Digital Radio Technologies

In the UK we are switching to a digital radio which is DAB (digital audio broadcasting). In the rest of the world, they are opting for DRM (digital radio mondile). DAB radio gives listeners access to a lot more radio stations than FM and AM. 

The DAB standard orignated as a European research project in the 1980's. The Norweigan Broadcasting Corporation  launced the very first DAB cannel in the world on June, 1, 1995. You can find more information on them by following this link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRK.

In 2012 there are four digital wireless radio systems recognized by the ITU: the two European systems DAB digital audio broadcasting system, and DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), the Japanese ISDB-T and the U.S. HD-Radio (IBOC).

There are many advantages of this type of radio, a few examples are: 
- Pause and Rewind. Some digital radios have features which enable you to pause and rewind live radio, and some even allow recording. 
- List by station name. The stations will be listed by name so you don’t have to remember the frequencies. With some digital radios you can have stations listed in the order of those you listen to most, making them quicker to find.


Digital radio doesn't always provide better sound quality than FM. When FM is working well it can offer a better quality than DAB. 

The UK wish to have completed the Digital Radio switchover for 2015. 

There are a few problems with the digital switchover, with some saying it could take up to 20 years to do properly. 
One of the main problems is that if the viewer wants to listen to DAB radio, they are going to have to go out and buy the correct set to listen to it on. Also, half of all mainstream car manufacturers do not offer any digital radio units for their model range.