Australians for the first time in history will be able to access digital radio broadcast [DAB / DAB +] through the commercial radio industry from May 2009. Many of us are also streaming high quality radio online with internet radio feeds via our computers.
Access to broadcast digital radio is promising improved quality of sound, better reception and an improved overall audio experience for Aussies listening to their favourite radio stations.
As a result it appears that the poor sound quality and lack of variety in programming, factors that have decreased radio’s appeal in recent years, have had a digital makeover and just might be what entices listeners back as the digital revolution catches up with the media airwaves.
We plan to launch a digitally enhanced radio with the latest DAB / DAB+ technology and WiFi capabilities to provide listeners with the ability to tune into any radio station from around the globe via a wireless network – just take a look at the options here.
The radio will also include a solid interface to guide listeners through the thousands of radio stations now available – something similar to an iTunes menu. Whether you want Hip Hop, Classical, break radio stations down by region, you will be able to search the local and international airwaves for the highest quality listening.
There are now - what seems to be - hundreds of digital radios on the market as manufacturers seek to cash in on demand.
Digital radios now come in all shapes, sizes and at many price points, we here at Kogan wanted to ask people about their views on digital radio and whether you plan to buy one.
I’ve been looking through catalogues on digital and internet radios and most appear to be selling for around and above the $200 mark and I think that is far too much – especially when most don’t offer WiFi, an iPod dock, or an iTunes-like function to search for the best radio stations around Australia and the world.
Our best value “spec for buck” model at this stage would look like this:
- Wi-Fi Digital Radio with iPod docking station
- Internet Radio, Podcasts, PLL FM/AM radio
- DAB / DAB+ Radio
- iPod connectivity with charger function
- USB slot to play music from USB drives
- More than 10,000 internet radio stations pre-programmed, with searches by country, state or genre
- Podcasts with 9,000 programs
- Support Real Audio ,MP3, WMA
- Streaming music directly from your PC
- Clock and Alarm function
- with Music port function (AUX-in connection for iPod or audio speaker)
- Output power: 7W RMS
- Unit Size: 250 x 135 x 130 mm
Do you think digital radio could signal a return to tuning in to the latest news, views and music with top quality audio?
We think digital radio should help revive Australian radio and think anything that adds to our nation’s arts and culture is a good thing, right?
Join the discussion...
Robert Adelman says...
I like the idea of digital radio but I think I would want to use it more when I am in the car, as while I am home I will just listen to something over the net
Posted at 3:21 p.m. on May 29, 2009
Trent Petro says...
I've got an idea- -put this in that android phone you where working on. You know the one which everyone wanted, but you know the one which disappeared because of Googles bully tatics? You know that one which should be out by now.
Posted at 3:45 p.m. on May 29, 2009
Chris Samuel says...
Our reception where we are is fairly dodgy for AM stations like ABC news radio, so this would be most welcome, especially if it worked nicely as a bedside clock radio. :-)
Being an open source guy it'd be nice if the software was hackable too!
Posted at 4:45 p.m. on May 29, 2009
Tyrese says...
yeah ditch this stupid radio, how bout making a cheap touch screen mobile phone (doesn't have to have a fancy google android operating system on it) just something with a big screen and a stylus pen for writing messages on it instead of having a QWERTY keyboard buttons that are too small to use efficiently???
Posted at 5:12 p.m. on May 30, 2009
Kit says...
I like the idea, and it could be quite nice. But as Robert and Chris said, I'd probably really only listen to it driving or as an alarm clock radio.
And on the topic of the Agora, I certainly prefer a touch screen, with a tactile keyboard; at least until tactile touch screens come out. I like to feel what I'm typing.
Posted at 8:10 p.m. on May 31, 2009
Peter says...
I think the proposed spec of your digital radio would be very enticing, particularly at a cost of around $200. The world has enough mobile phones; I don't think we need another one.
Posted at 9:45 a.m. on June 1, 2009
Ubuntu fan says...
>Peter says...
>The world has enough mobile phones;
This is so not true! Find me one that isn't crippled by carrier's software or limited by manufactures that never progress the base software.
The Agora offered something of freedom to a phone like I am use to on a PC. And it was in a form factor that was usable as a phone and had sufficient screen. Once they move hand writing recog to android like that available in the SE P800/910/990 there will be no need for this qwerty debate, it is all I ever used, and fast!
As for a digital radio... My house has too many media PC's. They get outdated and need moire grunt for the HD content so get shifted off to other rooms for music etc, any of them could basically do what this offers, so, it does sound a nice idea... I just need a house with more rooms. Oh, and the Kogan $80 "photo frame" could pretty well do if given a bit of a back end streaming from a media PC.
Posted at 5:05 p.m. on June 1, 2009
Bernard says...
That sounds great to me, especially the ability to tune in to stations via Wifi, such as the BBC.
