Pop-up BBC DAB Station

[Guest]

For the four days of Eurovision, we're promised "the BBC's first digital pop-up station since Olympics Extra in 2012." Radio 2 Eurovision will broadcast from 12 noon to 12 midnight. http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...urovision.html

Do any of you techie people know whether BBC Radio is allocated one single "spare" DAB frequency, which is permitted to be used for such pop-up stations? Is it what is used for the regular daily DAB pop-ups of Daily Service and Yesterday in Parliament, and for very occasional extra live sport coverage (e.g. for Wimbledon or French Open Tennis when International Cricket is live on 5Live Sports Extra)? Could the BBC use it regularly for other services, finances permitting?

[Bryn]

As far as I know, the Beeb has its own national multiplex which into which it crams most of its dab stations. I seem to recall that it also uses part of another multiplex for local services and possibly the World Service. At the moment, when R5LX is broadcasting, either Radio 3 or 4 gives up some of its data rate to provide for the additional broadcasts. The change of data rate is supposed to occur seamlessly but often produces a short glitch. Others will probably be able to offer greater detail.

[Gordon]

Yes I think Bryn is correct - the BBC national SFN multiplex will probably have to supply the capacity for this service by juggling the bit rates of the other services just as it does now for such services. As it's a music station I suppose that it will have to be Stereo at a decent bit rate so where that will come from will be interesting to know.

DAB should be able to change service/multiplex formats seamlessly as Bryn says and so listeners should be unaware of the change of content. However, first time around, some DAB sets will have to be retuned whilst the pop up is on air [or at leat in the service list] in order to be able to capture it and thus receive it thereafter. Some sets could get it from the service list if it is declared a sub of Radio 2 as is implied in the BBC news release ie when the sub isn't present the set defaults to R2.

There are local DAB multiplexes too, carrying local BBC radio, but these are unlikely to be the hosts of this "pop up" [because its a sub of R2] but it is not impossible. Currently and for the next 2 years the BBC and commercials via Arqiva are extending coverage of national and regional DAB services. A new DAB licence for a new commercial multiplex, D2, will be advertised very soon and will be awarded by year end. I am told that OfCom will consider bidders who want to go DAB+ although I don't see the incentive for commercials to do that, however something like 30+% of all DAB receivers out there are DAB+ ready [those in new cars are]. I am also told that there is to be a [BBC?] trial of DAB+, details as yet unconfirmed, and that OfCom will be issuing a public consultation on DAB+ in the next few weeks.

In addition, a successsful experiment with very small low power DAB stations has led OfCom to consider extending this to allow small stations to go digital in their localities - this to cater for the objections from these small stations that DAB carriage fees were too high for them to afford simulcasting.

[OldTechie]

As it's a music station I suppose that it will have to be Stereo at a decent bit rate so where that will come from will be interesting to know.

You might think that music would get a decent bit rate. Browsing through a DAB radio I find there are a lot of music stations running 64kbps and 80kbps mono. Radio 6 Music was running 64kbps mono when I looked at it a few months ago, though I think it normally gets 128kbps stereo.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And despite bit-rates like these, the BBC continues with their propaganda to try to convince us that DAB is better. They have, at least, given up on the CD quality claim. That was clearly a blatent untruth.

[french frank]

As it's a music station ...

Or as Eric would say: "There's no answer to that."

[Gordon]

Or as Eric would say: "There's no answer to that."

He might also be moved to ask: "What do you think of it so far?"

[Russ]

You might think that music would get a decent bit rate.

Perhaps Eurovision is a worthy exception?

[Gordon]

Perhaps Eurovision is a worthy exception?

A short term audience grabber [but who will listen?], a bit of a jamboree - Strictly Come Singing.

[Gordon]

Further to my #3 comment about an Ofcom consultation that will discuss DAB+ {Section 2] and bit rates [Section 5] etc here it is:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/digital-radio-tech-codes/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dig-tech-codes-apr14

Your chance to moan directly to OfCom about technical quality.