About 35,000 HD units sold in 2006

[Len14043]

Some time ago there was a long thread discussing the number of HD units sold. Apparently a research firm estimates that number to be about 35,000 for 2006.

Here is an excerp from an article in the Washington Post:

"At today's prices, about $500 or more, they appeal mostly to technophiles. But if prices tumble as expected, sales should pick up. And if automakers start offering them, as some plan to do next year in higher-end cars, sales could surge to 4 million units in 2007 from 35,000 this year, research firm In-Stat/MDR said."

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Some time ago there was a long thread discussing the number of HD units sold. Apparently a research firm estimates that number to be about 35,000 for 2006.

According to iBiquity's website:

Currently, there are 1133 HD Radio stations broadcasting across the nation.

Simple math tells us (35,000/1133) that equals about 31 HD radios per HD radio station. Nowhere near the numbers HD supporters have claimed. When you consider not all HD radios are turned on 24 hours a day, nor are they tuned to HD streams exclusively, and over a Billion dollars have been spent on HD conversions, equipment, advertising, lobbying, and promotion over more then 4 years, I would conclude that HD Radio has been almost a total flop, so far. Internet stream listeners of HD stations likely exceed HD Radio listenership. This trend seems likely to continue.
Perhaps the cartel should spend that $1 Billion, giving away millions of free HD Radios. At $100 each (wholesale) cost for each HD Radio, the cartel could have given away 10 million HD Radios!

 

[Mike Walker]

And when the first cd players were introduced, the ratio was perhaps ten cd players per city of 5 million. Which today means absolutely nothin'. Just like birth, Dude...we all start at ZERO!

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Never have so many, sacrificed so much, for so few.

 

[Mike Walker]

What exactly has been sacrificed, Supercaster? The only sacrifice has been a financial one, by those who have invested in the technology (radio stations and consumers). MANY will benefit in the future.

Now, I feel like they're broadcasting "just to me". According to you, that may well be true!

Ya' know...if it serves a need in my life (it does), that's enough. I suspect most agree with that sentiment!

 

[700WLW]

Some time ago there was a long thread discussing the number of HD units sold. Apparently a research firm estimates that number to be about 35,000 for 2006.

Here is an excerp from an article in the Washington Post:

"At today's prices, about $500 or more, they appeal mostly to technophiles. But if prices tumble as expected, sales should pick up. And if automakers start offering them, as some plan to do next year in higher-end cars, sales could surge to 4 million units in 2007 from 35,000 this year, research firm In-Stat/MDR said."

Mark Ramsey figured 60000, but obviously that figure was way too high, plus he didn't factor in all the HD radios returned for lousy reception, overly-complicated setups, and poor programming. So, let's say, 40000 have been sold, with 30% returned, for a grand total of about 30000 ! That will do it !

 

[Chuck]

I see that BMW has announced that HD will be available as an option on their lower series cars within the year. Price? $500.

 

[ElCheapo]

I see that BMW has announced that HD will be available as an option on their lower series cars within the year. Price? $500.

Well, if you're buying even a "lower end" BMW, I suspect $500 won't be much of an obstacle to you.

Funny how everyone's ignoring the projected figure of 4 MILLION units being sold in 2007! ;D

 

[Chuck]

Funny how everyone's ignoring the projected figure of 4 MILLION units being sold in 2007! ;D

It will be interesting to see if they meet thier estimate.

 

[700WLW]

I see that BMW has announced that HD will be available as an option on their lower series cars within the year. Price? $500.

Well, if you're buying even a "lower end" BMW, I suspect $500 won't be much of an obstacle to you.

Funny how everyone's ignoring the projected figure of 4 MILLION units being sold in 2007! ;D

Yea, from 35,000 to 4 million - instead, of HD Radio for $500, they will opt for Satellite Radio, at a fraction of the cost !

 

[ElCheapo]

It will be interesting to see if they meet thier estimate.

Hey - everyone here is always so interested in quoting numbers from these research firms. I just thought it was a bit ironic that nobody was saying anything about that number.

Unlike some of the "research" companies frequently quoted here after pulling numbers out of their posteriors, this In-Stat appears to be a bonafide, legitimate research firm - they've been predicting trends in consumer electronics for a while - not taking polls at the mall and somehow extrapolating predictions for 2020.

http://www.instat.com/

They're a part of a larger organization too - http://www.reedbusiness.com/us.html

All in all, I'd say they have a lot more credibility than the mall poll takers...

 

[700WLW]

It will be interesting to see if they meet thier estimate.

Hey - everyone here is always so interested in quoting numbers from these research firms. I just thought it was a bit ironic that nobody was saying anything about that number.

Unlike some of the "research" companies frequently quoted here after pulling numbers out of their posteriors, this In-Stat appears to be a bonafide, legitimate research firm - they've been predicting trends in consumer electronics for a while - not taking polls at the mall and somehow extrapolating predictions for 2020.

http://www.instat.com/

They're a part of a larger organization too - http://www.reedbusiness.com/us.html

All in all, I'd say they have a lot more credibility than the mall poll takers...

