You’ve probably at least heard of HD Radio by now. Maybe you’ve been shopping for a new AV receiver for your home or car that includes HD Radio compatibility, or they’ve mentioned it on your local radio station. Still, for something that increases your listening experience so significantly, and has been around for years now, HD Radio doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves.
What is HD Radio?
Remember when television stations stopped broadcasting analog in favor of cleaner digital signals? This is basically the radio version of that, with many radio stations opting to send out two parallel signals – a conventional analog signal and a high-definition, or HD, signal.
Why is HD Radio better?
Digital signals are completely free of the static and distortion that can occur listening to analog, and offer CD-quality audio. Radio stations broadcasting in HD can also include other information in the signal, such as the name of the artist, album and song you’re listening to, and your AV receiver can even download album covers if your system supports that feature. Some receivers also let you “tag” the songs you like so you can download them later.
Do I have HD Radio?
You might. It’s not standard yet and most factory car stereos won’t offer it unless you buy an upgrade package. It’s not even available in Canada yet!
Your car’s user manual will tell you whether your stereo offers HD capability — or you can see if an “HD” icon appears beside the station number for the radio stations in your area.
Chances are good that you’ll need to upgrade to an aftermarket stereo that is HD Radio-ready to be able to listen to HD stations. Before you do that, however, you might want to visit http://hdradio.com/stations to find out which stations offer HD in your area, and decide whether it’s worth the investment. (It almost always is!)
Whatever aftermarket system you choose will be a significant upgrade over your factory system anyway, with all kinds of cool features in addition to an HD Radio receiver – Bluetooth, video, navigation, apps and more!
Do I have to do anything different to tune in HD Radio?
Nope! As long as it’s hooked up properly (some systems require a second digital antenna) it works just like regular AM and FM radio. Simply navigate to the station the same way you normally would, and your system will automatically select the HD signal if one is available.
When you say better sound quality, how much better are we talking about?
For one thing, a clear, clean digital signal can be turned up as loud as you want without amplifying the hisses, pops and clicks that tend to come with analog. If you’ve invested in an upgraded sound system, you’ll notice the difference immediately when you crank up the volume.
Another advantage is when it comes AM radio. AM stations generally offer lower sound quality compared to FM, but an HD Radio receiver makes AM stations just as clear as FM – something that matters a lot if you like listening to sports or news while you drive!
Anything else I need to consider?
While you may need to invest in a new receiver to get it, HD Radio gives you the ability to listen to CD-quality music for free. It’s also a higher-quality signal than you can get from compressed formats such as MP3, Internet radio streaming or satellite radio — which usually have added costs as well.
Are there any drawbacks?
HD radio signals are only about 60% as powerful as analog at this point, and don’t have quite the same range… yet. The good news is that your receiver will continue to pick up the analog signal if the digital signal fades!
That’s the quick scoop on HD Radio. If you’re interested in learning more, or want to hear the HD difference for yourself, drop by the store anytime for a demo!
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