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iBiquity Digital's IBOC (In-Band On-Channel) Digital Audio Broadcasting technology provides for enhanced sound fidelity, improved reception and new wireless data services. This enhancement to AM and FM will offer tremendous growth opportunities for broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers and automotive manufacturers.
iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology is a method of transmitting compact-disc-like quality audio signals to radio receivers along with new wireless data services such as station, song and artist identification, stock and news information, local traffic and weather, and much more. This technology allows broadcasters to use the current radio spectrum to transmit AM and FM analog simultaneously with new higher quality digital signals. These digital signals eliminate the static, hiss, pops and fades associated with today's radio caused by conditions known as multipath, noise and interference.
IBOC technology will enhance both the AM and FM band's audio fidelity. AM will sound like FM does today and FM will have compact-disc-like audio quality. Multipath, noise and interference, which cause the static, hiss, pops and fades heard on today's analog radios, will be virtually eliminated, thus ensuring crystal clear reception. Additionally, the technologies will allow for new wireless data services to be delivered from AM and FM radio stations, such as station information, artist and song identification, scrolling of traffic, weather, news and sports scores, digital music and data download capabilities, and much more.
iBiquity Digital completed in-depth interference studies on the AM and FM bands, performed comprehensive channel characterizations, conducted countless simulations using real world data and logged over 75,000 hours of over-the-air tests on numerous radio stations. Using this research, iBiquity Digital designed its IBOC technology to bring the benefits of digital audio broadcasting to today's radio while preventing interference to the "host" analog station and stations on adjacent channels. The system employs multiple digital signaling techniques, such as redundant sidebands, blend, first adjacent cancellation and code and power combining.
iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology will allow consumers to be able to receive a digital broadcast of their favorite program at the same place on the dial where they currently tune in to receive the analog version. MIX 106.5 in the digital world will be the same MIX 106.5 in the analog world. How does this work? IBOC technology makes use of the existing AM and FM band (In-Band) by adding digital carriers to a radio station's analog signal, allowing broadcasters to transmit digitally on their existing channel assignments (On-Channel). A station will convert to iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology and begin transmitting a simultaneous analog and digital signal, known as the "Hybrid Mode."
iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology will allow for radios to be "backward and forward" compatible, allowing them to receive traditional analog broadcasts from stations that have yet to convert and digital broadcasts from stations that have converted. Current analog radios will continue to receive the analog portion of the broadcast, allowing for a smooth transition to a digital world. In fact, specific features have been designed into iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology to improve the existing analog reception during the "Hybrid Mode." At some point in the future, broadcasters will transition out of analog broadcasts and offer "all-digital mode." As a result of the additional wireless data capacity associated with an all-digital broadcast, enhanced services such as increased data capacity, surround sound or other multi-casting solutions will become available.
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