Digital Radio Services By AIR – Popularization

Yogendra Pal ,Chairman,DRM India Chapter

All India Radio (AIR) has adopted the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) standard for digital terrestrial radio broadcasting medium wave (MW) and short wave (SW) bands.35 MW transmitters of AIR, of power ranging from 20 kW to 1000 kW, are operating in DRM – two of these in pure DRM and 33 in simulcast. 25 of these are working in pure DRM daily for one hour. Services are in operation for the last about 5 years, but still digital service is not very popular and standalone DRM digital receivers are not available at affordable prices.

World over, radio is driven by listening in cars. Good news is that over 20 lakh cars with line-fit DRM radio support are on the roads of India today, as four leading automotive manufacturers – Maruti/Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra, and MG Motors – are rolling out cars with built-in DRM receivers. Most of the other leading car manufacturers are in the process of incorporating them, but are watching demand first.

The increase has been spectacular in comparison with similar digital-radio rollouts in other established markets in the world. Indian listeners benefit already from the domestic car industry’s joint effort to provide the in-car DRM functionality as a line-fit receiver option for new models without any charge to the consumers. In comparison, other digital radio markets elsewhere in the world have taken decades to reach this level of commitment. In these markets, car manufacturers expect the buyers to pay extra if they want to enjoy digital radio.

Development and production of standalone DRM receivers is also being taken up fast by Indian as well as foreign companies. Made in India AVION DRM receivers are already available. The DRM receiver prototype by Inntot, another India company, is ready and the company is looking for partners for starting large-scale production.

Foreign companies – Gospell and Starwaves – have come out with a number of models of standalone DRM receivers. Cambridge Consultants have just unveiled the prototype of a low-cost DRM receiver, which uses parts costing about Rs 700 only.

From the successful implementation of digital radio in many parts of the world, several determining factors play their role in building demand for digital radios. The principal challenge lies in making commercial digital receivers available in significant volumes.Consumers need to be initially made aware that exciting new services are on-air, and then be told how they can receive them. As depicted in the diagram below, this is always a dilemma which can be successfully tackled through the involvement of all the stakeholders.

As regards affordable prices for standalone DRM receivers, initially the market price is bound to be high as the demand is low and manufacturers also want to recover some of their significant R&D investment. The prices will certainly go down when demand picks up, as seen in the case of other electronic products like mobile phones, LCD TVs, etc.Recently, a few initiatives have been taken by Prasar Bharati (PB)/AIR to popularize the DRM digital services, and private broadcasters have also shown interest in going digital and also in using the AIR MW digital network.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the regulator also for the broadcasting sector, has already made recommendation that private FM broadcasters may be allowed to broadcast in digital. As the DRM standard works in all the broadcast bands, most of the DRM desktop receivers available today or in development are already prepared for DRM in the FM band.Several of them have demonstrated their working in all the broadcast bands, including FM band. The designers/manufacturers of DRM receivers are thus eagerly waiting for the official policy announcements to finalize the digital FM support in their DRM receiver models. Use of DRM in FM band by AIR and private broadcasters in India would motivate them further to incorporate DRM FM facility in the receivers being produced/designed by them.

DRM standard can be supported natively on all mobile phones, based on the already available tuners for analogue FM reception. No additional hardware and, therefore, no additional design or component cost is required to enable DRM digital FM support on those phones. The DRM App for mobile phones has already been developed and demonstrated by a number of organizations including Fraunhofer IIS and Inntot Technologies.

Only the mobile phone manufacturers need to provide access of the base band digital output. The mobile phone industry is also expecting a clear policy announcement for the country to start incorporating this functionality in future phone models. For legacy phone models, external FM front-end dongles have been developed. These dongles along with the already-developed DRM radio app can be used to receive full DRM FM functions. This has been demonstrated successfully by a number of developers.

The DRM Consortium has been organizing events, workshops, and open houses on DRM. A stakeholders’ group has also been constituted which has met five times. From the deliberations, the following suggestions have emerged to popularize DRM digital services by AIR so that manufacturers and distributors are ready with the DRM receivers and radio listeners see the benefit in investing in a digital radio receiver.

