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DAB+

I wish I could get a Digital Spy account working. I'd point out on the thread there about this that some DAB+ radios ignore SBR (Sepctral Band Replication) data and effectively play all DAB+ as if it were AAC-LC. This means you lose the high frequency information held in SBR resulting in a dull sound, which is precisely what some people are reporting over there.
 
Really? The impression I get is that most complaints are about it sounding metallic ie. the opposite of dull.
 
gomezz said:
Really? The impression I get is that most complaints are about it sounding metallic ie. the opposite of dull.
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There is the metallic sounding brigade, which feels either like generally poor reception or incorrect SBR handling. And then there's some complaints of it sounding dull, which I think is no SBR decoding at all.

In my case with the Arcam T32 tuner I get neither issue. The DAB+ sounds basically OK and my parents would listen to it if they had no alternative. But FM simply sounds better, more alive. I have tried to match volumes, it sounds already matched to me.
 
I only have it on at home or in the car or work van as background listening so not paying it especial attention as I would to a dedicated listen using my hi-fi. Just discovered the BBC 3 morning "Essential Classics" programme and playlists on the BBC Sounds app which streams at 320kbps although that gets limited to 192kbps when I Bluetooth it to my hi-fi. Seems to be a wider range of the standards than Classic FM or Scala and does not venture much into the more "difficult" music BBC 3 likes to play later in the day.
 
The advertising was not truthful, so the Advertising Standards Agency (which claims to care about such matters) should. Ofcom regulates broadcasters, so they should particularly if Classic FM fail in their obligation to respond in accordance with their charter. Classic FM obviously doesn't, but that's why there are regulators.
 
Black Hole said:
Ofcom regulates broadcasters, so they should particularly if Classic FM fail in their obligation to respond in accordance with their charter.
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I can't see how Classic FM are breaching their broadcast licence, that's what Ofcom enforce. And if their charter is relevant to Ofcom, what clause would they be breaching?

The ASA is clearer, they said the change to DAB+ was turning up the broadcast quality and it doesn't. But is it an advert? You don't pay for Classic FM apart from by listening to adverts.
 
Ofcom might have something to say about the failure to respond. As to whether advertising is restricted to purchase, not sure. It is misrepresentation.
 
Ofcom is useless at the best of times. They crack down on some rules (causing TPTV and others to put warnings before most films/programmes), but not others (GB News). Good luck if you try a complaint with them! If the complaint is about an advert (assuming it really is an advert), what are the ASA likely to do? Prevent them from repeating the advert. Too late! Another useless regulator?
 
Black Hole said:
The advertising was not truthful, so the Advertising Standards Agency (which claims to care about such matters) should. Ofcom regulates broadcasters, so they should particularly if Classic FM fail in their obligation to respond in accordance with their charter. Classic FM obviously doesn't, but that's why there are regulators.
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I think you should take it up. That's why the country is going to the dogs. Too many of these
Owen Smith said:
Do you really expect any of Classic FM, Ofcom or the ASA to give a damn?
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Quite so. I prompted them again (complaints section on the feedback form for Classic FM) and they replied they couldn't find my original submission and that they would pass my comments on but technical issues are not their thing. So I shall escalate.
 
I don't seem to be able to get Classic FM on my car stereo now, despite there being a "DAB+" logo on its facia. When tuned to Classic FM (and many other channels, including Scala) it displays the station ident (no "no signal" or anything like that, which I have seen at other times), but there is silence. The BBC stations still work OK.

I've not investigated further, but this feels like a DAB+ thing to me (not that I have ever listened to Scala)... and yet, I feel sure I have had Classic FM playing over DAB (rather than FM) since the switch-over. Or perhaps not. I can't see anything on the radio display to indicate whether a broadcast is DAB or DAB+.
 
The behaviour you describe is standard for a DAB+ channel on a DAB only radio, it tunes to the channel and shows the name but you get silence. When DAB was designed they assumed all channels forever would be MP2 and didn't put anything in for forwards expansion to say "this is a channel that DAB MP2 only receivers can't play so don't show it". When DAB+ first came out they introduced channels slowly as a trial to see if the presence of one in the multiplex upset older DAB only radios.

Try this site:
www.digitalbitrate.com

DAB UK Leeds mux list

Bitrate measurements of TV channels and Radio DAB+ DTT FIBER Satellite Cable OTT.
www.digitalbitrate.com www.digitalbitrate.com
Change "DAB UK Leeds" to your DAB region. Each Mux has a green + sign top right, press it and you get that mux with detail per channel, including whether it is MP2 (ie DAB) or DAB+ (AAC) and bit rate.

Most channels now are DAB+, the exceptions being the entire BBC mux and the local muxes, plus a couple of channels on the national independent muxes. Greatest Hits Radio is still DAB for example, being in the local muxes.

Does your car display the bit rate of the channel? If it will, stereo much less than 100kbps is DAB+ and mono under 64kbps is probably DAB+.
 
Owen Smith said:
The behaviour you describe is standard for a DAB+ channel on a DAB only radio
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That's what I'm thinking, but (as said):
  1. The radio has a "DAB+" badge, and
  2. I could be wrong, but I think I continued to receive Classic FM after the supposed change-over date.
More investigation required, particularly as to why this radio says DAB+ but apparently isn't. Mind you, I've never been very happy with it: every now and again it reboots of its own accord. When I went to the installers premises to complain, they'd closed down. So I tried to take it up with the manufacturer and they said they had no record of the serial number. Perhaps I have some kind of bastardised unit. Changing it will be an unwanted expense and a f'ing nuisance, and where the f do you find a FM/DAB+ car radio with CD player these days??? BASTARDS!
 
Some older DAB/DAB+ radios do not re-scan automatically so I suggest you go into settings and select re-scan (or whatever it is called on your radio).
 
gomezz said:
Some older DAB/DAB+ radios do not re-scan automatically so I suggest you go into settings and select re-scan (or whatever it is called on your radio).
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I was using channel scan to step through services, but I guess there might be some kind of tuning process if I go through the installation...
 
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