The world's first and the best pure automotive SDR solution for all digital radio standards.

The RF2Digital, the DRM consortium member and an automotive true SDR solutions provider, launches SDR solution “α-Infuser™” for all global digital radio standards on IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) system. The α-Infuser™ can support all existing digital radio standards such as DRM (for both AM and VHF bands), DAB /DAB+/DMB, CDR, ISDB-Tsb, HD radio, and even RDS as well.

As a true SDR solution, α-Infuser™ is the independent solution from a processor, architecture, tuner, physical interface. And it can be executed in multiple instances to provide enrich reception features or multi reception to the system and the user. α-Infuser™ can create a different digital standard tuner instance without any firmware loading, without any external decoder solution.

The key advantage for the listener from α-Infuser™ is the fastest Time-to-Audio and full scan time for the best user experience. It can provide the audio after tune nearly 30~40% faster than other chipset-based solutions. And it has also the best reception fading performance among all available solutions; therefore, the radio listener can have better user-experience with α-Infuser™.

Another key advantage for the OEM and Tier1 is that the α-Infuser™ has the most affordable price and it can be ported on various system H/W configuration easily. For example, even if there is only an RF tuner, SDR could provide digital radio solutions without any hardware decoder, without any H/W space. Therefore, it shall ensure that the shortest and least R&D time and effort, so it will provide the BOM cost and engineering cost advantages. As automotive-quality assured, α-Infuser™ is the MISRA C compliant solution with Automotive-SPICE based quality control.

William Kim, the director in RF2Digital, said that “Even if the automotive industry is conservative, many OEMs and Tier1s have begun prior research because they can flexibly respond to emerging markets such as India and Russia for DRM because of the performance and price advantages of SDR solutions. SDR also has great advantages in various multi-standard reception environments, making it a flexible solution for various radio network policies. The α-Infuser™ can therefore be the correct solution for these various markets”

RFmondial Launches Multiplexed DRM for FM Band

RFmondial has added a new member to its line of LV-series of DRM modulators and exciters with an advanced multiplexed DRM modulation designed specifically for the FM band.

This new DRM system allows for the parallel generation and transmission of up to six pure digital DRM channels, or in combined analog and digital “simulcast” mode, on one traditional analog FM channel or up to four DRM channels.

Stefan Galler, managing director of RFmondial, said the new DRM modulators give “the ability to freely mix and combine analog and multiple digital DRM signals, in adjacent channels, with individually varying power levels, supporting single frequency networks, allows broadcasters, network regulators and frequency planners a new dimension of possibilities for planning and operation of digital radio networks.”

Fraunhofer IIS ContentServer R7 digital radio head-end technology for DAB+ and DRM

Fraunhofer DRM ContentServer Multiplex Editor

Fraunhofer IIS introduces the latest major release of its professional ContentServer head-end technology for Digital Radio DAB+ and DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale): Version R7 of this flexible and highly reliable solution is now readily available in products from Fraunhofer’s OEM partners. The new DAB/DRM Content Server R7 enables broadcasters to put audio content and attractive data services on air with ease while benefiting from the latest standard upgrades and a range of new productivity features.

New features that come with the Fraunhofer DAB/DRM ContentServer R7 include, for instance, automatic Audio Loudness Normalization and Monitoring as well as additional IP-based Audio Streaming Source Interfaces.

The Content Server’s internal audio encoders now support loudness normalization that amplifies or attenuates the incoming audio to obtain and maintain the target loudness level specified in Loudness Units relative to Full Scale (LUFS). This feature is based on Fraunhofer Sonamic technology and is especially useful if the loudness of all audio services within the generated multiplex should be the same or if an audio source provides audio at varying loudness levels.

Additional input interfaces for IP-based audio sources now comprise Livewire/Ravenna /AES-67-based raw audio streams as well as consumer-type Icecast/SHOUTcast streams. The Content Server can also serve as an end point for RTP-based audio bridges to accept uncompressed or compressed (e.g. AAC) audio streams without the need for external devices. Audio level monitoring, audio source remote listening through HTML5 browsers and silence/clipping detection are supported, while powerful concealment strategies minimize the impact of packet losses on the contribution network.

