HD Radio/FM/AM stereo radio: Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD » Handy Gadgets: Information, news and highlights of handy gadgets for you, the home or travel.

High Definition [HD] radio basically refers to the reception of digital signals as opposed to the former analog transmission of AM and FM. The benefits of HD radio range from enhanced AM and FM sound through to increased listening options and the elimination of the noise interference of traditional radio. While I regret the absence of short wave broadcasts on this model I have to admit that the days of international broadcasting on radio (at least in the traditional sense) may have past. CNET's Steve Guttenberg reviews the Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD but has a critical view of its price. Coming in at a retail price of $500 this radio for all its features may be just out of the reach of the hobbyist.

'In case you're wondering just what HD Radio is and what it does for you, here's the deal: the all-digital technology eliminates AM and FM radio's background static, hiss, and pops so long as the signal is strong enough for the radio to pull it in. If an HD station's signal is weak, the radio automatically switches to regular radio and tunes into the analog version of station. Aside from hiss-free listening, another potential benefit of HD Radio is that it allows broadcasters to divide a single FM-radio frequency into multiple HD Radio broadcast streams. Here in New York City, only one HD station that we received--WCBS-FM--was multicasting, and one of its two subchannels sounded better than the other.'

Read: CNET Review- Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD