Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM)
demonstrated the new DRM commercial receiver with crystal clear audio and extra
capability like the emergency warning functionality at this year’s International
Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
Pressing the emergency button
on the new Indian–produced receiver was the highlight of the first DRM event at
the Fraunhofer IIS booth (Hall 8 B80). The rich features of the Indian receiver
were in evidence: colour LCD with million colours, 10-12 hours of backup on
single charging, xHE-AAC audio coding, emergency warning, alternative frequency
search (AFS), DRM text and scrolling messages. The receiver was used to capture
a daily SW DRM live broadcast (10-13th September) transmitted by Babcock
international on 6040kHz, 100kW from Woofferton, UK, on 114 degrees to Europe.
Featuring BBC, NHK and Radio Vaticana content, the transmission was crystal
clear even on a boat under the many bridges of Amsterdam.
Recent and
exciting market developments in Asia, Africa (where the DRM30 trial might be
soon joined by a DRM+ trial in the Johannesburg area), Europe and Latin America
featured large at the four DRM events on September 11th, 12th and 13th.
The Thomson Broadcast event on the 12th focused on transmitters for
alert systems and gave details of a “hot off the press” announcement about a new
transmission contract (DRM ready) for Morocco.
The Nautel event, held the same day in Hall 8
C49 and extremely well attended, featured new developments in DRM transmitter
technology, more about the continued roll-out of DRM in India, news about the
DRM+ trial in St. Petersburg and new innovative multi-band receiver in
development.
On Sunday morning Ampegon and Transradio featured
integrated transmission systems, demonstrated the energy efficiency of new
antennas and transmitters like the low-power solid-state Ampegon transmitter
sitting in the middle of their booth (Hall 8 D35).
IBC is a great occasion
for members of the Consortium to meet industry experts and contacts from
countries as far apart as South Africa, Romania, India, Turkey and Indonesia.
Ruxandra Obreja, the Consortium Chairman, says that: “IBC 2015 has been
the best ever for us and all those interested in the most modern and flexible
truly global audio broadcasting standard, DRM. During IBC 2015 we shortened our
presentations and demonstrated more how DRM can close the loop between excellent
transmitted sound with multimedia services, at much lower cost than before, and
reception on state of the art receivers”.
Other DRM members present at
IBC are: Babcock International, GatesAir, RIZ Transmitters and RFmondial.
DRM will next be present at the Asia Broadcasting Union General Assembly
in Istanbul, Turkey – October 27-30.