Posted at 7:14 p.m. on June 3, 2009
dominic says...
personally i would pay more for more wattage in the speakers, 10-25 rms would make me alot happier than 7.
is there any possibility of more than one model perhaps ?
Posted at 11:25 p.m. on June 3, 2009
Richard says...
Some features I'd like to see :
1 . Integrated LCD screen to display artist info/time/visualiser
2 . SD slot for playback/recording (in addition to USB). You could then set the device to record preset shows onto the device in the native digital format. It would also 'monitor' stations for music that's been preselected. I'm not sure if digital radio has a 'next track will be' feature, but lets say you like Lady GaGa as an artist - you tell the radio to record all shows playing Lady GaGa it detects (from a list of local stations)
3 . CrossFade Scan.. Plays a few seconds from each station and cross fades so you can see whats on and choose a station that is playing something you like.
Posted at 10:13 a.m. on June 5, 2009
udi says...
what i would like is a smaller radio that i could carry around like a phone. my home is wired to the gills and the am reception here is ok. what i would like is a decent radio for when i am not at home. i have used smallish DAB models in the UK but i have not found any that can do DAB+ that are small enough (DAB+ is the standard being adopted in AU).
also ability to time shift / record would be useful like when being interrupted in the middle of an interesting program. computer connectivity and the ability to play media files are also good. if it had the above and was small i would be willing to pay more for it even without wifi etc.
Posted at 5:18 p.m. on June 5, 2009
Dave says...
I would definetly like to see you sell some LED-backlit LCD tv's, would definetly love to buy one especially with your low cost philosophy thing
Posted at 5:34 p.m. on June 6, 2009
Michael says...
If I wanted to spend two hundred dollars to listen to the radio over WiFi, I'd buy a second hand netbook.
Digital radio is certainly important, but I've always thought WiFi Radios were unnecessary.
It'd be nice to see Kogan having another attempt at making a mobile phone, I'd certainly buy it.
Posted at 12:51 a.m. on June 7, 2009
Dom says...
I'd love to see this made!
Regarding the streaming music from PC, would it be possible to stream any audio that's playing on the PC?
For example, a YouTube playlist opened in a web browser?
Posted at 4:11 p.m. on June 7, 2009
Tim says...
I love the idea of a DAB+ machine that integrates well with other standard width hi-fi equipment that is also rack mountable with rack ears for a 1U box with 19" width. If it integrates all the other specs mentioned, that'd be great!!
Posted at 2:37 p.m. on June 8, 2009
Paul says...
Great idea - would love it to have a variety of outputs so it can be plugged into external speakers or an amp.
Posted at 11:59 a.m. on June 9, 2009
Craig says...
As above - outputs to plug into amp. Otherwise great specs
Posted at 12:51 p.m. on June 10, 2009
Guy says...
sounds Gr8, would like the option of an output to an extenal amp etc. Would buy.
Posted at 7:03 p.m. on June 10, 2009
Frank says...
If this is suppose to have good sound then you should add flac and wave support
Posted at 8:44 p.m. on June 10, 2009
Phil Bramley says...
Count me in! Would love to be able to stream it from my office to sitting room via wifi. Bring it on.
Posted at 2:54 p.m. on June 11, 2009
Karen Martin says...
I would like just a simple little pocket radio that doesn't eat batteries like lollies. I have a tranny with me all the time at work, walking the dog, anywhere when not at home. I would buy a new DAB+ except for the purchase price and the ongoing costs just for the fancy crap that comes with it.
Posted at 10:12 p.m. on June 11, 2009
Graeme says...
I'm potentially interested in a DAB+ radio. I'd definately look at your model for the price you're suggesting. My one concern is that I've been told that outside of the capital cities, they won't be using DAB+. I'd prefer to buy a radio that works in the city and in the country.
Posted at 2:05 a.m. on June 12, 2009
Campbell says...
Would your proposed radio include a colour screen to display slideshow images transmitted with DAB+ broadcasts ?
Posted at 1:28 a.m. on June 14, 2009
Steve says...
Sounds excellent to me. I'm always streaming radio stations and radio station podcasts from other parts of Australia, especially during footy season, and using a smallish radio instead of notebook would be great. A recording function would also be a big plus and I assume a headphone socket would be standard as would battery power functionality - even a rechargeable setup.
Cheers
Posted at 1:38 a.m. on June 14, 2009
Ian says...
YEEEE HAARRGH!
At last someone is talking my language.
I have the radio on everyday - from the moment I wake up until I sit in front of TV late at night. And I have a radio in every room of my house - including the bathroom!
Even though reception in my area is dodgy to say the least for my favourite stations I still persist! And when I'm on the computer? Ditto - but then it's streaming audio.
So I'm a potential customer... possibly for 5 or 6 units!!