Involvement of all stakeholders. The I&B ministry, PB, AIR and private broadcasters, TRAI, and retailers – should be on-board and involved; and there should be close cooperation and coordination among stakeholders, one for each major launch task.

Full digital services. DRM digital radio enables to broadcast up to three audio services, along with Journaline multimedia service and other value-added services, from a single digital transmitter.

Audio services. Provide variety of audio services, preferably which are otherwise not available. One of the audio channels can be used as sports channel as the same does not exist on radio. Time to private FM broadcasters can be allowed on AIR MW digital network.Text services. Provide text information, such as, transmission schedule, station details, station’s logo, who’s who at a station, how to advertise on the station, etc., in multiple Indian languages.Emergency warnings. Consider carrying emergency warnings, which DRM digital radio is capable of and has been tested by AIR in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Communicate clear and consistent information to public. Inform radio listeners about the services and the areas in which these will be available by sharing coverage maps for the digital services of each transmitter. The expected number of people, who would be able to receive DRM digital services from every DRM transmitter, also may be provided so that standalone receiver manufacturers and retailers can plan for manufacturing/storing DRM receivers and car manufacturers/retailers can plan their marketing strategy.Announce launch date of pure digital DRM services for public market launch only after all technical preparations have been done, content is ready, and receivers are available.Increase the time of pure digital transmissions with gradual switch-off of analogue transmissions.

Digitize FM band, too, by using DRM standard.

The deployment of DRM in the MW/SW bands by AIR has been completed on technical level. By its roll-out considering the above suggestions and extension to the FM band, India will be in a unique position to lead the global roll-out of a new technology.This is why the Indian receiver and chipset industry has invested hugely in DRM technology, and is in a worldwide leading position today to fulfill the mission Make in India of the Prime Minister, looking toward meeting the huge domestic demand and ready for massive exports.

Source:-https://www.broadcastandcablesat.co.in/services/digital-radio-services-by-air-popularization/

Major announcements from AIR and Indian receiver/automotive manufacturers, moving to joint launch of DRM digital radio services to the public

On Wednesday 12th February, the Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharati organised a DRMStakeholders’ meeting in New Delhi. CEO Prasar Bharati and Member Finance of Prasar Bharati board were present during the meeting, along with a number of senior officers of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (public TV) and members of the DRM Consortium supporting the event. Over 100 participants took stock of the great progress made in the DRM roll out and made some suggestions which can help and shape the plans for 2020.

All India Radio informed that out of the 35 DRM transmitters in the AM band, 4 are now working in pure DRM digital mode, and the remaining sites have extended the pure DRM hours of transmission. The content broadcast is also more varied as the DRM transmissions include now: the news channel “News on Air”, popular and entertainment music, the recently introduced cricket live commentary and the popular programme Maan Ki Baat” through which the Indian PM addresses millions of the citizens.

In turn, representatives of the chipset, receivers and car manufacturers praised the progress made so far but asked for more communication from the broadcaster, for more unique and compelling content and a stronger link to the receiver industry as well as the whole chain of distributors and retailers. They also asked for the extension of the use of DRM to the FM band.They stressed the importance of a framework necessary for bringing DRM to the public, now the infrastructure is in place, with clear milestones and a clear launch of the DRM to the Indian listeners. Closing the loop and bringing together all stakeholders was considered essential.

One of the highlights of the event was the number of receivers shown (Gospell, Starwaves, Avion, RF2digital etc.) and present on the stage of the Prasar Bharati auditorium were a reminder of what has been achieved and what needs to happen next. The receiver manufacturers stressed that with serious orders placed soon, the standalone receivers can reach significant high numbers at competitive low prices. India has already made remarkable progress in digital radio by registering over two million new cars with line-fit DRM receivers in a little over two years.

