Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes:
[]
- Good digital is better than FM
Hmm. This is like the old "Cd vs. vinyl" debate. I suspect that, if
the FM has adequate signal and is properly set up, digital can't be
_better_, but can equal; and, in _most_ circumstances, it _will_ be
better.
Nope. FM is limited to at best 16-17Khz because of the pilot tone.
S/N is at best about 70dB. Both those can be bettered with digital,
given adequate bit rates.

True, I'd forgotten about the pilot cutoff (and I don't think anyone
broadcasts mono any more).

(In the case of vinyl, the signal-to-noise combined with the
dynamic range probably _do_ give CD the edge.) In both cases (CD and
digital), the convenience and ease of setup of course work in favour
of the digital media, but I think the premise of this discussion is
sound quality.

The thing about digital is that you can always incerase sampling
frequency and/or number of bits to make sure that once digital, there
is both no more degradation with a decent error correcting channel, and
that such degaradation as the digitisation process introduces is
infinitesimal compared with the original recording noise and distortion.

Very true. I'd say I have mid-range ears, neither golden nor cloth, and
don't think I've ever heard _good_ digital where I could hear the
distortions; even NICAM I'm happy with (I used to notice the hiss on the
Newsnight theme music before they cut it down to three clings and a
clang in duration).
[]
I'm listening to radio 5 live sports extra right now on terrestrial TV
channel Its FULL of compression, other digital material at very low
bandwidth, and so on, but heck, its a lot better than AM ;-)

I suspect that part of that is that the AM transmitter network for it is
somewhat half-hearted, but you're probably right. (The compression, of
course, is not the fault of the digital medium.)
[]
FreeView radio channels: sound quality probably on a par or better,
convenience arguable.

For me now, its more convenient than anything else, thanks to a USB TV
adaptor. Brilliant. Have yet to wire it up to a decent set of speakers.

You must be one of those people whose PC is on all the time, and you
have one in every room - and can take it into the shower (-: [or out
jogging, with a gimbal-balanced aerial ...] Oh, you said _for you_, from
which I take out you don't jog. [I don't either (-;!]
[]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)[email protected]+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for ludicrously
outdated thoughts on PCs. **

"I hate the guys that criticize the enterprise of other guys whose enterprise
has made them rise above the guys who criticize!" (W9BRD, former editor of
"How's DX?" column in "QST")

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

On Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:53:56 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

It looks to me like its sent precompressed down to a satellite channel..;-)

You notice it when e.g. sky sports clips of cricket pop up in BBC news
24. Way lower quality.

That's because News 24 record Sky Sports off-air from a digibox. (And
then for some inexplicable reason subject the footage to a series of
unnecessary aspect ratio conversions - or at least they used to...)

Nonetheless neither of those things would explain an alleged poor
picture quality on Sky News itself.
--

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes:


For me now, its more convenient than anything else, thanks to a USB TV
adaptor. Brilliant. Have yet to wire it up to a decent set of speakers.

You must be one of those people whose PC is on all the time, and you
have one in every room - and can take it into the shower (-: [or out
jogging, with a gimbal-balanced aerial ...] Oh, you said _for you_, from
which I take out you don't jog. [I don't either (-;!]
[]

No, I don't need to do jogging. Dogs get at least a mile a day walk, and
doing gardening and D-I-Y is more than enough. Id cycle down the shops
if I could be arsed, but its uphill all the way back..

Computers are such work as there is, so always in front of one.

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
I'd cycle down the shops if I could be arsed, but its uphill all the way
back..

Can't you set off from somewhere else?

Bill

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
I'd cycle down the shops if I could be arsed, but its uphill all the way
back..

Can't you set off from somewhere else?
Bill

Routemasters were great for that, one hand on the bikes handlebars
and one on the buses grab handle

Steve Terry