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500,000 HD Radio Receivers by Fall
The engine is finally starting to rev up: I've been following and writing about HD Radio for nearly two years, and we're finally about to hit mass adoption. In a Billboard magazine article released today, iBiquity says that 500,000 HD Radio receivers will hit retailer shelves by this holiday season, and the massive $200m (in donated time) advertising campaign on commercial radio will start ramping up to its peak. Radio Shack started its pilot program last month to push HD Radio in its stores with 100 outlets, and talks are underway with Best Buy and Circuit City.
Radiosophy's founder said that high fidelity isn't as important as additional content, which is probably correct. Radiosophy was to ship its sub-$300 receiver module and speakers last summer, then last fall, then in February, and now sometime this summer.
Arbitron found that 43 percent of satellite radio subscribers are "very" or "somewhat" interested in an HD Radio receiver, which is extraordinary given how few of them could possibly have heard the sound or see it demonstrated. There are several million satellite subscribers paying $13 a month or more for service, plus an initial outlay of $100 to $200 for equipment.