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Digital Radio With Removable Flash Storage
Billy69 writes "In a comment in a story yesterday about TiVo and MS Media Centre, somebody made a comment about being able to store Digital radio straight to a format to use on a MP3 player.
Ladies and Gentlemen (and geeks) I give you The Bug.
It is a DAB digital radio that can timeshift, store as MP2 or MP3 straight to an SD card, and can connect out via USB or SPDIF.
Oh, and it is sexy as hell."
Now that that's out of the way...
Euro broadcasts use slightly different frequency settings and bandwidths (I did have a portable with a switch in it for AM/MW bandwidth, FM was simply being able to dial 98.0 instead of odd intervals like 98.1, 98.3 in North America) Hopefully it's available for US buyers (best check lest it get intercepted at the border by the Federales. You know how Washington listens when RIAA, etc. bark. They know they're Master's Voice*)
This would be wonderful with satellite radio (all these great stations with swing and jazz), but I would probably not use it for broadcast, at least where I live. DJ's talking over the music is probably encouraged to screw with us who made tapes back in the poor days (lived in a paper bag in a septic tank or shoebox in the middle of the road...) Unless, say, I wanted to archive Paul Harvey or something like that. (This would have kicked butt back when J.P. McCarthy was still alive and doing his radio shows on WJR-Detroit)
Sexy? Reminds me of a Martian War Machine
* Arcane reference to Victor, the RCA dog.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Untill the RIAA screws this up...
(Sponsored by cheeseSource for President 2012)
Here
... wouldn't you prefer something like this?
Speaking of flash, who's flash card died after 1 day.
My brand new 16MB Canon Compact Flash died after leaving it my card reader for a few days =(
First the US learns that the Brits have all the good sitcoms...and now Slashdot shows me that they have all the good radios as well.
Digital Audio Broadcasts? 85% coverage of the UK? Wicked radios? And it's for FREE!?!? XM ain't lookin' so hot right now...
-Barkeep, a draft of your most hazardous brew, for the world is slowly stepping into focus, and I don't like what I see.
Two comments and The Bug has been squashed by the almighty /. effect.
See that long UID - that's what you get for lurking too long
Do people actually expect this to be released without a hitch? Look at all of the controversy currently surrounding TiVo and other PVRs. Now consider the fact that the RIAA will be fighting this flash memory tooth and nail. The Bug will allow people to listen to what they want, when they want. No more inane DJ banter, no more 10-minute commercial breaks between every song, no more screeching pop tarts (unless that's what people want to hear.) There is no way to secure this device against copying, no matter how hard they try. There's a way around every copy protection. This will allow flawless, portable, digital recordings off of the radio. Granted, it's what consumers want, but since when were consumers in control? I have a feeling this will incur the wrath of the RIAA and, therefore, the US government. Just wait, these Bugs will be banned within a matter of days.
This sig has been stolen. Return it to its original user for a reward.
seems like the site is quite slow already.w w.thebug.com/+&hl=en
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:MzaBgZJufrYJ:w
I admit I haven't RTFA since the site is ./ed, but I have a question. Does this digital radio fill in the ID3 tags? Also, are they doing any watermarking of the mp3's?
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Why can't you just do this with the Winamp plugin that records streams to mp3 files (forgot name, sorry) and then transfer to media card via film reader?
I googled for places that sell it, and found it at £150 here: The Bug. It translates to roughly 270 USD.
Just the feature I always wanted!
Oh, and it is sexy as hell.
Step away from the keyboard.
This is a DAB - Digital Audio Broadcasting - not an AM/FM radio. I have no idea whether the DAB standard we have here in the UK/EU is a world-wide standard or not, and whether these things would work in the US or not. Sadly, I suspect that now that DAB sets are coming with the ability to record, that people like the MPAA will be working hard to ensure that they won't...
DAB is great. Got a Perstel Bluenote for Christmas and I'm currently listening to BBC 6Music. You can too via the BBC website.
Stupid bastards. Notice this was never a problem when people were dubbing radio on to tapes. Leave it to the rest of humanity to find a good way of owning, storing, and organizing music, and then the RIAA says, "Hey, this is efficient and high quality. Better stop them while we can..."
That is sexy? The thing looks like ET. I've never been under the influence of anything that made be want to be inside that grey, wrinkly monster.
Now, the iPod however...
Got my AAs mixed up. I meant RIAA of course...
we've had digital radio broadcasts for ~6 years now
and currently the amount of sold digital recievers countrywide is 0
honestly, the concept really needs some rethinking
There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
There's a bunch of info on it, buried in this very pretty website Near as I can tell the encoding is the same, but I couldn't tell you about what the frequency intervals are, etc.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Stand clear of the doors. The doors are now closing.
