BBC advances streaming on demand Internet radio to new heights for this years Proms

[TLS Guy]

The Proms have been on for two weeks now. The Prom season is the largest and best music festival in the world by a big margin.

The BBC have all concerts on demand for a week following broadcast.

I could not help noticing how fine these wonderful concerts sound this year, so I investigated.

Prior to the Proms season this year the BBC pushed the quality of the on demand stream beyond DAB and way beyond our iBiquity HD radio.

Changes involve going from mp2 to mp3 and encoding at 192 kbs with Coyopa encoder/servers. These encoder servers are located in Broadcasting House and fed an uncompressed audio stream direct from the studios.

These Coyopa servers have been developed by BBC research and engineering. They are likely another product in a long line of innovations over 90 years from the BBC that have added enormously to the enjoyment of audio for all of us.

The result is an FM stream at the level of the best analog terrestrial FM radio.

By the end of the year the BBC say that they plan to change from mp3 to AAC/AAC+, which will push the quality even higher.

There is quite a rumpus in the UK about the phasing out of analog FM and going entirely to DAB. However it seems this may now be delayed until 2020.

I think the BBC is moving to make internet streamed radio the source of choice for listening to radio while not on the move.

I know of no other streaming radio service that is in striking distance of the quality I'm hearing from the BBC streams from this years Proms

I'm just thrilled to be able to hear the Proms, even at this vast distance across a great ocean and half a continent. This technology is advancing rapidly. I would bet that 320 kbs streams are round the corner and may be even uncompressed stream not far away.

This is really something to look forward to. In my view the BBC have always made, and continue to make the highest quality recordings in the world. They always have just about perfect balance and sense of space.

The BBC are now recording Blue Ray discs for Opus Arte owned by the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. I have two and and they have the best balance between stage and pit of all my opera discs, and are very close to being there.

 

[s162216]

The so called 'switch over' to digital radio is just uneeded. Digital radio (well DAB) itself is fairly crap in the UK as the signal frequently drops out and for some reason each radio seems to mysteriously pick up different stations to each other. My dad had two digital radios: a pure one classic and a sony in his car. Both can't maintain a decent signal and it drops out frequently making it really annoying to listen to and I live quite close to the radio tower at Sandy Heath. Whilst the Sony picks up quite a few stations, the Pure One only picks up about 6 or so. The quality is also inferior it seems to standard FM stereo.

What we should have done is is switched to the newer DAB+ standard using AAC+ which gives substantially better quality for less bitrate. Italy and Switzerland have done this, but now as we have advanced down the line of ordinary DAB for so long, everyone who has a DAB radio would have to buy a new one as their not backwards compatible. I don't imagine it would be a popular move.
In the mean time, me and my dad are just sticking with FM as you can actually listen to it without it stuttering every 2 minutes. Some simple things like radio just need to be left alone IMO as it good enough already.

 

[TLS Guy]

The so called 'switch over' to digital radio is just uneeded. Digital radio (well DAB) itself is fairly crap in the UK as the signal frequently drops out and for some reason each radio seems to mysteriously pick up different stations to each other. My dad had two digital radios: a pure one classic and a sony in his car. Both can't maintain a decent signal and it drops out frequently making it really annoying to listen to and I live quite close to the radio tower at Sandy Heath. Whilst the Sony picks up quite a few stations, the Pure One only picks up about 6 or so. The quality is also inferior it seems to standard FM stereo.

What we should have done is is switched to the newer DAB+ standard using AAC+ which gives substantially better quality for less bitrate. Italy and Switzerland have done this, but now as we have advanced down the line of ordinary DAB for so long, everyone who has a DAB radio would have to buy a new one as their not backwards compatible. I don't imagine it would be a popular move.
In the mean time, me and my dad are just sticking with FM as you can actually listen to it without it stuttering every 2 minutes. Some simple things like radio just need to be left alone IMO as it good enough already.

I have had a chance to evaluate DAB at a fixed location above the River Medway, at Frindsbury, opposite Chatham Kent.

I have never evaluated it on the move. I have found the signal to be stable, but as you say inferior to FM analog, except on the BBC3 at night when the bit rate is increased to 192 kbs, were it gets closer. Some of the problem I suspect is down market poorly designed receivers, but if more importance lack of a good roof antenna.

On the move digital systems are a challenge on the move. We use iBiquity HD radio here, but it has achieved poor market penetration, and is supported only widely by the Public Radio networks.

This system fits in the mask of AM and especially FM broadcasts, and with drop outs defaults to analog FM. Bit rate is low and as you can see from my review less than satisfactory. Currently the digital signal has a range less than analog, but it does interfere with analog reception as you get closer to the fringes, especially in cars.

Analog FM is now 60 years on and has significant limitations as a broadcast system for the modern age. However because of bandwidth limitations for terrestrial broadcast, providing a satisfactory digital replacement is proving a real challenge.

 

[m_vanmeter]

in the US, digital radio can be transmitted at 1/100 th the power of the analog signal. I think the FCC has finally allowed that ratio to move up to 1/10th the power. Anyway, you can see that with such a low broadcast signal and the crappy FM antennas supplied with the radios and on many cars, it is a wonder anyone receives HD radio on the move at all.

For a fixed home location, with a decent external FM antenna, the reception and audio quality can be quite good.

 

[TLS Guy]

in the US, digital radio can be transmitted at 1/100 th the power of the analog signal. I think the FCC has finally allowed that ratio to move up to 1/10th the power. Anyway, you can see that with such a low broadcast signal and the crappy FM antennas supplied with the radios and on many cars, it is a wonder anyone receives HD radio on the move at all.

For a fixed home location, with a decent external FM antenna, the reception and audio quality can be quite good.

The problem is the bit rate is too low. The iBiquity system is not a patch on good analog FM. My pre/pro has HD radio, but I use analog not the HD channel. The HD is nowhere close to the BBC stream in fidelity.

Going to 10% signal strength for the HD signal is a very raw deal as it reduces analog coverage 30%. Since I'm a long way from the MPR Blackduck transmitter I'm really opposing that!