At this event AIR made some concrete proposals and announcements like: the conversion of six more high power MW transmitters to DRM, the increase of pure DRM transmission times. AIR also mentioned the possibility of sharing airtime with private broadcasters and enabling the emergency warning feature in DRM in conjunction with the relevant Indian disaster national agency. AIR also announced that is planning to develop a multi-platform publicity campaign to be launched soon. 

As mentioned by the Prasar Bharathi CEO, such meetings and discussions, like the stakeholders’ meeting this week, need to happen even more often in order to help realise the potential of DRM for the benefit of the Indian nation.

Ruxandra Obreja, the DRM Chairman, congratulated AIR on their progress so far and said that “with communication, cooperation and confidence, AIR, with the support of the various committed stakeholders in India, some of which are Consortium members, can get to the launch date of the DRM benefits to the Indian population. DRM is already in India in AM and the extension to FM, thus using the full, open DRM standard would create the largest digital market in the world.”

DRM at Broadcast Engineering Society of India Conference 2020

Digital Radio Mondiale™ (DRM) Endorses the International Broadcast Engineering Society of India (BES) Conference and Exhibition in New Delhi where it exhibits and updates

The DRM Consortium will highlight its recent achievements under the overarching theme "DRM for India - Smart Radio for ALL" at the 26th edition of the international BES (Broadcast Engineering Society – www.besindia.co.in) conference and exhibition BES EXPO 2020 on Broadcast and Media Technology in Halls 7ABC and E, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi 110002, India, 13-15 February 2020. With more than 1,000 delegates, speakers and panellists from India and abroad BES Conference is rated the biggest in Asia. Nearly 300 exhibitors from 25 countries and an estimated 4,000 professionals and decision-makers are expected at BES 2020 "Disruptive Technologies: Shaping Future Broadcasting".

The DRM Consortium (www.drm.org) and some of its Indian and international members and partners (including Fraunhofer IIS, Gospell Digital Technologies, Inntot Technologies, NXP, RFmondial, Dolby etc.) will welcome all visitors at Hall 7A – Booths 61 and 49, ready to let visitors experience live DRM digital broadcasting. Major innovations in providing superefficient DRM for FM broadcasts as well as some receiver solutions will be also introduced. The DRM Digital FM solution for the Indian FM broadcasters is fully compatible with both the existing analogue FM services as well as with AIR's existing DRM AM-band transmissions in India. For the first time at BES, Nautel, one of the key Consortium members, will host a DRM event followed by refreshments at booth 50 on February 13th at 1600. This will also be the ideal opportunity to announce the winner of the DRM Enterprise Award 2019.

The BES conference held in parallel with the exhibition will include four DRM contributions. They will focus onthe increased opportunities for enhancing the radio business with DRM, as well as very efficient ways of sharing the DRM transmitter infrastructure. Following the success of last year's panel discussion, in 2020 Indian and foreign speakers will debate the key requirements of a successful and complete DRM rollout.

According to Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Consortium Chairman: "A year is a long time with plenty of innovations and progress for DRM in India. BES is the ideal place to showcase the receiver development, the technical solutions, especially those underlining the local coverage capability of DRM. Taking stock of progress in the Indian DRM rollout and debating the way forward, DRM will demonstrate its superiority and extra performance in all bands. Using the full DRM standard in both AM and FM is the only way to energise the receiver industry and make it attractive to the Indian listeners."

Allow DRM for Digitizing the AM Band

The FCC recently adopted a Notice of Proposed Rule making that recommends giving AM stations in the United States the flexibility to adopt all-digital broadcasting voluntarily, based in part on the experimental experience of Hubbard station WWFD in Frederick, Md. The commission then asked for comments; one of the first was filed by Digital Radio Mondiale

There are several reasons for this. DRM digital radio delivers, in the AM bands, significant benefits:

• Audio quality that is on par or better than FM. DRM, of all recognized digital standards, is the only one using the ultra-efficient and compressed xHE-AAC audio codec that delivers, at even very low bit rates, exceptional audio quality for speech, but music as well

• Record Data: DRM has been tested in medium-wave all over the world in both simulcast and pure digital. A list of the main tests (some of which have become ITU adopted documents) are included in Annex 4 of the DRM Handbook . At the moment, 35 MW transmitters are on air in simulcast or pure DRM in India .