In addition, the Content Server R7 includes the following new functionalities:

• Interactive graphical system status overview: shows the status of all system components in a schematic graphic overview, with direct links to the relevant documentation, logging and editor pages.

• EWF with CAP import: EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality) is the early warning dissemination mechanism for both DAB and DRM. It consists of alarm signaling plus an emergency program broadcast composed of an audio announcement and multi-lingual Journaline text. The standardized Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) or its derivatives (such as MoWaS in Germany) are used to distribute emergency warnings from a central authority to the broadcasters. The ContentServer R7 now has a native CAP import interface and automatically creates the EWF alarm announcements and EWF program content for DAB/DRM transmissions.

• JSON/XML RPC management and data interfaces: remote procedure calls (RPC) based on JSON (JavaScript object notation)/XML (extensible markup language) enable modern configuration and monitoring, announcement and reconfiguration triggers, linkage set activations as well as instant provision of content updates such as Dynamic Label/Text Messages, Journaline text pages and Slideshow images to the ContentServer.

• Audio Cross-Redundancy: Deploying a new Smart Silence Detection technology, it ensures perfectly valid multiplex outputs from all ContentServers of a redundancy group even if a live audio input source fails. This new feature enhances the existing Backup Audio Encoding functionality, which allows to define backup audio sources such as pre-uploaded file sets to serve as a ‘last resort’ in case of fully failing audio live inputs.

• EDI Switch for DAB: this built-in feature ensures that all peers in a ContentServer redundancy group output the identical multiplex data stream to downstream devices via EDI (the IP-based distribution protocol from DAB multiplexers to DAB modulators/transmitters).

• Localized multiplex output: allows multiple small-scale DAB multiplexes to be generated by a single ContentServer to enable low-cost DAB setups, for example.

• Automatic creation of playlists as Journaline pages: the list of recently played songs is derived from the Dynamic Label Plus information and accessible to the listener through Journaline.

• DAB V2.1.1 compliance: full support of DAB(+) versions V1.4.1 and V2.1.1 including OE (other ensembles) announcements, test (OE) alarm announcements and service component information (SCI). Correspondingly, Fraunhofer’s SDR based DAB receiver solutions are now also DAB 2.1.1 compliant.

• Stream monitoring: powerful tools to analyze and monitor incoming audio and Distribution and Communication Protocol (DCP)-based streams

Fraunhofer’s Content Server technology combines internal audio coding (including MPEG xHE-AAC audio coding for DRM, enabling the definition of backup audio sources), support for remote audio encoders, multimedia data management and multiplex generation with powerful redundancy features that work across remote sites. A convenient and user-friendly web interface supports configuration and system monitoring via remote access, enabling content-as-a-service operation scenarios. Its flexible configuration and out-of-the-box support for a large number of versatile interfaces for audio and content provision allows for straightforward integration into broadcasters’ and network providers’ broadcasting environments – from small-scale community stations all the way to large-scale and complex national networks.

The Content Server supports all standardized DAB+ and DRM data applications such as Text Messages/Dynamic Label and Dynamic Label Plus (DL+), Journaline, Slideshow, SPI/EPG including station logo transmission, and EWF. In addition, it is possible to insert proprietary data at various levels of the DAB/DRM protocol stack. All uploaded data is checked and broadcast only if successfully verified.

Software-Defined Radio with Android Smartphones

Software-defined radio (SDR) is one of the most important wireless communication technologies. It is a unique type of radio system that can tune to any frequency band. The SDR platform is generic, that is, one platform supports various signals of different frequencies.

Earlier, SDR hardware was designed only to support high-end computer systems and desktop computers. However, with recent advancements in smartphone technology and availability of affordable smartphones, developers have started working on SDR support for mobile phones.

RTL-SDR dongles can easily perform the function of an SDR receiver using an Android smartphone with on-the-go (OTG) support. Fig. 1 shows an RTL-SDR dongle connected to an Android smartphone.

