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  • From: grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: RTP-area local music and culture <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: New crackly radio station
  • Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 18:50:01 -0400

If nextel's cellular broadband is true 3-G, it's going to be more like 500kb/s with "bursts" up to 2MB/s. Which is still nothing to shake a stick at, to be sure. (Sprint is currently offering a 2.5-G service which hovers around 144kbps.)

It *will* be contingent on you being able to get a decent digital-cellular signal -- here's their coverage map, which is about as useless as any other coverage map: http://www.nextel.com/cgi-bin/localMarketMap.cgi?zip=27510

I'd like to encourage everyone to continue listening to over-the-air broadcast radio, at least until the nation's ISPs get together and implement something akin to true IP-multicast on their routers. If you're driving around listening to 128kbps internet radio on your cellular-broadband connection, the capacity of whatever cell tower you're connected to is going to max out with only maybe 100 folks doing the same thing, because currently big chunks of the Internet don't speak IP Multicast, meaning even if you're all listening to the same station, there are still gonna be 100 separate streams rather than one single stream that everybody taps into.

Just a few more years until FM broadcast goes digital, which means better audio quality in a narrower bandwidth, which should in theory either allow for more stations in any given market, or allow the existing stations to expand their coverage beyond current boundaries.

xo

Ross

Hoopla wrote:
I heard that Nextel already has rolled out WiFi in the Raleigh area
(don't know if CH/Cboro is included). After buying their card, it is
$80/mo from what I heard. Speeds are similar to those we have with
current Road Runner. A friend of mine's real estate agent has it and
loves it.

Hey, this thing can turn broadcast radio on its head as we know it, and
I won't be sobbing any tears. The ability to listen to Rochester's WBER
riding around in the car is simply a delicious prospect. It is already
worth it to tape hours of their programming and listen to it in the
car.

Unfortunately some group out their will cry that their rights are being
violated. The last big blow to internet radio was from the commercial
voice actors who wha-wha'd that their commercial was going out to not
just millions of listeners, but billions of listeners. Their
contracts/royalties are based on potential # of listeners.

Also on the unfortunate side, is that I haven't seen ANY effort by any
president or candidate to keep broadcast radio companies from screwing
up a potentially fun free market. No matter who wins this election,
ClearChannel's lawyers and others will try to keep us from listening to
good internet radio in our cars.



Jeffrey Herrick wrote:

FYI.. The Weaver Street/Carrboro/? kids are getting
their low-power FM station going. They transmit from
a light pole at scroggs (sp?) elementary at 103.5FM.
Right now there are broadcasting a 20 min loop that
can be heard sorta around CH/Carrboro. They are
interested in Volunteers and donations now. Saw Ruby
talking to them the other day.. should be
interesting..

http://www.communityradio.coop/

Speaking of recpetion.. has anyone heard about this
Nextell or some big company offering wireless
interenet throughout the triangle? I guess they are
using cell towers or something. I heard you pay
50bucks for the reciever (battery powered) and 50
bucks a month.. Any thoughts? as a xdu geek.... I
dream that you could put this in your car and stream
xdu. Probably doesn't work that well and Grady would
probably say it'll be much more efficient if/when xdu
broadcasts a digital signal.. which is suppose to work
better. This assumes anyone listens to radio when
that day comes.

See you at Durham musuc fest.. is the Durham Armory
serving beverages or is it BYOB or nothing..?

jefF



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