Just like the HD Radio Cartel, the actual numbers of HD/digital radios bought (and, let's not forget counting the number returned) is never reported - another typical fluff piece, just talking about the number of receivers on the market - funny though, digital radio is struggling in the UK, failing in Canada, and anemic in the US. Just like the HD Radio Cartel's and iBiquity's mentalities - if we push consumers hard enough, the will cave, and by HD radios - LOL !

"Meet your new competition"

"And demand for all Internet services - not simply audio - will drive product development, marketing, and sales. In other words, the platform will not have to be sold. It will just have to be bought. And that's a key distinction differentiating these services from satellite and HD radio - both of which need both selling and buying. And right now there's a whole lot of the former going on and not enough of the latter. By necessity, satellite is already branching into video and WiFi solutions while HD radio is still trying to emerge from its shell."

http://www.hear2.com/2006/12/meet_your_new_c.html

 

[tankedsecondchance]

I thought the projections were for 500k units by the end of 07......with a hundred thousand in 06

if the quoted number of 35,000 units is correct, it begs a question of how many went to stations for promotions alone...


instat also has xmsr at eight million units by eoy 06

 

[Ray22]

No way have 35,000 units been SOLD and IN service. Call to a few of the suppliers of HD radios and they quote (talk to shipping dept.!) a few hundred units for each supplier.
Note: Latest Crutchfield catalog only shows JVC HD car stereo and hardly mentions HD adapters or home units. They seem to be down playing HD because of lack of demand.
So, it's left to RadioShack, where when I returned a "special rebate" HD home unit because of birdies and other reception issues, they recommended Sirius! Way to go RS!

 

[700WLW]

No way have 35,000 units been SOLD and IN service. Call to a few of the suppliers of HD radios and they quote (talk to shipping dept.!) a few hundred units for each supplier.
Note: Latest Crutchfield catalog only shows JVC HD car stereo and hardly mentions HD adapters or home units. They seem to be down playing HD because of lack of demand.
So, it's left to RadioShack, where when I returned a "special rebate" HD home unit because of birdies and other reception issues, they recommended Sirius! Way to go RS!

That's even better news !

 

[SUPERCASTER]

No way have 35,000 units been SOLD and IN service. Call to a few of the suppliers of HD radios and they quote (talk to shipping dept.!) a few hundred units for each supplier.
Note: Latest Crutchfield catalog only shows JVC HD car stereo and hardly mentions HD adapters or home units. They seem to be down playing HD because of lack of demand.
So, it's left to RadioShack, where when I returned a "special rebate" HD home unit because of birdies and other reception issues, they recommended Sirius! Way to go RS!

But birdies sound so cute and relaxing. Perhaps HD opponents just don't understand HD because they aren't members of the Audubon Society?

http://www.audubon.org/

 

[Mike Walker]

Expensive? My HD Radio cost a hundred bucks. The difference with fm ISN'T frequency response (what I suppose was eluded to with the "32khz to 44.1khz" argument...32khz having no relevance to the discussion of an ANALOG format like fm stereo!), it's the lack of noise and distortion, the nearly perfect stereo separation, all on simple equipment. Can fm stereo sound as good? Pretty much, yeah...with, say, a Magnum Dynalab, Fanfare, or Day Sequerra, etc tuner, a roof antenna, and rotor. A few thousand dollars worth of gear for a level of received quality similar to my 100 dollar Accurian, with a 30 dollar INDOOR antenna. Again, if you don't believe the quality can be spectacular, check out this from my website http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

Particularly, pay attention to the quality of the classical station at the first of the clip...full bandwidth, no "HD2 Stream", very wide dynamic range. Note the sudden musical crescendo...the so called "jump factor" that the audiophile press refers to as music suddenly becomes much louder. How long since you've heard THAT on analog radio? As impressive (or more) than the music is the complete naturalness of the announcer's voice, and the total lack of ANY background noise. This on a station about 70 miles away.

Now WDAV has a very clean analog signal, too. But where I notice a HUGE difference is during loud passages. There is a "congestion" when attempting to squeeze a gallon (orchestra at full tilt) into a quart container (analog fm...with both the 75us pre-emphasis curve limiting high-level high frequency response, and noise limiting dynamic range). Switching from analog to digital during a complex, LOUD passage should convince anyone WITH EARS of the superiority of FM HD.