RTL-SDR dongles provide the functionality to receive a signal in the 25MHz-1.75GHz frequency range. The system/radio receiver designed using an RTL-SDR dongle can also be used to study digital communications by electronics and communications engineering students.

An RTL-SDR dongle is mainly a DVB-T/DVB-T2 signal receiver dongle to view terrestrial TV channels. But developers realised that the RTL2832U chip present in these dongles can also be used as SDR hardware. The dongle is set in test mode and acts as an SDR receiver. DVB-T and DVB-T2 dongles are shown in Fig. 2.

The antenna provided with the dongle (see Fig. 3) is suitable for signal reception. It comes with a magnetic base, so it can be mounted on a metallic surface.

You can use any of the two USB dongles (shown in Fig. 2) for SDR applications. The setup for an Android smartphone based SDR system with only signal reception capability is explained in the following sections.

The SDR system and Android smartphone can be used to perform the following functions:

1. The SDR dongle can make Android tablet/phone compatible for FM signal reception and listening to FM broadcasts, which is helpful for devices without FM option.

2. The SDR implemented using Android smartphone and RTL-SDR can receive FM broadcast channels.

3. The amplitude modulation (AM) signal can be demodulated using the setup between the supported frequency ranges.

4. The SDR system can be used to get Radio Data System (RDS) values of FM broadcast signals.

5. The FM signal spectrum can be viewed using the Android app.

6. Troubleshooting guide is provided in the SDRTouch app for using the Android SDR system.

Read more at:-https://electronicsforu.com/electronics-projects/software-defined-radio-with-android-smartphones

Fraunhofer DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer

Providing the full potential of digital radio on smartphones, tablets and PCs via radio app

Exploiting the full potential of digital radio on smartphones, tablets or PC receivers is possible with the Fraunhofer DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer radio app. The radio app fully supports the digital radio standards Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) and DIGITALRADIO DAB+.

Along with providing radio programs in stereo and 5.1 surround sound, the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer radio app offers a wealth of added-value features, including the parallel transmission of album covers, text messages, weather forecasts and sports results, all of which are displayed directly onto the player. As these features are transmitted together with the digital radio programs they are available without internet connection and free of cost.

Moreover, connecting the player with additional media sources – eg. internet, telephone or navigation facilities – paves the way for the easy and intuitive operation of hybrid applications. For example, Deutschlandradio’s Journaline service has already finessed this concept by enabling its users to access online podcasts and providing studio contact details with just one click.

The transition between information stemming from the internet and information coming via broadcast is seamless. Both data streams come together on the MultimediaPlayer which enables the user to simply choose the desired information without having to locate its origin beforehand.

Digital Radio Mondiale to launch new module at debut MBT Hungary Conference

A new DRM module (W102) with integrated hard coded baseband decoder will be launched at MBT by Starwaves. The module will be suitable for applications such as consumer radios or aftermarket automotive solutions. The module contains a high-quality tuner frontend and audio DAC as well as a digital input for external audio sources e.g. from an external MCU to provide Bluetooth or USB audio. It measures only 40x40mm and covers all bands from LW, MW, SW to the FM Band (64-108 MHz) in DRM and analogue radio. All data services such as Journaline or MOT Slide Shows can be extracted from the data stream for further processing in the target device. The module can be ordered and will be available in the third quarter of 2019.

Read more at:- http://www.radioandmusic.com/biz/radio/international-radio/190521-digital-radio-mondiale-launch-new-module

Technology Updates for DRM

New digital radio chip targets smart devices and global markets Chorus 4 a single-chip solution, integrating four previously separate chips Frontier Silicon announces details of Chorus 4, its next generation digital radio chip. Chorus 4 is a single-chip solution, which integrates four previously separate chips to deliver significant cost and energy consumption savings.Chorus 4 is the fourth generation chip from Frontier Silicon. The chip is designed to encourage the continued advance of digital radio around the world by supporting all major global digital radio standards.Chorus 4 provides solutions for multiple devices, including consumer radios, the automotive aftermarket and, for the first time, smartphones and tablets.The company’s previous solutions have already powered over 20 million digital radios worldwide.

