Here comes HD sound
Meanwhile, the BBC has announced plans to launch HD Sound, which it has described as ‘an extra high quality audio stream' for online radio.
Auntie said the new service will be available for ‘special live events,' the first of which to get the HD treatment is expected to be its Electric Proms on the Radio 2 website later this month, then all Radio 3 output getting the HD treatment in the new year.
The corporation said the service used boosted encoding and higher bit rates to provide extra quality, but the perceivable difference the service makes will depend on the quality of listeners' headphones or speakers....so will probably not make too much difference if you are listening on cruddy built-in laptop speakers.
It promised HD Sound will offer a ‘wider dynamic range, accentuating the difference in volume between quiet and loud sounds' and said it hopes the new technology will be incorporated into the BBC's iPlayer and Radio Player in the future.
