Digital radio chips released by Motorola may jumpstart digital radio
Motorola plans to announce tonight in Tokyo, according to this New York Times story (registration required),
the most powerful set of microchips yet for such receivers, which convert standard analog AM and FM broadcast signals into a digital format. So far, the radio broadcasting industry in this country has not agreed upon uniform digital technical standards, which has left over-the-air digital radio service to subscription-fee satellite services.
...Analog radio signals use electronic waves analogous to sound waves. Digital signals use electronic pulses that can be translated into the precise 1's and 0's of computer code.
When radio signals are in digital form, they can be filtered, cleaned up and manipulated by software. The result is better sound fidelity and the opportunity to add features like deeper bass tones. Software-driven receivers can compensate for the complex interference patterns caused when signals are bouncing off of buildings or hills, and they can tune into channels more accurately.
...Motorola said its new chips would allow the elimination of so many components in receivers that radios going on sale next year should cost the same or less than today's premium analog systems.
...Allied Business Intelligence, a market research firm, has projected that the number of digital radio receivers in the United States alone will jump from 650,000 units this year to 33 million in 2007.