Again, I'm no AM HD fan (trying hard to be agnostic, although I must admit my inclinations are against it! Take a local example...WKSK in West Jefferson, NC. They have a new transmitter, new tower, new audio processing, state of the art audio chain (all digital...except for the occasional lp cut played on a bluegrass show). Pretty cool for a small market am station. On the air, they simply sound super. Anyone who says analog AM can't sound good should hear this station (maybe I should post a cut!) But their internet stream, IN STEREO is fantastic. Perhaps streaming using a service like Live 365 is the way for AM to go (I mention them because Live 365 doesn't charge more for bandwidth usage as audience size increases...a REAL plus for stations on a budget! Do it yourself, and the more listeners you have, the poorer you become as bandwidth costs literally eat you alive!) Live365 also takes care of music licensing for the station. Ka-Ching...another big plus.

No the bandwidth doesn't exist for EVERY station to serve thousands of listeners via broadband, and wireless internet audio in cars (in-car listening is where station fortunes are made or broken)is still a pipe dream. But many workplaces have wi-fi. So do public libraries, restaurants and coffee shops, hotels, downtown areas in cities, etc. And if you don't mind paying an arm and a leg, it's available widely from cell-phone providers. What I'm saying is that there IS an alternative to HD for AM stations NOW. And it actually sounds better than AM HD ever could!

HD is here to stay. Nothing anyone could post here could stop that. I remember all the people who said "AM Stereo won't last!" Well ya' know what? AM stereo is still being installed in cars 24 years after it's introduction, new radios are coming out, and there are certainly more AM Stereo stations in America now than AM HD. Better technology doesn't go away. Even if HD doesn't achieve the level of success it's proponents hope, it ain't all or nothin' guys. That sure as hell doesn't mean it's going away. It's here for the duration. Live with it!

 

[700WLW]

Expensive? My HD Radio cost a hundred bucks. The difference with fm ISN'T frequency response (what I suppose was eluded to with the "32khz to 44.1khz" argument...32khz having no relevance to the discussion of an ANALOG format like fm stereo!), it's the lack of noise and distortion, the nearly perfect stereo separation, all on simple equipment. Can fm stereo sound as good? Pretty much, yeah...with, say, a Magnum Dynalab, Fanfare, or Day Sequerra, etc tuner, a roof antenna, and rotor. A few thousand dollars worth of gear for a level of received quality similar to my 100 dollar Accurian, with a 30 dollar INDOOR antenna. Again, if you don't believe the quality can be spectacular, check out this from my website http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

Particularly, pay attention to the quality of the classical station at the first of the clip...full bandwidth, no "HD2 Stream", very wide dynamic range. Note the sudden musical crescendo...the so called "jump factor" that the audiophile press refers to as music suddenly becomes much louder. How long since you've heard THAT on analog radio? As impressive (or more) than the music is the complete naturalness of the announcer's voice, and the total lack of ANY background noise. This on a station about 70 miles away.

Now WDAV has a very clean analog signal, too. But where I notice a HUGE difference is during loud passages. There is a "congestion" when attempting to squeeze a gallon (orchestra at full tilt) into a quart container (analog fm...with both the 75us pre-emphasis curve limiting high-level high frequency response, and noise limiting dynamic range). Switching from analog to digital during a complex, LOUD passage should convince anyone WITH EARS of the superiority of FM HD.

Again, I'm no AM HD fan (trying hard to be agnostic, although I must admit my inclinations are against it! Take a local example...WKSK in West Jefferson, NC. They have a new transmitter, new tower, new audio processing, state of the art audio chain (all digital...except for the occasional lp cut played on a bluegrass show). Pretty cool for a small market am station. On the air, they simply sound super. Anyone who says analog AM can't sound good should hear this station (maybe I should post a cut!) But their internet stream, IN STEREO is fantastic. Perhaps streaming using a service like Live 365 is the way for AM to go (I mention them because Live 365 doesn't charge more for bandwidth usage as audience size increases...a REAL plus for stations on a budget! Do it yourself, and the more listeners you have, the poorer you become as bandwidth costs literally eat you alive!) Live365 also takes care of music licensing for the station. Ka-Ching...another big plus.

No the bandwidth doesn't exist for EVERY station to serve thousands of listeners via broadband, and wireless internet audio in cars (in-car listening is where station fortunes are made or broken)is still a pipe dream. But many workplaces have wi-fi. So do public libraries, restaurants and coffee shops, hotels, downtown areas in cities, etc. And if you don't mind paying an arm and a leg, it's available widely from cell-phone providers. What I'm saying is that there IS an alternative to HD for AM stations NOW. And it actually sounds better than AM HD ever could!

HD is here to stay. Nothing anyone could post here could stop that. I remember all the people who said "AM Stereo won't last!" Well ya' know what? AM stereo is still being installed in cars 24 years after it's introduction, new radios are coming out, and there are certainly more AM Stereo stations in America now than AM HD. Better technology doesn't go away. Even if HD doesn't achieve the level of success it's proponents hope, it ain't all or nothin' guys. That sure as hell doesn't mean it's going away. It's here for the duration. Live with it!

Here we go again - I'm surprised, that you are not too embarassed to come back ! HD Radio will die a slow death, as other more exciting technologies emerge. Shillin' for HD Radio/IBOC !