"Conditional Access"

Lunatics are calling this the first step to the end of all free radio as we know it, of course.

If satellite radio is failing (which it appears to be) why would terrestrial radio want to copy that business model?

I am wondering how they are planning on implementing this conditional access (Pay to listen) HD radio programming. HD radio owners will have to subscribe to special HD broadcasts by paying a subscription fee and registering their HD radio's serial number. This brings about the same problem that Satelite Radio sub scribers have today. That is only one of your HD radio's is allowed access to the broadcasts. If you have more than one HD radio say one for your bedroom, one for your living room, one for your kitchen and one for you car, then you must pay a subscription fee for each and every one of the radios to the HD station that you want to listen to. What about if you want to listen to a few other stations pay per listen HD channels? Do you have to pay again separately for each and every station and register each and every one of your HD radios with each and every one of the separate stations? Sounds cumbersome and troublesome.
Or will the powers to be (FCC and Ibiquity?) set up some sort of central global registration center where you just register your radio(s) serial number(s) one time and it will be known to all HD Radio stations so that they will enable your radio to receive their broadcasts?
Either way, it is a hassle. Keep the OTA radio free to the world to listen like it always used to be and is now. Satelite radio should be free too, or at least, it should be changed so that if you are a paid subscriber, then you should be able to register all your radios (or maybe up to 4 radios without extra fees) to receive the content.

Thank you for starting this discussion, Master Theseus.

It is good to hear that HD1 and HD2 channels must remain free. I have a big concern, though, that adding an HD3 channel to any station, pay-to-listen or not, will just reduce the quality of the signal on HD1 and HD2. A similar thing has happened with HDTV stations... Many, if not most, of them have second and sometimes even third standard-def channels along with the HD channel, and the bit rate of the HD channel is too low for quality video.

HD Radio's selling points are audio quality, audio quality, and a bit of "more channels of free radio". I just do not see the value to listeners of multiplexing more stuff onto signals in yet another attempt for broadcasters to make more money. The last time I checked, radio stations are still selling for ever-higher prices, especially when compared to other investments or businesses over the last 25 years or so. Those higher prices are perfect proof that the radio broadcast industry is making plenty of money now, without needing additional revenue sources.

We have plenty of ways to get "personalized updates" of traffic or other information (think cell phones and Wi-Fi access), if I want "premium content" I will subscribe to Napster or another unlimited-download service (or even satellite radio!), and if my HD Radio needs a software update, it can be done many ways other than through subtraction of bandwidth from existing free audio programming. I just do not see the appeal of any part of this "conditional access" concept. Am I missing something here?

The bottom line to me is, if this "conditional access" idea uses any of the 96 kb/s bandwidth currently used by typical dual-channel stations, then HD Radio is going to get dumped into the toilet, that quickly. It is a fledgling technology right now, just starting to get more attention and listeners (thanks in part to great products like the Sangean tuners), and "early adopters" like me are showing and telling our friends all about our HD Radios. If, however, HD Radio plans to water down the current quality in order to add extra-cost programming or data services, anything like the way satellite TV has dozens of pay-per-view sports and movie channels but truly awful video quality, then I will junk the whole concept, go back to analog radio (plus CDs and downloaded music), and tell everyone I know what I did and why.

Here in Wilkes County, we're the home of one of the nation's largest bluegrass/acoustic/folk festivals "Merlefest", every April. It'a a four-day event. I see events like that as a prime example of what "conditional access" could offer. I WOULD DEFINITELY PAY TO HEAR EVERYTHING ON THE MAIN STAGE FOR ALL FOUR DAYS!

XM allegedly carries the festival, but they jump from stage to stage, and are now allowed to carry a lot of the biggest acts. I'd definitely pay a premium to hear "all the good stuff".

Other examples (of conditional access) would be major league sports, reading services for the blind, background music for restaurants and business, etc. NOT exactly mainstream programming. It's an extra revenue stream for stations, who MUST monetize HD in order to continue offering it. Money that comes from "conditional access" is money that doesn't have to come from commercials.

