DAB, or digital audio broadcasting, brought to the radio industry what the digital technology of cellular phones brought to the telecommunications industry–an alternative to analog technology. Using the Eureka 147 format, broadcast companies in Europe and the UK made the shift form analog broadcasting to DAB digital radio broadcasting; the Eureka format became globally standardized everywhere except in the United States.
The United States chose instead to have its DAB digital radio broadcasting formatted in hybrid-digital radio, which make it the only country to have done so, and more or less stopped the adoption of DAB digital radio technology altogether. In the United States, satellite radio has received all the broadcasters and broadcasting equipment manufacturers attention. Why?
Because satellite radio requires listeners to purchase expensive receivers, and in addition, to shell out the cost of subscribing each month. Radio listeners in other countries must simply raise their eyebrows at the prospect; they receive Eureka 147 and digital radio at no cost.
DAB Digital Radio Features
When the UK decided to make a massive commitment to...