"Sexy as hell" my ass. That thing looks like it was designed by a ten-year-old still feeling nostalgic for his Nintendo games. Especially with those digital eyes -- when that thing blinks at me, I got flashbacks to R.O.B.
Put that in your living room, guys, and you're guaranteed to never have a girlfriend -- they won't be back for a second visit to your place after seeing kitsch like that pass for decor...
--R.J.
Electric-Escape.net
In the U.S., I can see recording a talk show or NPR for a later date, but with all the Clear Channel owned crap, what is the point.
I'm thinking that the article submitter must have one strange E.T. fetish.
That's just odd.
The sole purpose of the Internet is to get porn and bomb making plans into the hands of children.
The BBC has been pushing its new DAB-only stations quite hard. We have approx 85% DAB coverage now, although the take-up is still only about 2%. However a lot of the DAB stations are also available via webcast and bundled with cable and satellite TV subscriptions.
I believe it's the UK government's ultimate goal to switch off analogue radio transmissions eventually, along with analogue TV and have everyone switch to digital TV and radio. I suspect this is going to take longer to accomplish than they want (by about 2010 IIRC) though.
Ummm, yeah. If you find tech equipment that sexy, then you're probably not getting laid that often.
Best Slashdot Co
"Oh, and it is sexy as hell."
Maybe it's just me, but odd-shaped packaging is cute for about 1 minute, then it is just a pain. You can't stack stuff on it, you can't push is flat up against your cubicle wall, etc.
If form-follows-function, fine. But if there is no reason for some odd shape, can't we have something more practical, less fragile and, frankly, less goofy looking? I wouldn't buy one of these things solely based on how it looks.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
Ladies and Gentlemen (and geeks)
Are you implying that geeks are neither ladies nor gentlemen?
The legendary British radio manufacturer Roberts, produce a similar device called the Gemini 1. I don't know if it's as "sexy" as The Bug (whatever that means) but Roberts' reputation in the field of portable radio manufacturer is second to none.
So far, the Bug is full of them, bugs that is
The radio has problems reading SD cards sometimes, even the ones that it writes itself. The result is generally garbled filenames or unreadable files.
More seriously, the firmware shipped with the radio is having problems recording more than two thirds of the SD card. After 2/3 of the memory is used up, the recording starts to stutter (as if it's missing packets, which it probably is) or fail altogether.
Times recordings often fail, file deletion is buried in a submenu in a submenu...there's no fast forward or rewind on recordings. The sleep timer is hidden away, the 'joystick' control is unreliable.
And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it doesn't really record MP3. DAB radio is transmitted as MP2, the radio writes the stream directly to disk. If you want MP3 you have to upload to your computer, then convert. I think it can write mp3
All this will apparently be fixed when the new firmware becomes available. Which will be very soon, imminent in fact, honest.
I would post my sources, but their on PHP message boards, it'll get creamed by the slighest hint of a /.ing. It's easy enough to find if you're thinking of buying The Bug online, in the UK.
BB
I sound like an ad. I feel like I'm astroturfing. I wish I worked for these people.
Surreal Dreams
In USA talk radio is usually on AM not FM!
That is useless, and most products that PROMISE a model with AM never actually ship such a model.
Others stay in vapor-ware for over a year.
All my favorite shows are on AM that I need to either timeshift or skip commercial on.
In January 2005 Clear Channel stations will start reducing commercials to under 21% of a half hour instead of 33% because of "ad clutter" that resulted in mammoth listener ratings dropoff in the past two glut years.
And these devices are the OTHER unspoken reason Clear Channel issued press releases that they will try to sut advertising minutes.
Once everyone has these... NO ONE will listen to ads on radio.
Ladies and Gentlemen (and geeks) I give you The Bug.
...and we give The Bug the Slashdot effect! *swat* :)
Now I love to bash clear channel as much as the next guy, but here in LA they launched a station called Indie 103 that is actually pretty damn good and while it does have some repeats, they pull out some deep cuts and b-sides that have impressed me. Much better than the other corporate rock station or NPR style hippie radio... I'm sure it's voice tracked and they are/will be cookie-cutter stations like this all over, but hey, it's still good music. Could it be that they're actually going after a slightly less giant market than the britney spears lovers? Hell must be getting chilly...
I write commercial MPEG audio transcoders for a living.
You are a fool.
MP2 is superioir to MP3 and has countless vital features but more importantly...
MP3 = MPEG 1 Layer 3 audio
MP2 = MPEG 2
Yup! MPEG2 !!!!!!
MPEG2 is BETTER than MP3 so why the hell do you want to reencode it, most players play MPEG2.
