Digital Tips - 1 : Radio

It may seem strange to have an item about radio on a tv site. However, this site has an aim of clearing up any possible confusion. The analogue FM radio service will not be switched off next March. There has been some confusion about this. A short while ago the Government stipulated a target date of 2015 for switching off the FM radio service. This has now been withdrawn and there is no current expected date. The only certainty is that analogue FM will be switched off in the future, at some time, probably later rather than sooner.

It may be appropriate to point out that listening to analogue FM radio still means you are listening to digital radio. Between studio and transmitter the signal is digitised, at a slightly lower quality level than CD. It is returned to the analogue domain for transmission.

It may also be appropriate to say that when listening to the stereo sound of analogue tv (NICAM stereo) you are actually listening to digital audio. It is only the pictures which are analogue, unless you are watching an old pre-NICAM stereo tv where the sound is carried by the analogue mono transmission.

Watch out for future "Digital Tips" on this site.