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Here's good news. A company called DICE Electronics has announced the development of a new device that integrates HD radio into an existing car audio system. The unit itself is small, compact and can be added to a car audio system in a matter of minutes. DICE Electronics says that HD-DICE will be available in the second quarter of 2006 and will be compatible with Audi. GM, Nissan, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mazda and Volkswagen vehicles. Jim Lukas, Vice President of Sales for DICE Electronics recently told reporters that "we are pleased to offer solutions that allow customers to receive and listen to digital AM/FM signals without having to replace their factory radios. Customers can now enjoy true CD-quality digital broadcasts with their existing vehicle audio systems and with no monthly fees, nor contracts." What exactly is HD Radio? HD Radio technology works much like traditional analog transmissions (AM and FM are both analog signals). The difference is that the station broadcasting HD Radio technology transmits an extra digital radio signal, along with its normal analog signal. It can also broadcast a third signal for text data. Your radio receiver receives the signal - just as it does an AM or FM signal. If you have a HD Radio receiver, it will decompress and translate the signal and viola! AM stations sound as clear and static free and today's AM stations. And it gives FM stations the crystal-clear sound of a CD. More than 2,800 radio stations in the U.S. are in the process of converting to the HD Radio system with more than 500 HD Radio broadcasters currently on the air. HD Radio technology transmits digital audio and data alongside existing AM and FM analog signals, allowing listeners with HD Radio-compatible receivers to enjoy CD-quality sound, while virtually eliminating the static and hiss typically associated with analog radio. What else can your expect from HD Radio? In addition,, the technology provides a platform for advanced new services, including scrolling text on receiver display screens (e.g., artist names & song titles, weather forecasts, school closings); delivery of real-time traffic updates to vehicles; and multicasting -- a feature that allows FM stations to broadcast up to eight digital streams of programming over a single frequency and in addition to existing analog signals. To learn more about HD Radio technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz. Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio and family finances.
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