Another less than than enthusiastic article on HD Radio, this time in the Wall Street Journal. While there's nothing new in it, the fact that the same questions are still being raised about HD's viability suggests that we are far from turning a corner in gaining market acceptance. The title's question, Weak Signals: Can HD Radio Find Listeners? should be a clue as to the article's conclusions. Here's how the article begins:
Four years after the first HD radios hit the marketplace, the new service hasn't gained traction with consumers. For one thing, the signal can be heard only through special digital radio receivers, with prices that start at about $80. And just some of the nation's radio stations offer extra HD-2 or HD-3 channels -- with programming that often isn't much different from what broadcasters play on their primary frequencies. Moreover, the digital signal typically doesn't reach as far as the same station's analog signal, so in many cities, the signal comes and goes as listeners drive around town.
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