Digital Radio

[tagesmann]

I was going to post about Absolute Radio but then thought about it a bit more. So here I go.

I have a DAB radio and find myself listening to it a lot. I particularly like Absolute 80s, Absolute 90s and Absolute Classic Rock. I used to listen to Absolute Radio but found the playlist too repetitive. Today I discovered Absolute 60s. I guess all I need to make my life complete is Absolute 70s.

I also listen to Kerrang!, Planet Rock and BBC 6 Music. When you add BBC Radio 2 and 3 and Classic FM to the mix nearly all of my listening requirements are met.

And today I realised that DAB might have had an impact on music purchases. When I was young and spent too much of my income on music I did so partly because Radio 1 and the local independent stations had such a narrow playlist that I had to buy albums to listen to my choices. Now I can nearly always find something to listen to and satisfy my listening needs and moods via the radio. Why buy albums?

[Grammath]

I'd miss my DAB if it wasn't there, particularly the BBC 6 Music and 4 Extra stations as well as Chill, NME and Q Radio and the range of Absolute stations.

Radio is simply undergoing the transformations many other traditional media have undergone as the world has entered the digital age: an explosion of choice and access points. I'm as likely to be listening to radio stations through my digital TV or laptop as the DAB clock radio at my bedside. Similarly, I'm a heavy iPlayer user for watching BBC television programmes.

My main discovery this year since getting a smartphone has been podcasts. If you're into UK speech radio, the BBC and The Guardian both provide a terrific range. For readers, The Guardian has a weekly books podcast and the BBC also podcast Radio 4's A Good Read, Open Book and Book Club programmes.

I find the choice of music based podcasts rather more limited since most legit ones don't have clearance to use more than snatches of most pieces of music. What really changed my music buying habits, though, was subscribing to Spotify. I've bought almost nothing since I did that a year ago.

[My Friend Jack]

I got so disillusioned with the parlous state of UK radio a decade or so ago, that I rarely listen to anything other than Radio 2 (which my Mrs has on as background noise). Now and again I tune into 5 Live for a bit of football if I'm in the car, and I always listen to BBC Radio Berkshire before and after Reading's home games (I live too far away to listen to away matches, but sometimes listen via the internet).

I keep promising to get a DAB radio, and tagesmann's and Grammath's comments have encouraged me to think about it again.

Then again, I look at the size of my CD collection and think, "The only way I'll get my money's worth out of this lot is by never listening to the radio, and playing CDs all day every day..."

[Royal Rother]

I rarely listen to music on the Radio (as Grammath says, Spotify rules!) but I do have a DAB at bedside.

I do occasionally tune in to Absolute Rock but find the playlist incredibly predictable. Every bloody time it's AC/DC, GnR, Black Sabbath etc. and always the obvious tracks.

When there is something I'm curious about I have to Shazam it because the station is largely "unmanned" when I tune in so nobody tells you who / what is being played. (The digital readout strip on the dab takes so long to come around with the track details I just can't be bothered with it.)

[Tay]

At home I listen to radio three in the morning, I used to listen to the Today programme but found I got so annoyed with the politicians that by the time I got to work I wasn't worth knowing. (some people I work with would say that was nothing to do with the radio :) ).

At work given our different age groups we listen to either BFBS or Absolute. The younger members of staff would prefer radio one but I refuse to listen to their DJ's inane drivel so we compromise with the two stations already mentioned.

Whilst making tea I tend to listen to Simon Mayo who provides a good mix of music with (in general) intelligent chat and interviews.

Apart from those times I prefer to listen to Radio 4 and would like someone to produce the radio equivalent of a Sky + box (does anyone know of such a product?). There are so many Radio 4 programmes I'd like to listen to but rarely am I home at the time when they're on. I realise I can use the Iplayer but that means limiting my listening to the room where the computer is and of course the programmes are only available for a short period of time.

The podcasts are a good idea but if I'm listening to my mp3 player it's a book.

[lunababymoonchild]

I have Sky+ and there are digital radio stations on that. Never tried to Sky+ any of them I have to say but I'll have a go later on and see if it works.

[My Friend Jack]

I don't think it does.

[lunababymoonchild]

I have Sky+ and there are digital radio stations on that. Never tried to Sky+ any of them I have to say but I'll have a go later on and see if it works.I've just tried this and you can record radio but you have to do it manually i.e. set your own date/time/channel etc, so it's not the point and click of Sky+. This does mean that you'd have to listen to radio through your TV which may not be very convenient, and you'd have to find out independently what's on and where, but it can be done.

[tagesmann]

A Split Enz/Crowded House/Finn live music site that I am a member of uses Sky+ and other similar international services to record live appearances for sharing with others who might have missed them.

[Minxminnie]

I have a Humax box, like a Freeview box but it records, and I'm sure you can record radio on it - in fact, I'm sure I've done it. It's such a good idea that I'm going to add R4 to my favourites and set the News Quiz to series link.

I have a mix of digital and FM radio around the house, mostly listening to R2 or R4, with Absolute 80s when I feel like some wallpaper nostalgia. I haven't really reached much further into digital radio - mainly because there is so much out there that it's hard to know what to listen to. I sometimes listen to a German station online, the station I listen to when I'm staying with my friends in Germany.

[Tay]

I've used my Sky + box to record radio in the past but I like to doing stuff (preparing meals etc ) whilst I'm listening to the radio. I very rarely just sit and listen to it, so recording on Sky then listening through TV isn't very suitable and I assume costly for electricity compared to running a radio.

Just think it would be very handy to be able to record lots of radio programmes, series link them etc, on a radio. It would it more flexible as to where and when programmes were listened to.

[tagesmann]

BBC 6 Music are going all vinyl for New Year's Day. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16330702

[My Friend Jack]

My father-in-law records stuff from his DAB radio using an SD card. Presumably his radio has a built-in slot for it...

[Tay]

My father-in-law records stuff from his DAB radio using an SD card. Presumably his radio has a built-in slot for it...

That's interesting, can he programme his radio to record onto the SD card or does it have a built in hard drive?

[My Friend Jack]

I'll ask him.

[Tay]

I'll ask him.

Thank you :)

[My Friend Jack]

Tay, not sure this answers your question, but the radio has a built-in SD card slot, but you have to record manually i.e. you can't set it to record in advance.

[Tay]

Tay, not sure this answers your question, but the radio has a built-in SD card slot, but you have to record manually i.e. you can't set it to record in advance.

Thanks MFJ, it answers the question but unfortunately isn't what I'm looking for. I'll keep searching, I'm sure there must be a radio with Sky+ type facilities somewhere. And if there isn't manufacturers please take note. :)