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What type of cd/ radio is the kind that displays the title of the music playing?

16 replies

toddlerhip · 06/07/2008 23:08

Any help much appreciated! I bought a DAB radio in Tesco thinking this would do it but it didn't . The store said it depended on the station, which i know isn't true because my mum has the music display feature for the same station...

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littlelapin · 06/07/2008 23:15

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toddlerhip · 06/07/2008 23:24

Dunno, i took it back. So if it's DAB does that mean it will do the display thing?

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littlelapin · 06/07/2008 23:27

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EvelynsDad · 07/07/2008 08:53

It might also be possible with RDS, but if they do this on RDS (FM) transmissions, I would expect them to do it on DAB as well.

I assume it's not an internet radio your mum has?

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toddlerhip · 07/07/2008 15:40

LOL! No! She can just about email! Thanks for your input. Which is better - RDS or DAB?

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nannynick · 07/07/2008 20:13

What radio station?

DAB is the new up and coming, will provide better quality and more choice as more stations come available.

You can get radio's which are dual type... RDS and DAB. Then you have best of both worlds.
Roberts RD49 - User Guide (Display Modes: see page 9 for DAB mode, page 15 for FM. Suspect Scrolling Text is what you are wanting.)

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nannynick · 07/07/2008 20:21

Roberts Sound 37 has DAB, FM RDS and a CD player.

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EvelynsDad · 08/07/2008 09:02

Which is better is not as straightforward a question as you might think.

RDS is just an add on to FM radio. Hifi buffs reckon the quality is better on FM, but without a serious hifi setup it's very prone to interference.

I prefer DAB because I'm not a hifi buff and it's largely interference free, as long as you get a halfway decent signal. There is some risk that a DAB set you buy now will be obsolete in 5 or 10 years if they switch to to DAB 2, but that's probably not worth worrying about.

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toddlerhip · 08/07/2008 12:36

Thanks all. Yes, i think scrolling text sounds like the thing. I have a hifi i like for when i want to listen to sth special so i think i'd prefer my radio interference free. If RDS causes that then it sounds like DAB wihtout RDS is the thing then. I think the Roberts sound 37 looks good and is a good price but would like the research the market a bit. Which websites do you use for checking product reviews? I have used amazon and ciao in the past, but not for any good reasons...

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toddlerhip · 08/07/2008 12:38

It if for R3. I keep hearing pieces i don't know and like & may buy and it is a pain to keep logging on to check the playlist.

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chrysantheMum · 08/07/2008 12:40

my radio does this but someon turned it off and i don't know how to turn it on again

DH says "it's easy i'll do it when i get home" butthat was 6 months ago (he has been home since then!)

he does not know how to do it either methinks

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EvelynsDad · 08/07/2008 22:12

RDS doesn't cause interference. FM radios are prone to interference with or without RDS, unless you have a particularly good setup.

DAB radios are digital, so less prone to interference, but not totally immune. It's like a modern digital mobile phone. A marginal signal can get chopped up a bit, but if you've got a reasonable signal it should be absolutely clear.

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toddlerhip · 09/07/2008 11:56

Just out of interest, what does the RDS add on to FM actually do? I mean why was it introduced? I did try looking it up on wikipedia but tbh i hardly understood a word.

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nannynick · 09/07/2008 19:04

What Is RDS

Introduced in 1987, it helps you to select a broadcast frequency. When the system finds the same broadcast on various frequencies, it selects the best quality.

Developments to RDS now mean that Radio Text is available, where by the broadcaster can provide some written information along with the audio broadcast.

That's my understanding of it at least, from reading the linked article.

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UnquietDad · 09/07/2008 20:31

I've got a Technika DAB, and it sometimes displays song titles and sometimes just station ID.

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toddlerhip · 11/07/2008 00:01

Aha, always thought that was clever!

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