Hybrid
FM – Internet
Radio
François Lefebvre
Communications Research Centre, Canada
DRCG
Ottawa, October 7, 2009

© Apple

Hybrid Broadband Broadcast ?
The Internet
”Coming to all devices near you”
© Allen Qu, Flickr
© Pure

Effects on Broadcasting
Market fragmentation
Reduced market shares
Increased competition
Regulated vs non-regulated
Loss of control
➢ Business models
➢ Internet ”content” industry
➢ Consumer electronics manufacturers
➢ End-user

What to do ?
EBU Strategy:
Define requirements and seek adoption of a CE
standard for TV sets and STBs with both
DTV and Internet ports.

HBB Concept (DVB)
© HBBtv

EBU HBB TV
● Provide enhanced broadcast services
with ”Out-of-band” enhancements
delivered through 2 channels
to ”converged” devices
● Offer a controlled user experience
● Leverage already deployed networks
●
How ?
● EBU HBB specification (ETSI, ...)

HBB for Radio ?
Provide enhanced broadcast-radio services
(FM, DAB, DRM, HD Radio) + Internet
Applications:
- Now playing...
- Electronic program guide
- Slideshow
- Dynamic text
- Content tagging
- Roaming: Internet from/to FM ?

Radio Devices
Personal Home
© Yamaha
© vTech
© Terratec
Car
© Garmin
© ROKU
© Pioneer

HBB Radio Delivery Options
(current Canadian context)

Mobile Trends

Mobile Trends
- Software platforms (Apple, RIM, Nokia, ...)
- Application driven
- 50.000 iPhone applications in one year
Dozens of 3G Internet radio applications
Many FREE applications
- Independent developer and user innovation
Internet-like
- Trend towards open source (Android, Symbian,...)
- Verticalisation of platforms
less than 10 major mobile software platforms
- Mobile Application Stores (MAS)
Developers: upload / sell / upgrade
Users: download / buy / remove / upgrade
Where are the new broadcast Apps ?

Internet Radio Apps for iPhone
© Apple, iTunes Store

th
iPod Nano 5 Generation
Good
- FM Receiver with RDS
- FM Radio is ”cool”
- Younger generations exposed to FM
- Infrastructure in place (RDS?)
- New revenues : iTunes Tagging
Bad
- No general tagging: only iTunes
- Apple controls to ecosystem
- ”iTuneization” / ”Mainstreamization” of music
- Canadians will now see poor RDS offerings...

RDS in Ottawa, Sept. 2009
(as surveyed with iPod Nano)
RICH=6 BASIC=9 POOR=7 NOT RECEIVED=6

iTunes Tagging Explained
- On HD Radio AND FM RDS
- Only HD docking for iPods / iPhones
- Only iPod Nano 5th gen.
- User clicks on special ”tagging” button
- HD: iPod syncs with dock when connected
- iPod / iPhone syncs tags with PC iTunes software
- New tag section on iTunes
- Click to buy...
Microsoft: Zune Tagging on FM / HD Radio
Works with Zune Makretplace
© Microsoft

iTunes Tagging HD Radio
© iBiquity

iTunes ”Tagged”
© iBiquity

Other Tagging Opportunities
- Music sales through various online stores
- Other revenue sharing models
- Open to non-iTunes content (emergent, long-tail,...)
- Tagging of talk radio
- Advertizing tagging
- ....

HBB FM RDS 3G Apps
- Synchronized vs non-synchronized ?
- Station ID, song title, artist information, ...
- Dynamic text, top news (text over RDS) ?
- General tagging
- iTunes tagging, Zune tagging
- Application triggers
- Notifications (emergencies, mass phoning!)
- Links to online content
- Slideshow
- Electronic program guide
- Traffic : TMC
- Emulate Microsoft's DirectBand (12kbps, not RDS)
- ....

FM RDS on Mobile Devices
A Trend ?
Past: crippled devices (FM not activated)
Now: iPod Nano
Zune HD ?
Wikipedia lists over 50 devices ?
Tomorrow: Programmable devices ?
iPhone (FM + RDS + 3G + Wifi) ?
Others: Nokia, HTC, ... ?

WANTED:
Open FM RDS Smart Phone
HTC Tattoo HTC Touch Diamond 2
Android Windows mobile
FM API ? FM + RDS
– no mention Open API ?
in android code Unofficial API - YES
RDS ?
© HTC © HTC

App Example:
Power Radio FM Plyer for WM
© HTC

Radio Directories
- Central listings of radio stations
- Detailed stations info + more...
- CE devices and others
- Managed vs unmanaged
- Free vs licensed
FM Radio
Unique internet link
Internet radio
unmanaged, free
Internet radio + DAB
+ FM + ...
Managed, licensed

RadioDNS
- Central lookup for registered radio stations
- Internet query based on RDS data
- nslookup -type=CNAME 09880.c201.ce1.fm.radiodns.org
- Internet replies with services available, ...
STATUS
- Defining international governance
- Defining 3 applications: EPG, Tagging, VIS

BBC RadioDNS
Open Source Demonstration

Pure Sensia
Internet radio
Wifi
DAB (Band III only)
FM + RDS
Touch
Apps
RadioDNS, ....
© Pure

Conclusions
- HBB Radio = new opportunity ?
- Hybrid = Out-of-band = more capacity
- Enhanced via Internet = non-regulated
- Democratisation of broadcast innovation ?
- ”Open” devices will be needed
Will FM+RDS be integrated into mobile devices ?
Will FM+RDS be usable via open API ?
- Participate in alignment / standardisation efforts ?
RadioDNS, IMDA
- Need to enhance / harmonize RDS infrastructure ?
Hybrid FM + RDS + 3G: the new digital radio ?