Is DAB Dead?
You most probably got up this morning, late as usual and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea or coffee. If you had time put, you probably put some bread in the toaster and waited three minutes for it to do it's magic.
The silence was most probably deafening and you turned the radio on to dull the silence and hear what is going on in the world.
Radio has been with us since 1895, and until recently had not really undertaken any great revolution. That was until recent years with DAB radios promising better reception and becoming a lot me affordable is it time to upgrade that breakfast club companion?
The short answer I would say is yes, but don't stop reading just yet... There's another technology vying for your hard earned cash, internet radios.
Internet radio used to be something you could only listen to using your PC and a tiny tinny set of speakers. Listening on a dial up connection was possible but it normally sounded like you were listening through a rolled up ball of socks!
The technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and with broadband and WLAN now standard in most houses, you don't need to spend much to bring this technology into your life.
What Will it Cost Me?
Most of the larger manufacturers are producing Internet Radios and you can spend anywhere from £40.00 to £2000.00. For the price of a decent DAB unit you can buy a new radio that will connect via your existing internet connection and allow you to listen to stations broadcasting everything from ABBA to ZZ Top!
Benefits of Internet Radio
In today's ipod sporting, quick fix, want it my way society you can choose from stations that broadcast comedy 24/7 from a station in Seatle to the major UK radio stations such as XFM or BBC's Radio 1 (if you can stand the inane ramblings of Chris Moyles et al). You get the choice of over 5,000 stations to listen to at varying levels of sound quality.
If you're like me, music is a big part of your life as is variety. Listening to the national radio station's restricted "ten tracks on rotation" playlists and annoying morning presenters is enough to send you postal!
Internet Radio may possibly be a temporary cure for this madness, as you can seriously find something you want to listen to.
What's the Catch?
Like all things technical there are a few caveats, namely a decent internet connectivity and bandwidth. If you have a fairly slow connection or it goes down, so does your radio stream.
A common feature on internet radios is the inclusion of a iPod/USB connectivity and/or the ability to stream music from your network. This added functionality prety much puts the final nail in the DAB coffin!
How Easy Is it to use
Using an IR is as simple as a normal DAB radio, you choose your station via genre, language etc and these are routinely updated automatically. If you yourself listening to an obscure not on the list station, then simply add it to your player. No keyboard, no mouse and no fiddly preferences here!
Stand Out Stations
www.brap.fm - From dub-step to indie to drum and bass, Brap.fm has something for everyone. With over 50 DJs and shows that dont comprise of just 2 hours of mixed tunes with no personality, there is something for everyone!
www.nuskoolbreaks.co.uk - A fantastic station featuring the finest in breakbeat from DJs across the world.