And the iPOD from apple plays MPEG-2 AAC sudio stored in a wrapper file of MPEG-4 but it is still AAC MPEG-2
Mind you... the MPEG-2 this encodes is low bitrate 1997 style audio but still vastly superior to MP3 except for the highest frequencies (if any).
I have a preproduction Griffin RadioShark, they only a few days from shipping.
The unit I have works PERFECTLY and is the FASTEST way to switch from AM to FM that I know of. You can have AM and FM mixed in with each other in your presets and you can timeshift record.
I too usually listen to AM - I have been wanting such a product for a very long time.
Griffin will finally deliver VERY soon. They've had a number of problems with manufacturer getting the internals right.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
But can't I just do this on my PC? With a radio card and software, or a radio plugged into my sound card? What tools are out there to do this?
Then I should be able to transfer the MP3 files to my player...
True friends are hard to come by... I need more money. - Calvin
Check out Diva GEM, I recently bought this one for my wife's birthday.
It's as small as cigarette lighter, it has MMC/SD slot supporting even 1GB cards (I tested myself). It also has FM radio, plays AAC/MP3/GSM-AMR/WAV and can record from radio or buil-in mic -- works as a voice recorder too. You can upload/download files from the card via reader, or directly from this device via USB 1.1 (read ~600KB/s, write ~300).
It works from exchangeable li-ion battery over 10h and you can recharge it from (included) USB and wallplug charger.
More expensive models have built-in Bluetooth which enables it to work as a headset for BT-enabled phone -- GEM automagically stops music and receives call.
I bought the model without BT and with only 32M internal flash (plus the MMC/SD slot) for ~$140, Kingston SD 512M card for about $100. Works like a charm.
Robert
Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
Sexy as hell? Looks more like a demented Robby the Robot from the old Nintendo Entertainment System. This is one of the foulest examples of product design since ... since ... I'm not sure; there are so many to choose from.
This thing looks atrocious. Some mutant game controller. It reminds me of Johnny 5. Do I have to start babbling to it to see if it can laugh?
Hi, I'm astroturfing, have we met?
Actually, MP2 is MPEG 1 Layer 2, and although it works ok at low bitrates, it's terrible at higher rates, and doesn't support sufficiently high rates for good reproduction of mastered audio.
Perhaps you're confusing DAB with IBOC-DAB (aka HD Radio) in the US?
Your monitor is staring at you.
DAB isn't AM or FM specific... in fact... I'm not sure if they even relate. Here in Canada we have both FM and AM stations who broadcast in DAB (see earlier post).
I'll have something intelligent to add one of these days...
Ok, you get the 's right, and screw up the they're!
Please see:
http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif
"digital radio that can timeshift"
... record ... but no fast forward?
Hey There,
I see rewind
What's going on?
Did someone at the FCC tell them that fast forward would bankrupt the radio industry?
Cheers,
-- The Dude
Pogo Radio YourWay Looks like just about the same product (less quality, and less storage, but still).
----
Spam subject of the moment: Offshore account secrets -nashville disrupt
also stored on an SD card
GETPKG - Package Management for Slackware
But do you need this technology to record AM radio shows? (couldn't RTFA, of course, I'm going on context...) I mean, the sound qualiy is so minimal, you can use any of a number of low-tech workarounds to capture shows (including, and I know it's bulky but it works, recording the audio to say, a minidisc, cassette or-- for long shows, to use the timer-- VCR tape and importing it.) I also find that many AM stations have Reaplayer streams (and if they don't, another station in another city will.) Yeah, the apps that would rip a stream to mp3 are long gone, but there are ways around that too...
The general technology is called "In-Band, On-Channel." The implementation in the US is different from the the one in the rest of the world. In the USA, DAB technology is controlled by a company called iBiquity. It's incompatible with the world standard. In the rest of the world, the standard is Eureka 417. I found this explanation helpful.
Try an independent or college station. Sure, maybe 50 or 60 percent of it is unlistenable crap, but that sure beats the 99.9% crap rate of Clear Channel radio.
Don't know what area you're in, but two of my NJ favorites are WFMU 91.1 (Jersey City) and WBRB 103.3 (Princeton). You can listen to either online:
http://www.wfmu.org/
http://www.wprb.com/
Sorry dude, but is there any phrase more wankerish than that? Sexy? As hell? :)
Hmmm that's REALLY interesting. I don't know how I feel about this. Part of me is excited about maybe radio will start to have some variety - but only if the station is a success they would consider rolling it out in other cities... and on the other side of the coin is that now Rock-n-Roll will become even more fragmented. You can't "bottle" it and market music styles to people - the art will just resist that in any way possible.
Went to the launch (at the Dali Gallery), wasn't completely sold. Got one. Got irritated by the bugs, but lived with them.
