There's a coming war in digital radio -- HD Radio vs. satellite radio. The question is, which will be the winner. I think the answer is none of the above. Why would I say this? Let's look at some pros and cons. First, satellite radio is national. You can lock onto your favorite channel and keep listening to it as you drive from LA to New York. That's a definite plus. On the other hand, HD Radio is terrerestrial broadcast radio and as such, is strictly local. Once you drive out of, say, LA, you won't be able to hear your favorite LA-based station until you drive back to within the station's range. Depending on your travel habits, that could be a real minus. However, there's a downside to national radio and that's the fact it cannot deliver local information or local programming. If you travel a lot between cities or even states, national radio can be a real boon. However, if most of your driving is within the same city, local HD Radio would make more sense especially if you like local news, weather, sports scores and talk radio. Satellite radio's second big advantage over terrestrial radio is that most channels are commercial free. However, HD Radio broadcasters have said that HD2 subchannels will also be commercial free for at least the first 18 months. What happens after these initial months is anyone's guess. On the other hand, in the long run, satellite radio may not be able to stay commercial free either. XM and Sirius continue to lose money even though they are adding subscribers and there may come a time when there just aren't that many people left who are willing to pay for satellite radio. In the meantime, most of the car audio system manufacturers who are incorporating HD Radio into their systems are also including provision for either Sirius or XM. I think this probably reflects the future of radio which is that you, the listener, get to choose. You can choose either HD Radio or satellite radio. Or you can choose both. So, the ultimate winner is ... you. |