The key features and benefits of Chorus 4 are:

• Low cost, single chip solution: integration of RF front-end, baseband, application processor and DAC (“four chips in one”) delivers significant cost savings which enable high quality, entry-level price point digital radios
• Ultra-low power consumption - one month’s listening for 5-6 hours a day on a portable radio with four D cell batteries (comparable to FM performance)
• Multiple solutions for portable and table-top radios, smart-device docks, wireless speakers, hand-held receivers, sound-bars and audio systems
• Automotive aftermarket - solutions for head units, integrated convertors and low cost adapters
• Smart devices - enables digital radio solutions for mobile phones and tablets
• Bluetooth connectivity - connecting smart devices and digital radios to enable hybrid radio (with interactivity and additional content delivered via IP), music streaming and remote control
• Integrated service guides - new software will enable listeners to select stations from a single list of digital and analogue stations regardless of platform

Multiple radio standards - including support for AM, FM, DAB, DAB+, HD Radio and DRM

Digital Tick compliant - Chorus 4 solutions meet all technology requirements of the UK minimum specifications for both domestic and automotive digital radio devices.

Read More:- http://www.frontier-silicon.com/new-digital-radio-chip-targets-smart-devices-and-global-markets#.U6lkzZQ70aI

A Streamlined Approach to DRM Receiver Design An Article

Software Defined Radio (SDR) turns the hardwired, task-specific and very elaborate chip development of the past into a flexible software-based design running on a generic, efficient and mass-produced hardware platform. It is not a new concept, but it is becoming a reality in more and more technical systems. Digital radio receivers are one major example for SDR technology, because modern processor platforms offer enough computing power to build almost the complete radio functionality in software.

ADVANTAGES

This approach offers great advantages for both the radio architecture itself and the companies developing and using the radio receiver technologies. The software development becomes widely decoupled of the hardware development. The selection of software vendors is independent of the providers of the underlying hardware platform.

In some cases, it makes sense to optimize the software for processor families to reduce the overall system power and extend battery lifetime. Still, the well-tested and field-proven software that encapsulates all digital radio functionality can easily be ported to the next generation of hardware. Existing products can be enhanced to support future functional upgrades or even completely new radio standards.

Especially in the production chain of car radio systems, the selection of the final software components, which are typically dependent on the target market and required feature set, can be carried out at the end of the production line. This prevents the time-consuming need to swap hardware components, or the costs involved with provisioning multiple hardware options. Even after the shipment of a car to the customer, the radio system can be upgraded with latest features over the vehicle’s extensive lifetime.

In consumer radios, the SDR technology offers the possibility to implement multiple radio standards on the same hardware. This allows for a low-cost hardware production on a mass scale, even if the devices need to support different radio standards in different markets. Likewise, the addition of DRM functionality to existing hardware platforms has proven that the extra effort — and thus cost to support DRM on those products — is drastically reduced compared with new developments from scratch.

In the current world of mobile phones, analog FM reception is a feature in several markets. It grants users access to latest information without the need for expensive data plans or mobile network coverage typically only found in big cities.

AN APPLICATION

This is particularly true for emerging markets in Asia, Africa and South America, which are of high interest to the industry due to their growth potential. For those markets, the addition of DRM reception in the FM band can easily be designed into upcoming phones as no hardware changes are required. Even DRM networks for large-area coverage in the AM bands are supported through USB plugins.

A screenshot of the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer radio app under Android, combining baseband decoding for DRM (AM and VHF bands), DAB(+), and analog AM and FM with a full-featured service layer decoder. 

Thanks to DRM’s SDR approach, digital radio reception effectively becomes an application — but one that is independent of IP traffic and mobile network infrastructure. This presents a major USP to mobile phone manufacturers, for whom it has become increasingly difficult to compete on other relevant features due to the uniformly deployed Android platform.

In future, customers will quickly demand DRM digital radio support when selecting new phones the same way they demand analog FM support today. This is thanks to DRM’s free-to-air services with all their added-value features, such as Journaline advanced text services, EWF Emergency Warning Functionality, and increased diversity of program offerings at a significantly improved quality.