• Auxiliary Data. DRM is the newest, most complete, open standard for digitizing radio in all frequency bands, and is recommended by ITU. DRM has been devised as a direct heir to analog AM (SW, MW). It uses 9/10, 18/20 kHz bandwidth and has a useful content bit rate of up to 72 kbps. It carries up to three programs on one frequency and one data channel, while data can be carried on each of the audio channels as well. One of the great advantages of DRM is that alongside excellent audio, the receiver screens will display visual information of any kind required (album titles, singer photos, maps, visuals of any sort, data of any kind). The Journaline application allows for extra information from the internet or the RSS feeds of the broadcaster to be captured and displayed. Currently broadcasters like the BBC, All India Radio [and] KTWR in Guam are using this extra facility that clearly differentiates digital [from] analog as a superior option.

• Power/energy efficiency. Using SW or MW in DRM can reduce the power used up to 80%. As per calculations made by Ampegon, a medium-wave transmitter can cover an area of 235,000 square kilometers with a 100 kW transmitter. The DRM ERP of such a transmitter is about 50 kW and the coverage area is the same, while instead of one analog program, up to three digital channels and one data channel can be broadcast, all in excellent audio quality.

• Spectrum efficiency (more programs can be broadcast on one single frequency used for one program in analog) as explained above.

DRM, unlike analog, offers enhanced and stable audio quality that is FM-like (mono or stereo). DRM also offers multiservice data enabled by applications like Journaline (the enhanced text services, more information captured as RSS feeds or from other internet source), slideshows, multilingual text (practically being able to show any characters of any language, not just Latin script), and the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) in case of disasters.

• Interference. This has not been noted, as the DRM signal will always be lower than the analog one. AIR has not noted any interference in its operation of DRM transmitters. The mask values required for an optimal functioning of DRM transmitters [are] clearly stipulated in the ITU documents and as long as the network planning is correct and the mask is respected, there should not be any issue of interference in digital-analog or digital-digital DRM transmissions.

• Receivers. Currently there are several receiver models and SDR options for the reception of DRM in AM. India has almost 2 million new cars fitted with DRM receivers, at no cost to the buyers, that are capable of and are receiving DRM medium-wave signals. The audio quality is excellent and a sure benefit to the users.

DRM is in direct succession to the analog AM (and FM) services, not owned or controlled by any single company, and immediately available with full know-how and technology access by the transmitter and receiver industry.

As HD in medium-wave is a bit of a necessary step but still a leap in the dark, it would make sense from the practical aspects and even receiver solution availability to allow DRM as the best, clearly proven solution of digitizing the AM band (in preference or alongside HD) in the U.S.

In short, the salient advantages of DRM are:

The audio quality offered by DRM is equally excellent on all the transmission bands: MW, SW or VHF.Robust signal unaffected by noise, fading or other forms and interference in all bands Clear and powerful sound quality with facility for stereo and 5.1 surround more audio content and choice: Up to two and even three audio programs and one data channel on one frequency Extra multimedia content: Digital radio listeners can get multimedia content including audio, text, images and in future even small-scale video, such as:

a. Text messages in multiple languages

b. Journaline – advanced text-based information service supporting all classes of receivers, providing anytime-news for quick look-up on the receiver’s screen; interactivity and geo-awareness allowing targeted advertising

c. Electronic Program Guide (EPG), showing what’s up now and next; search for programs and schedule recordings

d. Slideshow Program accompanying images and animation

e. Traffic information

6. Automatically switch for disaster & emergency warnings in case of impending disasters in large areas, automatically presenting the audio message, while providing detailed information on the screen in all relevant languages simultaneously. Great potential to become the surest and widest means of alerting the population to emergencies.

Therefore, we urge [the] FCC to take a wide view and consider all options including DRM, if AM is worth future-proofing in the USA.