Using wireless for one-way streaming of digital audio broadcasting?
For a while I've been thinking about the possibilities of 802.11 (or similar) for one-way streaming of non-licensed digital audio and possibly even digital video broadcasting. It could be received using a personal computer with wireless capability and running a special application, but could also be received and converted to audio by simple, very inexpensive, portable radio-like (Walkman-like) devices (such devices would not be PCs -- they'd have an 802.11 receiver and a simple means to extract the streaming digital broadcast and convert it to analog for listening the old fashioned way -- processor and other hardware needs should be quite minimal.)
Why the interest? Well, I've been interested for quite some time with legal, unlicensed radio broadcasting. It is little known by many that in the U.S., the FCC allows unlicensed radio stations both in the BCB (AM: 520 to 1720 kHz) and FM bands. The downside of course is transmission power, distance and even antenna size, which is severely limiting, especially for legal FM operation (which is the most suitable for analog broadcasting.) In fact, unlicensed operation is allowed in a lot of the rest of the radio spectrum, but is severely limited power-wise as to make it impractical for even localized radio broadcast use.
There is a definite need for unlicensed one-way broadcasting with a usable reception range of at least a mile. It bypasses the commercial broadcast stations run by corporate conglomerates, allowing for airing alternative news, views and music, and it would be oriented towards the needs of the local community without commercial filtering. There are actually quite a few unlicensed AM and FM stations serving many communities, despite the technical limitations (they are harried, though, by commercial broadcasters.) It is also of interest in third world situations, where very inexpensive radio systems to serve remote villages are useful, and where using Internet-connected computers is out-of-the-question.
But unlicensed analog broadcast also has its problems. As just noted, power and distance. There's also interference issues. And finally that analog simply sucks in audio quality (some would debate that, but achieving red book CD audio quality with FM is expensive on both the transmitter and receiver sides, and it is still analog subject to interference -- and anyway legal unlicensed FM broadcasting is way too limited in range, moreso than AM is.) There is the possibility of digitally broadcasting on the AM and FM bands, but again there are the legal power and distance limitations, and the digital will require compression.
So, it is very intriguing to latch onto 802.11 (or similar) technology for one-way streaming of digital audio broadcasting (greater range, very small antenna sizes, inexpensive equipment on both ends, full red book CD quality with no compression needed, etc.) I surmise that it is legally possible to do this, and that potential reception distances would be measured in miles (with a good receiving antenna)?
Assuming these to be correct, how would one use 802.11 or similar in practice? I'm not asking if this makes sense (I believe there is a need and market as noted above), but whether it is doable, both technically and legally.
Furthermore, it is important that reception and listening be done without the need for a PC-level or even PDA-level computer (although it could be.) I'm thinking of a "portable radio" using earbuds that costs no more than $10-20 to manufacture. Is this doable? (This brings up the idea of designing open source circuits and diy kits to build such "portable radios".) Note that streaming is one-way, so the "portable radio" would not broadcast back to the transmitter -- likewise the transmitter would only be a transmitter, streaming the digital audio content.
Am I stupid and clueless (I admit I know little about wireless technology)? Or are there some possibilities here?
Thanks.
Mark
read more and respond »Posted 5 years ago by Mark in Wireless Networking
