HD Radio Questions & FAQ's

[speedminded]

I would consider myself knowledgeable with all electronics, how things work, and where to get just about anything but what the hell is up with HD Radio?

Logically I go to http://www.hdradio.com/ to learn about it or even http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio if I want to read about more than I ever needed to know.

Then I would go to http://www.hdradio.com/available_products.php so I can find what I need.

Then it's a dead end street, Alpine's HD Radio "Ready" headunits requires a seperate $200 HD Tuner Module yet a $150 JVC has it built in?! If you go to Circuit City's, Best Buys, or any other retailer there is no seperation or links for HD Radios. Your choices are always XM or not then you go through each and every head unit trying to determine if it's compatible with HD and then you have no idea if it needs an additional tuner or not?!

It's almost like nobody on earth is prepared for it or is it just going to be a flop like laser discs? Maybe retailers are making more profit off of satellite radio so nobody is pushing or marketing HD?

[quickdodge®]

You have PM. Later, QD.

[patrick4588]

at my circuit city store, we dont have any hd radio players in store. we sell a ****load of satellite radio though, so my guess is that while satellite radio is flourishing, stores wont try to introduce it yet. once the hype dies down on satellite, it will probably get the push.

[speedminded]

at my circuit city store, we dont have any hd radio players in store. we sell a ****load of satellite radio though, so my guess is that while satellite radio is flourishing, stores wont try to introduce it yet. once the hype dies down on satellite, it will probably get the push.

lol, that's funny. Looks like 99X didn't do their homework before they went to HD!

This looks like the best deal for $50
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Visteon-HD-Z...QQcmdZViewItem

[SPOOLIN]

I wont even think about it until there are aftermarket indash Radios with it, ill never run an external controller like that, not with XM or HD radio.

[Turbo04]

The aftermarket radios that support it need the seperate tunner box to access the HD radio. The radio it self controls it so there is not an external controller for it. JVC already has a radio with everything built into the head unit so it is completely plug and play, yet IMO it's ugly. As far as a dead end street, it's not. The sat radio companies do things to have places like CC and BB push and sell the services cause they make their money off subscribers. HD radio once the equipment is purchased, no more profit as there is no monthly fee. WHen I was at CC the XM and sirius rep's used to come in and take us to lunch and XM even took us to Andretti for an all expense paid evening there...all to get us to sell their service. Also there are other bonuses to the companies that sell the most/sign up the most susbscribers for the sat radio services. Thats why it seems like there is a bigger market for Sat radio and such. The best thing to do is pick a radio you like, go look at the manufacter's site and it's easy to determine whats HD ready or not. Last I looked Pioneer's were not HD ready, any of them but I'm not up to speed on the latest line.

[speedminded]

The aftermarket radios that support it need the seperate tunner box to access the HD radio. The radio it self controls it so there is not an external controller for it. JVC already has a radio with everything built into the head unit so it is completely plug and play, yet IMO it's ugly. As far as a dead end street, it's not. The sat radio companies do things to have places like CC and BB push and sell the services cause they make their money off subscribers. HD radio once the equipment is purchased, no more profit as there is no monthly fee. WHen I was at CC the XM and sirius rep's used to come in and take us to lunch and XM even took us to Andretti for an all expense paid evening there...all to get us to sell their service. Also there are other bonuses to the companies that sell the most/sign up the most susbscribers for the sat radio services. Thats why it seems like there is a bigger market for Sat radio and such. The best thing to do is pick a radio you like, go look at the manufacter's site and it's easy to determine whats HD ready or not. Last I looked Pioneer's were not HD ready, any of them but I'm not up to speed on the latest line.

Sorry, I would never put myself before my customers.

[Turbo04]

Sorry, I would never put myself before my customers.

ummm ok?? Not quite sure what that means but ok.

[speedminded]

ummm ok?? Not quite sure what that means but ok.

In this case it means the vendors giving out free stuff see results while the customers of other products looking to spend the exact same dollar bill get screwed....not to mention neither customer benefits, only the retailer. What it comes down to is bribery to market their product which in turn means the retailer putting themselves before the customer.

[Turbo04]

In this case it means the vendors giving out free stuff see results while the customers of other products looking to spend the exact same dollar bill get screwed....not to mention neither customer benefits, only the retailer. What it comes down to is bribery to market their product which in turn means the retailer putting themselves before the customer.

Thats business man. Really is. There was never a "I'll give you x amount of dollars for each unit sold or for each unit not sold of the competitors". This type of thing happens every day, everywhere. Of course neither customer benefits directly from the "bonuses" each company is throwing tword retailers, they aren't supposed to. The end goal of business is to be succesful and make money, if that means you have to do things like offer lunch to the people who sell your products directly to the masses...so be it. There is nothing wrong with it at all. Now if it were reversed and was like " if you sell under this amount of the other guys stuff, we will give you lunch or something" then yes absolutey that is wrong. But to say trying to give yourself a legal edge by getting on ppl's goodside with crap things like lunch or something is wrong...well thats just stupid. Customers are out trying to get the best deal for themselves..aka look out for them selves, why is it wrong when business do it also? No one is getting hurt, every company invloved has an equal opportunity to do the exact same thing. No one is shut out. So what is the problem?

[drpepper14]

many of pioneer's 2008 units are HD radio ready, but require the gexhd10 which retails at $150

Turbo04, which CC did you work at?