HD Radio being embraced by automakers

At a preview event prior to the official opening of CES, a representative from iBiquity Digital--the company that developed the technology for digital HD Radio--said that we'll be seeing many more car models coming out in the next few years offering HD Radios.

BMW, which is already offering HD tuners on select models, will have them available across its entire lineup by March 1. Although no specifics were offered, iBiquity also said that nine other car manufacturers are planning to offer them on more than 50 models over the next two to three years. This puts HD Radio at about the same place that satellite digital radio was at about five or six years ago.

A big difference between HD Radio and satellite services such as XM and Sirius is that HD is free once you've got the hardware. According to iBiquity, about 1,200 radio stations across the country are now broadcasting digital signals, with another 800 expected to be doing so by the end of 2007. By then, according to iBiquity, HD Radio will be available to about 90 percent of U.S. listeners.

Currently, about 500 stations are also broadcasting multicast channels, which are essentially additional channels that use excess digital bandwidth. Each HD station can now broadcast up to two multicast channels, which allows terrestrial stations to offer some of the more diverse or esoteric content that satellite radio now provides.

At the preview, iBiquity was also highlighting the HD Dice (pictured), which is a receiver that can be connected to the factory radio of an existing car. With automakers increasingly designing their radios as an integral part of the dash or as part of a multi-function control system, the HD Dice looks like a good way of getting HD Radio reception without messing with the original setup. It also displays text information on the station, artist, and song in the factory display, and has an iPod connection. The price for the Dice is about $200.

--Rik Paul