[Read: Can Digital Save Medium Wave?]

Finally, professional equipment, such as monitoring receivers, measurement systems or head-ends for in-house radio distribution, benefit greatly from SDR implementations, as they can constantly be upgraded to follow the latest standard upgrades and continuous feature enhancements.

In summary, the SDR approach for digital radio reception helps bring down cost and at the same time speeds up the development of versatile and feature-rich radio receivers. Its benefits apply to all classes of receivers — from professional equipment to low-cost kitchen radios and mobile solutions. It enables manufacturers with flexibility and constantly growing maturity, which is hard to achieve with a traditional, hardware-centric radio architecture. The SDR approach is a key component for the availability of affordable and complete DRM radio sets and receiver solutions.

BY ALEXANDER ZINK AND MARTIN SPEITEL

Status Of Digital Radio Broadcasting In India.

All India Radio (AIR) has adopted the international DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) standard for digital terrestrial radio transmissions in the MW and SW bands. DRM allows for multiple FM-like radio services plus associated data such as multi-lingual news articles to be carried in place of or as an extension to the former analog radio services, while maintaining the large-area service coverage of the AM band. 35 MW transmitters of AIR, of power ranging from 20 kW to 1000 kW, continue to operate in DRM – 2 of these in pure DRM and 33 in simulcast. Twenty five of these are working in pure DRM daily for one hour. Two SW transmitters are also carrying services on DRM. Two more transmitters, 100 kW each, are under trial in Delhi and these are expected to be operational in a couple of months. In June (5 and 6) AIR in Delhi has tested the newly installed 100 kW SW transmitter in DRM. The schedule was: 0400-0630 UTC (0930-1200 IST) on 9950 kHz beamed to South India (Pure DRM, Channel A – Urdu Service, Channel B FM Rainbow).In a recent tweet AIR welcomed the fact that organization has begun to appear in the media with good news about the reduction in the receiver cost apart from the portrayal of the astounding features of the technology.

Cars with built-in DRM digital radio reception 

One of the welcome features of the current roll-out of DRM in India has been the early and overwhelming commitment of the car industry, which is already equipping new car models with default DRM radio sets at no extra cost. Keeping pace with the digital radio developments, the car receiver industry in India has invested lakhs of rupees in the domestic development of DRM digital radio capable receivers and chipsets. It is pleasing to see that the roll-out of DRM equipped cars is growing rapidly with each month.By the end of 2017, this number was estimated to be about 5 lakh cars, while as of the beginning of May 2018 the volume has already surpassed 8 lakh.Hyundai has built-in DRM radios in all its models except one. They launched two models in May 2018 with a built-in DRM receiver. One is called Creta and the other popular brand is i20 Active.Maruti Suzuki has also incorporated DRM receivers in six models (three of them are shown in the picture) and all their models are expected to have built-in DRM receivers by the end of December 2018.Mahindra has also installed DRM in its TUV model. 

Most of the leading car manufacturers in India have either already incorporated DRM receivers in their cars or are in the process of incorporating them. The increase has been spectacular in comparison with similar digital radio rollouts in other established markets in the world. Indian listeners have already benefitted from the domestic car industry’s joint effort to provide the in-car DRM functionality as a line-fit option for new models without charging the consumers any extra cost. In comparison, other digital radio markets around the world have taken decades to reach this level of commitment by the automotive industry, which for the most part expect car buyers to pay extra if they want to enjoy digital radio.Radio consumption in India is driven by listening in cars, which explains the paramount importance of the early-on commitment of the Indian automotive industry to DRM for the ongoing success of India’s digital roll-out program. 