Posted at 2:40 p.m. on June 14, 2009
Cwize1 says...
Digital radio will definitely clear the airways for more channels. More channels = more variety = more listeners.
In terms of the digital radio, I would be more interested in something to replace my clock, then a set of overglorified speakers.
WiFi seems like it would be an interesting addition, as long as it doesn't have the same drop outs as your netbook.
USB = cool
Posted at 3:19 p.m. on June 15, 2009
Barry says...
I want one!
Please make sure it supports Real as well as Windows Media Player stations. Also would be great if it was compatible with BBC iPlayer's listen again service and not just the live feeds.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/waystolisten/internet/
Posted at 1:48 p.m. on June 17, 2009
Peter H says...
With all the models out there none cater for my needs. They all seem to be of the old style radios that sit on top of the fridge. All with piddly speakers that can't possibly take advantage of digital radio clarity. All expensive for what they are.
I need three different types.
1. A small hand held, pocketable radio with a head phone socket that is AM/FM & DAB+ capable
2. A DAB+/AM/FM that matches the size of my existing audio equipment. Optionally rack mountable.
3. A car radio, again, AM/FM and DAB+ capable plus with CD player.
All really with the specs requested in the lead article.
That'd be a hoot for sure :)
Posted at 12:50 p.m. on June 18, 2009
richyvk says...
For $200 I'd be in that in a second!
Posted at 2:08 p.m. on June 18, 2009
Peter says...
I'm interested in your original idea of a wi-fi enabled DAB+ digital radio with the extras first mooted for around $200 but I also agree with a few of the comments above. For instance putting cheap/nasty speakers in these things is crazy if digital is supposed to bring quality. iBBC compatibility through RealPlayer would be a bonus. Ogg support would be good for smaller better quality files than mp3.
I suspect alternatives of pocket, hi-fi component and car radio models would be great but I'd definitely go for the original idea.
Finally, are digital TV's going to have DAB+ receivers built in? That would cover a hifi component rather than buying an extra component. Thanks!
Posted at 12:41 a.m. on June 19, 2009
Neerav says...
I think that the proposed radio with DAB / DAB+ technology and WiFi capabilities would be a great product, especially at around $200 because most digital radio's are so expensive
Posted at 11:12 a.m. on June 20, 2009
Grahame says...
Sounds like it would work in the city ok, but what happens in the outer suburbs and out in the country. You would never hear the flood, fire, storm, road closed warnings, because the digital signals DONT travel very far, and only travel in straight lines.
Radio is for Listening. Phones are for Talking. TV is for Watching. Computers do all sorts of things. I've got them, so I'm stopping with what I've got.
Posted at 1:18 p.m. on June 20, 2009
veejo says...
Unlike internet radio, its FREE. love digital radio, was using a tuner card in my PC to receive it for the last year during trial. Clean, informative, can't wait to get some standalone units. Why pay for a broadband bill when digital radio is FREE. CD quality msuic for free, not some 64k internet stream.
It's like to seea unit I can connect to my stereo, preferbaly with a record function and memory card so I can store more tha 15 minutes, and replay music later.
If it has the features I want, I'd pay upto $400. If it doesn't have all the features, then upto $200.
Posted at 4:19 p.m. on June 22, 2009
Mark Drummond says...
I would definitly be interrested in your Digital Wi-Fi internet radio with FM/AM included for 200 bucks - I would like to see a digital output included so I can connect to my Hi-Fi system - I would pay $300 if it had all features. Thanks
Posted at 1:12 a.m. on June 26, 2009
Tel says...
Could be good if it was a drop-in replacement for a car radio, but it would have to also be able to play CDs (cos 95% of factory fitted car audio units are CD/Radio combo). Also, it would have to support all existing AM/FM analog bands as well.
Outside of the car, not many people listen to radio.
Have you considered designing a mounting unit to allow car-audio devices to be easily used in a standard lounge room style format? The mounting unit would handle power supply, back-panel connectors, ventilation, and be stackable, and even a nice rack-mount option.
Posted at 6:14 p.m. on June 27, 2009
Peter says...
Hi Tel
Sure we listen to radios in cars but a lot of people I know - from kids to retirees - listen to radios in the home all the time. I'm more likely to get an "in home" radio than an "in car" radio but I hope that soon there's a range of decent digital radios available from internet/DAB+ to car radio.
Posted at 11:38 p.m. on June 29, 2009
Ian C says...
I'd like a radio capable of recording up to 5-6 hours of DAB+ broadcast onto a SD card or similar, for ultimate transfer to an IPOD or other MP3 player so that I can listen while walking. Seems like an MP3 player which is DAB+ capable would chew batteries, besides I want to listen to pre-recorded radio so that I can fast-forward through stuff in which I am not interested.
Posted at 10:55 a.m. on June 30, 2009
Udo Kiselitza says...