- If HD Radio remains free there will be no need to track which radio is allowed to receive the broadcasts.
- I prefer to update my radio or any other devices myself through a firmware file that I can download from the internet. Don't want broadcasters or companies to get into my radio or devices without me first knowing an update will change my radio. I'd like to decide it I want to apply an update to the next latest firmwares in case there are bugs in the new release for example.
- I don't see the significance of personalized traffic updates when I get traffic reports now on free radio, xm satelite and the internet. I can't justify paying for this as traffic reports are always spotty and unreliable anyway and I don't see the radio stations expending any extra effort to provide more accurate traffic reports than they do now, especially if they have to have employees wade through numerous regions to report "personalized" traffic conditions for your particular area.
- It seems that it will affect the available bit rate made available to the free music channels thus diminishing the audio sound quality which is already just borderline acceptable for hi-fi listening (which is my priority versus more content).
I just think they should not spoil a good thing with greed. Leave it alone, stay Free. Make the money in other ways or they will lose audience.

Background music over FM?

This might have been quite an innovation like 30 years ago, but just about every store and chain I can think of has either:
1)Their own background music network (Wal-Mart, Kiwk Trip, Super America, Hobby Lobby)
2)Some local station on (most local places
3)A CD changer or iPod
4)No music at all

I guess what I'm saying is... is there really a demand for background music?

You said it yourself, just about every place you can think of "has background music". Obviously there's a demand. Offer a superior product, and people will pay.

And it's not "over FM"...it's a pay service on a "conditional access" channel. With 150kbps available, what's wrong with 20kbps for a mono background music service. The sound quality would be just fine, mono would actually be preferable for such a service, and stations HAVE TO MONETIZE HD! If you had only 50 business at 30 bucks a month, that might well be enough to pay for several multicast HD streams COMMERCIAL FREE! I think most smaller stations would be happy now if HD broke even. Commercial-free HD2 streams don't generate a cent. HD MUST MAKE MONEY! Radio stations are businesses. I should think that anyone who enjoys commercial-free multicast streams would welcome creative ideas to make money without loading these new services down with spots!

Interesting that's the only thing that "grabbed you" about my post. There are lots of specific, narrow audiences that could be served with conditional access. Music Festivals, talking book and news services for the blind, adult-oriented programming that couldn't be sent "in the clear", special sports coverage, old time radio shows and big band programming for nursing homes and other facilities for older adults, religious and/or gospel programming where none exists, programming aimed at specific professions like shows for doctors and other medical professionals, farm news (local stations don't bother with this any more), etc. Those are just a few that pop into my head. Some no doubt would work in select areas, others may not work anywhere. But I'm sure you could come up with an equally valid list.

Think of the radio station you listen to as yours. You've just dropped SIX FIGURES converting to HD. Wouldn't you be up nights thinking of ways to at least break-even on that investment?

That's not rude Master. But as a seller of HD Radios, believe me...you WANT stations to figure out quickly how to generate revenue with it!

I did not take any of your post as rude at all.


OK, this post is still not rude, just blunt, as were my posts. You make some very good points.

I am fully prepared to "not buy", or drop out of, any service that does not meet my personal standards of value. I cancelled my satellite-TV service in December 2005 after I got tired of the mediocre quality and high prices, and I put the money into HD DVD and Blu-ray. I am very satisfied with both of the new HD disc formats.

NPR is testing conditonal access to move Radio Reading Services for the blind from SCA subcarrier to a Digital HD3 subchannel.

I cant believe I even saw this post. I thought HD radio would always be free? If they change this around then I'll just dump my radio and go back to analog. I love FREE HD-Radio. I would not pay for it though. Its not worth spending more money on. No way. Sorry just the way I feel about that. But I love free HD. I think it should always be free like radio is today.

jras, I highly doubt all HD Radio will go paid, but I could see a market for specialized paid services or a way to control delivery (like the Radio Reading Service, which would be free but controlled).

HD Radio's strongest selling point is that there's no subscription fee (unlike satellite). If that changed, people would give up on it entirely

I know for one thing if it does I wont be upgrading my truck or my secound house for HD Radio. I for one would give it up entirely if they go all paid.

There's only one way I can see this working...basically you'd take some of the best content from xm and/or sirius and you make it into ppv type of thing....