Standalone DRM radio receivers 

In the domain of standalone DRM radio receivers for consumers there has been an increased activity especially in the past 12 months.Communications Systems Inc. (www.avionelectronics.in) is the first radio manufacturer in India to domestically develop and produce a DRM receiver (AV-1401), an ambitious full-featured digital radio. It offers a color screen display, stereo speakers, built-in chargeable battery with 10-hour capacity on full charge, external power source connection, detachable remote control, recording and playback from an external source, and a full-fledged media player for all types of digital content. In terms of digital radio reception, it supports all the DRM-specific features including Journaline advanced text and Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF). As part of the company’s continued commitment to DRM in India, the model was recently updated and easily meets DRM’s minimum receiver requirements as recommended by the DRM Consortium. Enhancements through the newly improved model include superior sensitivity, enhanced support for EWF with provision to switch on the receiver automatically on EWF alarms, even from deep-standby, and a bigger and improved LCD screen. The upgraded unit can receive AIR DRM signals of both the transmitters in Delhi in very good quality even inside buildings. The company is in the process of supplying AIR and has received orders for export to Australia, too. 

Several additional Indian companies are also in the process of designing/developing DRM receivers. 

Inntot Technologies (www.inntot.com), a young start-up enterprise in India, which has already won the CII Industrial Innovation Award 2017 and several other awards, has developed a software-based DRM receiver, which is based on a generic processor. It also meets all the specifications for the minimum receiver requirements, supporting all DRM core functionality such as Journaline advanced text and EWF. The design has been field tested in a number of cities in India. It is expected to be very cost-effective.Recently it was announced that the Software Defined Radio (SDR) startup Inntot Technologies has raised about `3.3 crore (USD 0.5 million) in its seed round from early-stage venture capital firm Unicorn India Ventures for developing DRM receiver solutions and other digital radio products. “The USP of our solution is that it runs on generic hardware thus making it an affordable solution for the OEMs. We are also exploring the mobile phone segment to use our SDR solution for radio reception,” declared Rajith Nair, cofounder, Inntot, to the Economic Times of India. The company is open to collaboration for its projects and for the manufacturing of their solutions. While the first models included solutions for DRM in AM, provision for DRM in the FM band is also planned to be incorporated in the unit soon. 

GeekSynergy (www.geeksynergy.com) another start-up company in India, which has been given awards by the President of India and the Karnataka Government, is working on the development of a highly affordable yet full-featured DRM receiver, which is likely to be showcased by summer 2018. The company is also working on incorporating DRM into smartphones using one of the most well-known chips installed in all the branded mobile phones. 

Gospell Digital Technology Co. Ltd. (www.gospell.com) located in China has presented a very well-reviewed DRM Receiver, GR216, which is already in production. These units can receive DRM signals in the AM as well as the VHF bands for large-area and local services, respectively. Core DRM features such as Journaline advanced text and EWF – with automatic device-wake-up from deep-standby are supported. The company is likely to market their units on Amazon and also receives separate orders. The model has obtained CE certification for international distribution including to Europe. In addition, Gospell is developing a DRM receiver dongle, GR-227, which can be plugged in the existing audio systems in the automobiles on USB ports or Aux input to receive DRM signals. This was highlighted in his tweet feed even by the AIR CEO in June 2018. The receiver model will allow legacy cars already on the road and with analog AM and FM reception to be upgraded to DRM digital reception through this simple add-on device. The unit is likely to go into production shortly. 

Titus SDR (www.titusradio.com), a Panamanian-based company, has developed a multi-standard and software-based digital radio receiver, supporting DRM in all bands (LW, MW, SW, VHF bands I, II, III), FM analog including RDS and AM analog including AMSS. The full feature set of DRM functionality is supported by this device, including Journaline advanced text with full Unicode multi-script support, slideshow images, EWF, transparent file transmissions (e.g., for educational services, when combined with the power of the full integrated Android based tablet), EPG/SPI, and service logo download. In addition, the model features a wi-fi hotspot feature, which allows all wi-fi enabled mobile devices to connect to the Titus and receive all the DRM services including audio streaming and Journaline using their standard web browser. The Titus receiver was showcased at the IBC Exhibition in Amsterdam, at HFCC meetings, and at the recent DRM General Assembly 2018 in Palma de Mallorca. The company is offering an innovative OEM model for production in interested markets using local expertise and manpower – another excellent open solution ideal for joint ventures. 