Hi there
I think you would be on an absolute winner with a cheap but good radio.
You could need a bit more of recognition here in oz
Posted at 7:56 p.m. on July 1, 2009
Adam Meyer says...
I think you could be on a winner here. What I'd like to see is a stereo model as from what I see most of the DAB+ models out on the stores only have one speaker which is inexplicable to me.
Posted at 8:31 a.m. on July 4, 2009
John Hogan says...
Hi there,
I say go for it - I listen to a lot of ABC AM radio and am thinking about this right now. I also like a bit of duff duff etc so being able to tap into some high audio quality music sounds good! My suggestions are:
* Line out - I would want to run it into a component stereo system to take advantage of the higher quality signal. This is a critical issue for me.
* Price - $200 is pretty close to what the retailers are doing. I suspect yours will be loaded with features which helps but Kogan=value IMHO.
* Left field - a PCI/USB device like the digital TV dongles/cards you can get for PCs - cheap as chips and I already have a lounge room PC connected to a component stereo. I would be happy to interact with the digital tuner via the computer screen. A remote control thrown in to operate it from the kitchen would be sweet. I reckon you can just get your chinese contacts to slightly modify an existing product to add the digital radio functionality - there are already digital radio channels available (like ABC Dig and Classical) via my current DTV dongle. Do a nice PCI version with a 3.5 inch front panel infra-red pick up (or make it a card reader as well!), throw in a remote and back it up with a nice GUI and you would be onto a winner! About $80 to $100 bucks I reckon. Plus make it streamable over a home network so people can listen via computers in other parts of the house.
thanks John
Posted at 11:54 p.m. on July 5, 2009
Angelo says...
In this day & age where we are just totally flooded or should I say spoilt with so many options, such as big screen TV & home theatre setup's,
6.1 surround sound systems & Blue Ray players.
Cable TV with lots of channels to choose from.
We have wireless Internet beaming around the house, TV & PC in every 2nd room,
Mobile phones that try to be PC's & PC that want to be mobile. IPods, Wii, PS3.It never stops.
But a simple bench radio in the home to be able simply listen to a favourite radio program on a weekend in crystal clear digital sound would be perfect.
With the added bonus of wifi so we can enjoy additional programs & stations from around the world would be even better.
Then we can turn OFF all the other stuff, slow down and relax for a few hours. I'll be buying one.
Posted at 10:42 a.m. on July 14, 2009
Rako says...
I would like to buy a digital radio but it must have the ability to pause & rewind just like a PVR
Posted at 10:55 p.m. on July 14, 2009
Terry says...
Personally for me to be interested (and I am!), it has to displace my existing iHome iH8 unit (specs at: http://www.ihomeintl.com/products.asp?country_id=100002&p...)
Price isn't really what I'm interested in optimising, it's features. I want a single unit that will suit: bedrooms, kitchens, outdoor entertaining areas etc.
The specs I'm looking for are:
- Free-to-Air Radio
- DAB+ (AU specs)
- FM essential
- AM optional
- External antenna socket
- Internet radio
- WiFi essential
- Wired ethernet desirable
- must support MP3
- preferably will support OGG and AAC(+) too.
- must use a free directory service
- Audio Media player
- must support MP3
- preferably will support OGG and AAC(+) too.
- iTunes client
- External USB drive
- Flash card
- iPod dock, with charging and remote control interface
- Large, easy to read display
- must be dimmable
- autodim highly desirable
- Clock, preferably with an NTP option
- Multiple alarms, each assignable to either:
- iPod playlist
- Internet Radio station
- DAB(+) channel
- AM/FM channel
- Inbuilt stereo amplifier and speakers
- External line-level outputs
- Remote Control
- doesn't have to be full function, but must allow input
selection, radio station selection, iPod track selection,
Alarm "Snooze" control and dimming.
If you really want to excite me, the unit will support:
- Video Media player
- Composite video output
- iPod video
- MPEG4, MPEG2 essential
- AVI/Quicktime optional
- On-Screen Display for control of unit
One of these, coupled with one of your TVs would be very
cool and worth considerably more to me than the $200 you're proposing.
Terry
Posted at 6:24 p.m. on July 16, 2009
Colin says...
Yes, I will buy a digital radio as soon as digital comes to Canberra.
Something like an iRiver, able to record to a lossless format like flac so I can edit it in audacity
Posted at 3:05 p.m. on July 17, 2009
Kieran Lee says...
What seems to be lacking on most radios at the moment is one of the most touted features of digital radio - the ability to record shows either using a timer, EPG, or based on selection criteria for the type of show or music playing. Add this feature which allows recording to SD or a hosted USB device as well as the existing features (wifi streaming etc) and I will buy one for each room of the house!!!
Posted at 5:46 p.m. on August 6, 2009
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