Let's say your in LA and want to hear just one baseball game say between NY yankees and the boston redsox...there isn't that much of a chance of you getting it (assuming you aren't dx'ing a station) so why not keep the broadcast license for all games with whatever company and license a individual one to hd....say maybe 25 cents a game or event...

I think conditional access would only work well if it is something live. No one realistically will pay for say weather or traffic but sports I think could work

Most sports are streamed on the web - MLB.com for example. Nobody's going to go thru the hassle to register their radio to pay 25 cents for one baseball game. It would cost much more than that just to collect it. I don't think there's really a market for pay OTA HD radio but someone will undoubtedly try to create one.

I think it would be silly to worry about this becoming a "big thing". A few stations will do it in a few instances...as I've pointed out reading services for the blind, an occasional "pay per listen" concert, maybe subscription sports...things like that. Nobody's going to put a music format on a single "pay per listen" channel, and expect it to fly.

Perhaps "pay per listen" WOULD allow so called "adult content" like Howard Stern to return to terrestrial radio. The same rules would have to apply as satellite radio...people who aren't paying, aren't receiving it.

I sure as hell don't see putting any programming from XM or Sirius. Quite the contrary, XM and Sirius are FULL TO THE BRIM with programming THEY GET FROM TERRESTRIAL RADIO! Nearly everything on the talk channels on satellite radio was produced for terrestrial. It's CLEARLY the other way around! Terrestrial radio, the service with hundreds of millions of listeners (rather than tens) is still the dog that wags satellite...the tail!

I will say right now though I will go to XM radio if they did start charging for HD, at least I know I can get a good clean XM signal in my house. Terrestrial radio would be over for me if they started charging.

Terrestrial radio would be over for EVERYBODY if they started charging, at least for the main channel, and an perhaps an HD2 stream. The FCC would never allow it, and station owners ain't stupid.

Radio has a business model tested for more then 8 decades...paying the bills by selling ADVERTISING! That model worked, works, and will continue to. RELAX! Geez! I make radio commercials for a living. Do I look worried?

Lets say they do add more channels for paid etc. and keep say HD1-2-3 for free. Would my HD Radio now still be good then? I was thinking about getting 3 more radios but not sure at the moment what to do.

Conditional access is EXPERIMENTAL. There are exactly ZERO stations offering ZERO services now, and NONE SCHEDULED! Uh...I think it's safe to buy a radio. GEEZ!

Like I'd hold off buying an analog fm stereo tuner because a station might decide to offer background music on an sca, and wouldn't I miss out if I didn't have THAT!

Sorry to sound harsh, but OF COURSE YOU SHOULD BUY! "Conditional access" is by nature limited to select, TINY audiences. Reading services for the blind. Background music. Like that. NARROWCASTING. And again, it's theoretical...kind of a "what if" scenario.

The VAST MAJORITY of stations will never do anything with conditional access, because they'd have to hire warm bodies to handle subscriptions, etc...for very little benefit. Again, BUY YOUR RADIOS! And I'll buy mine!

Would you have regretted buying a tv in the 50s because color sets came out in the 60s? Even if your black and white set STILL WORKED, and could be used in a spare room? Why, you'd have missed those great live dramas, Perry Mason, the McCarthy hearings, Sputnik and Gemini, The Lone Ranger, etc. BUY THE RADIOS! It's a no brainer!

If they can add these data services, reading for the blind, or whatever else, without reducing the bitrate from any existing HD1/HD2 channel combinations, then I have no problem with anything the stations want to do with data space that is not being used right now, today.

If, however, they figure out (or already know) that they can reduce bitrates, say, 10% each on HD1 and HD2 with only three percent of the listeners noticing the reduction in audio quality, and then use the newly-available data space for additional services (conditional access or not), then I will want to just dump the whole HD Radio concept into the trash, it is that simple. I went through that whole garbage "make it just good enough to satisfy most of the average customers" scenario with satellite TV, and I will not put up with it again. Life is too short to waste time and money on mediocre services, especially when they are starting out with such promise (of high quality) today. HD Radio can sound really good today; the station owners need to not **** with it the way satellite TV did with their systems.

Expanded Hybrid mode offers 150kbps total bandwidth, NOT 96. Which means there is room for extra services, without reducing the bitrate of existing ones.