Here’s good news for radio fans.

iBiquity Digital Corporation, the power behind digital HD Radio technology, announced recently that it has released new reference designs for tabletop and home HD Radio receivers.

Why should you care?

These new designs will help lower the cost of entry-level consumer HD Radio products such as tabletop radios and receivers. Just as important these reference designs provide a faster way for manufacturers to integrate HD Radio technology into current and future AM and FM radio product lines – to help speed new products to market.

Jeff Jury, Chief Operating Officers of iBiquity, recently said, "These designs are flexible enough to adapt to a wide range of audio products, including platforms supporting other digital radio products. We expect to see HD Radio receivers using these reference designs to be introduced by manufacturers in time for the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show in January 2006."

iBiquity's HD radio reference designs utilize existing HD Radio chipsets in a hardware design that is supported by standardized software drivers and simplified production testing equipment. Plus, these initial designs are to be followed by a planned series of HD Radio reference designs that will simplify the task of adding basic HD Radio capabilities and new HD Radio data features to current and future designs.

Here’s more good news

IBiquity also announced that four new manufacturers have signed licensing agreements to manufacture HD Radios. The four China-based companies are City Electronics, OPUS Art and Technology Co. Ltd., Sangean and Zylux Acoustic Corp. These companies, along with existing HD Radio licensees RockridgeSound Technology Co. and Orient Power, will use iBiquity's recently released HD Radio reference designs in manufacturing home and tabletop receivers.

Between these new licensing agreements and reference designs, it is clear that lower-cost HD radios will be available very shortly

For more information on HD Radio, including an explanation of the technology, a list of stations already broadcasting in HD Radio technology and the latest in HD Radio news, please go to my web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com. Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and long-time radio fan. He is the author of numerous articles on HD Radio technology and family finances.

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