Leading electronics retailer Best Buy has announced it plans to offer HD Radio products in more than 800 retail stores throughout the United States. Although HD Radio products are currently available at retailers Circuit City and Radio Shack, and endorsement from Best Buy may raise the profile of the emergent all-digital radio system, which has yet to gain much consumer traction following a series of delays introducing consumer receivers to the market.
“The HD Digital Radio Alliance and iBiquity have created momentum with customers that now make HD Digital Radio one of the hottest electronics choices around,” said Chris Homeister, Best Buy’s VP of Merchandising. “Product is now available in all of our stores, so no matter where our customers live, they can discover HD Radio and experience the crystal clear sound and new programming choices.”
HD Radio receives over-the-air digital transmissions, offering subscription-free CD-quality audio along with several new program formats; like digital television, the technology enables broadcasters to offer several streams using less bandwidth than traditional radio broadcasting. Radio operators in the United States are looking to promote HD Radio as an alternative to satellite radio and digital offerings like Apple’s iTunes. More than 1,200 stations currently offer HD broadcasts, with over 600 offering HD2 multicasts. The HD Radio Alliance plans to spend some $250 million promoting the technology to American consumers.
“This is another major step forward for HD Radio technology,” said Robert Struble, president and C.E.O. of iBiquity Digital Corp., which developed the HD Radio system. “Following rapid adoption by the broadcast community and an increasing range of products for the mass market, Best Buy’s efforts will dramatically accelerate consumer adoption of this great new technology.”
