Australia’s first digital picture radio was launched at Friday’s ACRA conference. The groundbreaking prototype, called the DAB Picture Radio, will allow consumers to hear radio programs in CD-quality sound, while seeing images of their favourite artist, news reports or weather maps being broadcast on a colour screen which is similar to the screen quality of a high end mobile phone or a PDA.
Peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia developed the prototype in partnership with Inventec Electronics, a subsidiary of global electronics manufacturer Inventec. The receiver is designed so that it could theoretically retail on the mass market for about $400.
CRA chief executive Joan Warner says: “The Australian industry is thrilled to be leading the world in demonstrating the capabilities of advanced Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) technology. But we are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what this technology can ultimately deliver to consumers.
“Our vision for the future of radio is one where listeners will have an enriched, interactive and multimedia experience with more choice in programs and more control over when they listen. For example, if they are interested in a song, listeners could download more information about the artist, browse a station’s broadcast website or hit rewind and listen to it again.”
Key features of the sleek new radio include:
· 320 by 240 pixel backlit colour LCD screen to display pictures or text such as album covers, song titles and lyrics, real time news updates, weather and traffic maps, stock reports, competitions and advertising images.
· The screen can also be used to display a slide show of selected personal photos.
· Rewind feature so if you miss something, you can rewind and playback the last five minutes of live radio
· Record a program segment to SD card and playback on mp3
· Autotune and select stations by name from a menu.
· 240V to 9V DC external power adapter or C-type alkaline battery.
While there are no immediate plans to put the prototype into production, further development is planned to deliver future functionality such as the ability to display radio station broadcast websites, animated logos and an electronic program guide.
In an important development for file compatability, the display can handle JPG pictures as well as XML and various script fonts.
The radio was developed with Malaysian-based Inventec Electronics, a subsidiary of Inventec Multimedia & Telecom in Taiwan, a leading manufacturer of personal video recorders, VoIP, and digital televisions.
The radio industry is conducting digital broadcasting trials in Sydney and plans to rollout the new technology in metropolitan areas over the next two years, with regional areas to follow soon after.