Just been upgrading the firmware on it (lets make everyone scream, it needs Windows to update the flash...), so now it has rewind and fast forward when playing back off SD card.
Lovely functionality, still undecided on the ergonomics, and I wish the SD slot was on the front.
"You know you want me baby!" - Crow T Robot
It's too freaking ugly, tries to be too cute, and is an odd and awkward shape. Why can't we just have a regular radio with pause/record/backwards buttons, and a memory slot?
I believe that every NPR show is available tolisten to on the web - at least that is true from the MPR (not 'N') website...
Slashdot, where armchair scientists get shouted down and armchair theologians get modded up.
A) The eyes turn off. It's just er... eye candy.
... bit of a history in design.
B) It was designed by Wayne Hemingway, nice bloke. http://www.hemingwaydesign.co.uk/
C) Who'd put it in the living room?! There's a whole range of Pure (makers of The Bug) DAB radios, from Hifi stackers to wood cased kitchen radios. We have a Pure Evoke-1 in the kitchen. In the living room, we have Sky Digital, so nearly all the radio channels are duplicated there.
"You know you want me baby!" - Crow T Robot
I give you the slashdot effect
RP
Recording Radio is legal, so would it make the MP3s recorded by the Digital Radio legal too? If some one put them out on P2P, would it be legal to download and play these MP3? How would one differentiate between such MP3s v/s the CD ripped versions?
Buy whatever cord you want. It doesn't matter, because the RadioShark is, as an earlier post mentioned, vapourware. Too bad, too, because I really want one, and have wanted one for nearly two years now.
I would pay a substantial sum for a car "TiVo" radio with the following properties:
I like listening to non-music radio (mostly NPR). Recently, I constantly find myself reaching to back over something my radio just said and hear it again---only to realize my radio's not a TiVo. When I tell my friends about something cool I just heard, it would be nice to be able to just hand them the MP3 as well. It would be nice to have a menu of automatically recorded stuff for when nothing's on (often) or when I'm out of radio range. It would be nice to record a program while listening to a CD or a previous program. Etc.
Why doesn't this device seem to exist? Have I missed a product?
There's the billboard in the bay area along 101 that says "Application Extreme Makeovers: 10x HOTTER THAN HELL!", with a giant 10x with flames, and a picture of a hairy pig to the left wearing a scarf and glasses.
What's the deal with this billboard? Are they trying to make the pig look sexy via an extreme makeover, or what? My wife almost drove off the road laughing about how bad that billboard was.
hack it.
I'm waiting to see this USB device to hit the US market. Currently it looks like only the UK and others seem to have access to them.
... as long as you're willing to give up hijacking already running applications. (not a huge deal, IMHO)
more info here
The complexity of the transmission equipment may well make the currently all too common pirate stations impractical - your views may vary on whether this is a good thing.
From a philosophical point of view I dislike moving to a "magic" technology that practically nobody understands in detail from the existing radio technologies that are taught to schoolkids and can be home constructed.
Not a problem for me, maybe I will drop 10 bucks on the U/G thanks for the link.
Bad Panda! No Bamboo for you! In matters of importance ACs will not be responded to. Want to say something critical,OK
You forget that some people don't live in the USA (thank god) and that RIAA means nothing to people outside of the States. Up here in Canada we have similar agencies but they don't have those Godly power that the RIAA seems to have down south.
they had the opportunity to bring back the "egg craze" and blew it :( !!!
.... that would judge me as a person for a fscking radio.
So frankly I fail to see exactly what point you are trying to make.
There are many girls out there that can see beyond idiotic stereotypes.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Been featured in news articles for a long time.
Still beta quality I am told.
The moment it works properly American big business (oh I mean gov't) will outlaw it for the world.
...Rosanne Barr (maybe)
This post is in response to the current worry by media giants about copy protection. I've often thought for hours upon end about the effect of media upon people and their eventual response. Think about a time when people can get all the bandwidth they want anywhere and anytime. First there will be a huge fad swing, then after some indeterminate time, there will be what I call the "fallout". In my own personal experience, why would I want to record anything, when I can have clear digital radio pumping thru my ears. Eventually the people of the world will awaken to their more base instinct to be lazy and not care about all the data hording that we are seeing in the present age. Data hording just creates more headaches! It just creates more work for you when you think about it. You also have to spend more money to buy more storage. This fact will eventually catch up will the fads that are spawned with each upgrade in our infrastructures.
The other thing about Clear Channel that is a major annoyance are the mind numbing commercials. If you listen to one of their stations for three hours, you have heard everyone of that days commercials twice. And they definately cater to the lowest common denominator as to intelligence level.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.