Digital Radio
Blaupunkt once again proves to be an innovative supplier with DAB technology as a mobile multimedia system for flexible data transmission. With the Blaupunkt equipment, DAB is not only limited to digital radio programming; it can also transmit texts, data and moving images at the same time. It makes the information more striking: roadmaps with the traffic congestion marked as reported in traffic radio, a weather map along with the weather report, travel guides to the holiday destination, TV broadcasts and fax transmissions. Blaupunkt mobile DAB technology is designed to take full advantage of all the services offered.
There are two car radios already available today: a purely audio version and a model equipped with a screen and an integrated data decoder.
DAB, a multimedia system of the future
DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting. And just as the name says, it's all about radio programming on a digital basis that is expected to go into regular operation in Germany at the Berlin Audio and Video Show (IFA) in 1997. In Sweden experts predict that 45 % of the population will already be able to use DAB in 1996. In England a formal decision in favour of the introduction of this technology and the frequencies to be used has already been made. There, approximately 25 % of the popular was able to use DAB by the end of 1995. Other countries will soon follow.
Development work on DAB already began in 1985. At this time, the aim of the project was to replace analogue FM radio with digital radio long-term. The main focus of the work was to produce radio programming in CD quality.
Other advantages of DAB include:
interference-free reception in mobile applications, frequency-saving operation thanks to synchronous operation (the stations all use the same frequency), transmission power can be reduced by the factor of 10 to 100.
At Bosch/Blaupunkt we soon realised that a completely new system would not have a real chance of market acceptance unless it also offered, in addition to interference-free reception and CD quality as well as the currently available RDS features, considerable added value for the consumer.
"That's why we worked consistently at Bosch/Blaupunkt not only at pointing out the potential of DAB to accommodate these value-added services, but to actually implement them and demonstrate this to the important opinion-makers. Thanks to the efforts made by Bosch/Blaupunkt, DAB is no longer considered a just a medium for the transmission of digital radio, but rather as a system for flexible data transmission up to a bit rate of 1.7 Mbits/s (1.7 million bits per second). With this data rate, it is already possible to transmit not only audio programmes, but text, images and data at the same time as well. For the user, this means that he can look at a weather map while listening to the weather report and see a roadmap indicating the traffic congestion reported in the current traffic radio report. And it is even possible to transmit moving images in MPEG format and receive them interference-free in the vehicle in CDI quality. DAB is the first technology to make it possible to address a fax to one or as many recipients as you like and send it off in a matter of seconds. All that's needed is a PC with a DAB plug-in card and a fax programme. As far as Bosch/Blaupunkt is concerned, DAB is no longer merely digital radio, but rather a multimedia system that will find many applications in the home, in the car, in the train or in the office.
The completely new terminal equipment required for such different multimedia applications as electronic newspapers, current bus/train timetables, the reception of still images and TV programming will open up new markets and mark the future. In this respect, Bosch/Blaupunkt has assumed a leading role and has the right to speak on behalf of EUREKA and stage demonstration in order to promote the introduction of the DAB system throughout the world.
At the current time, field trials are taking place in most European countries. In Germany there are already more than 30 radio stations transmitting DAB. Most of them will go into regular service in 1997.
Bosch/Blaupunkt has not only been involved in the development of DAB for years; the company is also currently playing a leading role in the implementation of the value-added services mentioned above.
Blaupunkt once again proves to be an innovative supplier with DAB technology as a mobile multimedia system for flexible data transmission. With the Blaupunkt equipment, DAB is not only limited to digital radio programming; it can also transmit texts, data and moving images at the same time. It makes the information more striking: roadmaps with the traffic congestion marked as reported in traffic radio, a weather map along with the weather report, travel guides to the holiday destination, TV broadcasts and fax transmissions. Blaupunkt mobile DAB technology is designed to take full advantage of all the services offered.
There are two car radios already available today: a purely audio version and a model equipped with a screen and an integrated data decoder.
DAB, a multimedia system of the future
DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting. And just as the name says, it's all about radio programming on a digital basis that is expected to go into regular operation in Germany at the Berlin Audio and Video Show (IFA) in 1997. In Sweden experts predict that 45 % of the population will already be able to use DAB in 1996. In England a formal decision in favour of the introduction of this technology and the frequencies to be used has already been made. There, approximately 25 % of the popular was able to use DAB by the end of 1995. Other countries will soon follow.
Development work on DAB already began in 1985. At this time, the aim of the project was to replace analogue FM radio with digital radio long-term. The main focus of the work was to produce radio programming in CD quality.
Other advantages of DAB include:
interference-free reception in mobile applications, frequency-saving operation thanks to synchronous operation (the stations all use the same frequency), transmission power can be reduced by the factor of 10 to 100.
At Bosch/Blaupunkt we soon realised that a completely new system would not have a real chance of market acceptance unless it also offered, in addition to interference-free reception and CD quality as well as the currently available RDS features, considerable added value for the consumer.
"That's why we worked consistently at Bosch/Blaupunkt not only at pointing out the potential of DAB to accommodate these value-added services, but to actually implement them and demonstrate this to the important opinion-makers. Thanks to the efforts made by Bosch/Blaupunkt, DAB is no longer considered a just a medium for the transmission of digital radio, but rather as a system for flexible data transmission up to a bit rate of 1.7 Mbits/s (1.7 million bits per second). With this data rate, it is already possible to transmit not only audio programmes, but text, images and data at the same time as well. For the user, this means that he can look at a weather map while listening to the weather report and see a roadmap indicating the traffic congestion reported in the current traffic radio report. And it is even possible to transmit moving images in MPEG format and receive them interference-free in the vehicle in CDI quality. DAB is the first technology to make it possible to address a fax to one or as many recipients as you like and send it off in a matter of seconds. All that's needed is a PC with a DAB plug-in card and a fax programme. As far as Bosch/Blaupunkt is concerned, DAB is no longer merely digital radio, but rather a multimedia system that will find many applications in the home, in the car, in the train or in the office.
The completely new terminal equipment required for such different multimedia applications as electronic newspapers, current bus/train timetables, the reception of still images and TV programming will open up new markets and mark the future. In this respect, Bosch/Blaupunkt has assumed a leading role and has the right to speak on behalf of EUREKA and stage demonstration in order to promote the introduction of the DAB system throughout the world.
At the current time, field trials are taking place in most European countries. In Germany there are already more than 30 radio stations transmitting DAB. Most of them will go into regular service in 1997.
Bosch/Blaupunkt has not only been involved in the development of DAB for years; the company is also currently playing a leading role in the implementation of the value-added services mentioned above.
