« Trade Groups Oppose Broadcast Flag on HD Radio | Main | High Definition Everything Hasn't Hit Home(s) Yet »
HD Radio Doesn't Mean High Definition...Or Anything
I'm not a trademark defender, but let me explain: I see a lot of articles and blogs talk about high-definition (HD) radio. But there's no such thing. HD Radio is a trademark; digital radio, or, to be particular, in-band on-channel (IBOC) broadcasting is what's being used in the U.S. Trademarks can't have any pre-existing meaning in the field in which they are used. This is why Owens Corning's Pink is a trademark. Pink didn't mean anything in the world of insulation, so it has an arbitrary meaning, and thus can be trademarked. Words and phrases in common parlance in an industry can't be hijacked by one company (or that's the intent).
HD Radio is a trademark, just like Wi-Fi, which itself doesn't standard for wireless fidelity. Both HD Radio and Wi-Fi are trying to evoke the image of quality without actually having a definition attached. (In fact, a definition would be a wedge to prevent having the trademark approved--if it means something, well, you get the picture.)
The next time you read that HD, or high-defintion, Radio is yadda yadda yadda, well, it's not. That's why I try to use HD Radio to talk about iBiquity's technology and digital AM/FM to talk more generally about the field, and even digital radio to encompass satellite and terrestrial broadcasts.