FOREWORD The purpose of the Digital Radio Guide is to help engineers and managers in the radio broadcast community understand options for digital radio systems available in 2019. The guide covers systems used for transmission in different media, but not for programme production. The in-depth technical descriptions of the systems are available from the proponent organisations and their websites listed in the appendices. The choice of the appropriate system is the responsibility of the broadcaster or national regulator who should take into account the various technical, commercial and legal factors relevant to the application. We are grateful to the many organisations and consortia whose systems and services are featured in the guide for providing the updates for this latest edition. In particular, our thanks go to the following organisations: European Broadcasting Union (EBU) North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) HD Radio WorldDAB Forum Amal Punchihewa Former Vice-Chairman World Broadcasting Unions - Technical Committee April 2019 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 5 WHAT IS DIGITAL RADIO? ....................................................................................................................... 7 WHY DIGITAL RADIO? .............................................................................................................................. 9 TERRESTRIAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS ...........................................................................................10 4.1 DAB/DAB+/DMB ..........................................................................................................................10 4.1.1 System Development .........................................................................................................10 4.1.2 DAB/DAB+ adoption .......................................................................................................11 4.1.3 Principal Advantages and Challenges .............................................................................13 4.1.4 DAB Family of Standards Global Overview ....................................................................15 4.1.5 Infrastructure Requirements ............................................................................................20 4.1.6 Synergies with Other Systems ..........................................................................................22 4.1.7 Receivers ...........................................................................................................................23 4.1.8 WorldDAB Receiver Profiles ............................................................................................24 4.2 DRM – DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE .................................................................................................24 4.2.1 Key Features of the System Design for the Markets to be Served by the DRM System .....25 4.2.2 Brief Description of the DRM System ...............................................................................27 4.2.3 Transmitter Considerations ..............................................................................................33 4.2.4 Further Information ..........................................................................................................34 4.3 JAPAN'S DIGITAL RADIO BROADCASTING (ISDB-TSB) ...................................................................35 4.3.1 Overview ...........................................................................................................................35 4.3.2 The Methods ......................................................................................................................35 4.3.3 Characteristics ..................................................................................................................41 4.3.4 Receivers ...........................................................................................................................42 4.3.5 Overview of Services .........................................................................................................43 4.3.6 Outlook for the Future ......................................................................................................43 4.4 HD RADIO SYSTEM ..........................................................................................................................44 4.4.1 HD Radio Standards Activity ............................................................................................45 4.4.2 HD Radio AM and FM Receivers .....................................................................................46 4.4.3 HD Radio System Technical Design Overview .................................................................47 4.4.4 Core Services ....................................................................................................................48 (1) MAIN PROGRAMME SERVICE (MPS) ................................................................................................48 (2) SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMME SERVICE (SPS) .................................................................................49 (3) Station Information Service (SIS) .....................................................................................49 (4) ADVANCED APPLICATION SERVICES (AAS) ....................................................................................49 4.4.5 HD Radio Subsystems .......................................................................................................54 (1) AUDIO SOURCE CODING AND COMPRESSION ...................................................................................54 (2) TRANSPORT AND SERVICE MULTIPLEX ................................................................................................55 4.4.6 RF/Transmission System ...................................................................................................55 4.4.7 Receiver Systems ...............................................................................................................56 4.4.8 Common System Features .................................................................................................56 4.4.9 Infrastructure Requirements .............................................................................................58 4.4.10 Deployment Status ............................................................................................................60 4.4.11 Latest updates from NABA ................................................................................................64 5. MOVING FORWARD WITH DIGITAL RADIO ..............................................................................70 5.1 DIGITAL RADIO IN APAC AND BEYOND...........................................................................................70 5.2 TECHNOLOGY POSITION IN APAC ...................................................................................................70 5.3 KEY SUCCESS FACTORS FOR RADIO DIGITISATION ............................................................................71 5.4 THE KEY SUCCESSES FACTORS THAT ARE DESCRIBED IN THE REPORT ARE: ......................................72 3 6. ISSUES RELATED TO TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS ........................................................................74 6.1 SPECTRUM AVAILABILITY ...............................................................................................................74 6.2 THE IMPLICATIONS OF SIMULCASTING .............................................................................................78 6.2.1 Coverage ...........................................................................................................................79 7. INTERNET RADIO ............................................................................................................................81 7.1 DOT.RADIO INITIATIVE ................................................................................................................81 7.2 VARIOUS SERVICES ..........................................................................................................................83 8.1 VISUALS ......................................................................................................................................86 8.2 METADATA .................................................................................................................................86 8.3 INTERACTIONS ............................................................................................................................87 9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................88 10. SOME SOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL RADIO GUIDE ..................................................................89 11. APPENDIX-A: THE DAB (EUREKA 147) SYSTEM - SYSTEM DESCRIPTION ..........................92 12. APPENDIX-B: HD RADIO SYSTEM DESCRIPTION ...................................................................119 PROGRAMME SERVICE DATA ................................................................................................................121 DATACASTING ........................................................................................................................................131 13. APPENDIX-C RELEVANT WEBSITES .........................................................................................132