AIR in phase-II of the DRM roll-out 

A lot has been achieved in India recently and the stage is well set for rolling out fully-fledged digital broadcast services on the terrestrial network in India. AIR has the opportunity now to explore the full potential of DRM digital broadcasts so that radio listeners see the benefits of acquiring and using digital radio desktop receivers and cars with line-fit DRM radios. So far, the national DRM roll-out project by AIR was focusing on establishing the transmitter network all over the country (which was successfully concluded). It is the time now to concentrate on optimizing the DRM coverage and service quality, while also finalizing the content offerings with additional audio services and the innovative advanced DRM features such as Journaline advanced text. Those enhanced DRM services with greatly improved coverage and audio quality along with Journaline and service logo transmissions have already been placed on-air in Delhi and Bangalore and are scheduled to be on-air within the next weeks in Pune and Chennai. Step-by-step the remaining DRM transmissions all over the country will then may be upgraded to the full DRM experience. AIR in Bangalore has added on its website (www.airbengaluru.com) a dedicated section called Listen Live. DRM features there prominently under the heading: DRM Digital Radio Bengaluru. Both best known AIR programs, Vividh Bharati and AIR Gold FM, can be accessed and listened to. In addition, Journaline advanced text is also accessible on that site. The AIR Bengaluru site can be accessed easily on any type of device, including smartphones.Here is an example of the AIR Bengaluru on-air monitoring service, with current DRM programs and the AIR Journaline Service text content (including latest AIR news on various topics, EPG program information and schedule, DRM updates, and AIR contact and background information).This ongoing activity by AIR to upgrade their service offerings to the full DRM experience should be on the agenda and closely accompanied by the interested stakeholders who meet regularly. At their latest meeting at the end of May several ideas and suggestions were made or reiterated for making AIR a digital radio pioneer like: 

1)Provide popular programs in excellent digital audio quality 

2)Provide innovative and relevant multi-lingual text services through Journaline 

3)Provide traffic information, EWF, logo transmissions, etc. 

Take private FM broadcasters on board on AIR’s DRM national network in the MW band and provide them with either time slots or with one exclusive channel (out of the up to three channels are now available in pure DRM from one transmitter). Since AIR DRM transmitters can cover an area of over 60 percent of the country when operated in pure DRM, listeners in these areas would be able to receive programs of private broadcasters too, which so far have not been available on FM with its limited coverage area. Listeners in these areas would therefore be motivated to buy DRM receivers. This would create a quick popularity of DRM services, as seen in the case of the introduction of FM India. All this needs an extensive public awareness campaign including demonstrations of digital services in community centers, railway stations, airports, and other public places 

Programs on the DRM digital radio platform are already bringing new content to many areas in India, in which they could previously not be received over any radio platform (neither AM nor FM). AIR should identify these areas and start a public awareness campaign in these specific areas 

AIR should start DRM digital services on the two 100 kW SW transmitters under installation/testing in Delhi. One was tested recently proving the commitment of AIR to fulfill the assurance made by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the Indian Parliament and mentioned in the report of the ministry for 2017 under Major Achievement of the Ministry that two new shortwave solid-state digital transmitters of 100 kW to broadcast to the border for Afghanistan–Pakistan region 

As already mentioned, stakeholders are encouraging the government to consider giving incentives to the private broadcasters to start DRM services and to the domestic DRM receiver manufacturers so that standalone DRM receivers are available in ever increasing numbers at affordable prices 

As the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already made its recommendation on the digitization of the VHF band II (FM), the major Indian stakeholders are expecting the government to frame a policy for digitization of the VHF band and announce it urgently so that there is no uncertainty or confusion among major stakeholders and that the full ecosystem for digital broadcasts can continue to be developed smoothly. 

With so much progress having been made in India, there is increasing pressure for the implementation by AIR of all the DRM features, and for the public announcement of a clear roadmap for introducing all the digital radio services (coverage and features) in India; the official public announcement is needed by all the broadcasters, the radio receiver industry, as well as by listeners 

Source and credit:- https:// www.broadcastandcablesat.co.in/services/status-of-digital-radio-broadcasting-in-india/