News

Frontier Smart Technologies has launched Chorus 4 - the world’s first integrated Smart Radio chip. Chorus 4 will power a new generation of solutions for radios offering internet connectivity, DAB / DAB+ and FM. The first of these new solutions, Venice X, is being launched by Frontier this week at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. Venice X is a cost-optimised, customisable turnkey system which enables brands and manufacturers to build high quality Smart Radios quickly and cost-effectively.

Panasonic Automotive, the global supplier of automotive infotainment and connectivity systems solutions, announced at the 2019 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show that its SPYDR 2.0 complete cockpit android-based domain controller will support DTS Connected Radio via a collaboration with Xperi.

Xperi Corporation and LG Electronics have announced the development and integration of DTS Connected Radio technology into automobiles sold around the world. The first implementation will arrive at dealerships in 2020 with a major global car brand, to be announced at a later date. Xperi will deliver to LG the DTS Connected Radio platform which enables an engaging in-car radio experience, combining over-the-air radio with IP delivered content.

Xperi will deliver the DTS Connected Radio platform to LG Electronics, enabling an engaging in-car radio experience starting in 2020.

Switchdigital (London) Limited, the operator of London’s largest digital radio multiplex (also known as London 2), is seeking applications from broadcasters interested in acquiring DAB or DAB+ capacity. The London 2 multiplex covers 5.3 million households across London and the South East of England. Parties interested in applying for the available capacity should contact Piers Collins by 12 April 2019.

The automobile manufacturer has announced that all new Volkswagen and Skoda cars released in Italy will now include DAB+ digital radio as standard at no extra cost. As of 1 January 2020, all new cars sold in Italy are required to be equipped with DAB+ digital radio capabilities.

ICASA said that even though analogue medium wave (AM) frequencies are ample, the sound quality is generally poor, with higher transmission costs. ICASA said that even though FM still offers good quality sound, spectrum scarcity and high transmission costs necessitate consideration for digital sound broadcasting services

EBU Members gathered in Polish Radio’s headquarters in Warsaw for a regional workshop on Digital Transformation on April 4th and 5th. Topics that were discussed included digitizing archives, exploring digital innovation (such as DAB+, podcasts, and live streams), restructuring their organizations to be more adept to change, and much more.

ICASA has published the findings of its inquiry into the deployment of digital radio in South Africa, stating that spectrum scarcity and high transmission costs necessitate the consideration of digital radio. ICASA will develop draft regulation on implementation during the current financial year (2019/20).

Speaking on SCA choosing not to sell DAB capacity separately from FM, Grant Blackley highlighted that providing advertising space across both DAB and FM stations was appealing to advertisers.