Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tried to buy an HD Radio recently?

Most stores have no idea what you're talking about. 

Read it here from The PressTelegram.

Radio Shack has every one of its house brand HD Radio units on clearance, if they are still in stock. This includes iPod Touch/iPhone dongles and the Auvio tuner (which, if you can still find one at the clearance price of $30, is a steal).

This means Radio Shack is essentially out of the HD Radio business. A shame, since the Shack was one of the early supporters.

It doesn't mean that the technology is dead, but it certainly isn't flourishing. You can still buy car stereos with HD Radio at various retail stores and at online stores as www.crutchfield.com. Best Buy still carries a few portable products in its stores and online as well.

What went wrong? Two things: content and marketing.

HD Radio - a system of sending digital audio via traditional airwaves that promises improved fidelity and more listening choices - still rarely offers much in the way of content.

And the marketing was even worse than the content. Can you remember even one commercial? They have been running for more than five years, and for free, on the main channels of companies that presented HD.