-use music search interface with great-sounding output and a host of expandability options, but those upgrading to HD Radio will have to deal with a clunky module and a hefty price tag.

Click on the image to read our full review.

Thank you for the music: Volvo gets HD Radio

Two months after its parent company Ford said that it would be making HD Radio available on most of its models, Volvo announced that it will offer the technology as optional and standard equipment starting in fall 2008.

The Swedish auto maker said that HD Radio would be available for nearly its entire model lineup, including the S40 T5, V50 T5, C30, C70, S80, V70, XC70 and XC90 models. HD Radio (the HD stands for hybrid digital) bundles digital services with analog FM signals, providing clearer audio output, extra "multicast" (or "HD2") channels, and text information … Read more

JVC KT-HDP1 continues the HD Radio rollout

Following the release of HD Radio-compatible products from Sony and Dual this week, JVC today released details of what it calls the industry's first plug-and-play HD Radio receiver. The KT-HDP1 is an transportable AM/FM/HD Radio multicast tuner that can be used as portable device or can be permanently installed in a car. The KT-HDP1 is the second HD Radio-capable device from JVC, following its in-dash KDR-HD1 car stereo that we saw earlier this year. The portable tuner is on its way to Best Buy stores now, where it will be on sale for around $130 excluding installation … Read more

Low-cost HD radios from Sony, Dual kick off the new car-tech season

HD Radio looks set to be the key feature for car-stereo makers this season. This week, Sony unveiled two budget stereo head units with HD Radio compatibility. The top-of-the-line Sony CDX-GT520 ($140) and entry-level CDX-GT320 ($100) are both HD Radio-ready, but require the addition of the Sony's clunky XT-100HD HD radio tuners module ($100) to pick up HD channels. Both systems can also be used to play satellite radio and iPods (via additional modules) and generic media players through their as-standard auxiliary-input jacks.

Meanwhile, Dual is launching its own bid for the aftermarket HD Radio crowd with the launch … Read more