Embedding Data Signals In White Noise

Anemophilous Coward writes "ZDNet has the following article which describes a company that 'has devised a method for sending wireless signals over ordinary audio speakers so that humans can't hear them. With this same technology, radio stations can unobtrusively transmit ads, Web site URLs, or information about music and artists to in-car cell phones.'" Here is some further reading about the company, Intrasonics.

Comments

So?

[shoemakc]

Let me guess, by using the correlation of psuedo-random noise sequences summed with the signal. :::yawn:::

-Chris

Re:MP3s and Watermarking

[outlier]

how will converting it into MP3s affect it?

Depending on how this is implemented, lossy audo compression techniques used in MP3 or OGG may strip the info. One of the reasons that these formats can get such good compression rates is that they strip a lot of the acoustic information that people can't hear -- which is exactly where these guys are looking to put their signals.

My guess is that someone could come up with a lower bandwidth approach that would remain in the signal after compression. But they'd probably have to tailor their approach to the specific algorithms in a particular MP3/OGG encoder. If someone used a different encoder or the encoder was upgraded, a new solution would need to be created.

Of course if this technology is primarily used for advertising, then people would want to strip the information. If, on the other hand, the data were truly useful to users, there might be an effort to preserve it after compression.

Better use of technology

[randomErr]

This is Push technology, so you could do any kind of push you do with channels now you can do with this. Here a couple of idea's I had:

Song Titles - How about ID tags so you can actually see the exact title of the song your listening to? You can keep a 10 song list like caller ID. You can see the last few songs you listened to. For advertisers you would keep one text line scrolling on the display.

Second Audio Channel - A secondary program at AM quality on an FM station. Kinda like how HDTV can have up to 6 lower quality channels.

Radio for the Death - Close Captioning of radio lyrics. 'Nuff said.

Emergency Broadcast Technolgy - Give both a readable text warning and GPS cordinates of pending danger.

Exact Station Date and Time - Isn't that what you really want half the time you turn on the radio anyway.

Weather and News Broadcasts - Get the local or national news in an instant.

Automatic Request line # - Never have to listen for those damn # to call while your driving.

Possible interactivity - Broadcast a survey to a cellphone, you log your answers, and then you transmit your results.