Acoustic miracle - digital car radio with surround sound

At the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin, the BMW Group - in
collaboration with the Fraunhofer IIS and Deutschlandradio - presents the next
generation of automotive radio technology: DAB Surround. This combines surround
sound of the highest quality with traffic reports and real-time information
transmission.

Munich/Berlin. At the IFA in Berlin, which runs from 31.08. to 05.09., the
next car radio generation can be experienced at first hand. As well as
offering significantly improved sound quality, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)
also opens up the possibility of feeding cars with real-time information. The
BMW Group will be showcasing the mobile reception of surround radio at the IFA
fair.

"The digital transmission of a radio signal has many advantages compared to
analogue FM/VHF technology. It enables radio listening in crystal-clear CD
quality. Moreover, the digital signal is more reliable as it can compensate for
interference or transmission faults," says Dr Christoph Grote, in charge of
in-car information and communication at the BMW Group and an enthusiastic
supporter of DAB. Thanks to digital transmission, several radio programmes
along with additional data can be broadcast on a single frequency. Extensive
shared-channel networks provide an added convenience for listeners by
dispensing with regional frequency changes on long-distance journeys.

Digital technology allows data to be sent "piggyback" fashion in far greater
volumes than in the analogue realm. That means a wide range of services and
information can be provided through radio, the bandwidth ranging from text and
picture information on the radio programmes, to news, traffic and weather
reports, all the way to local hazard warnings.

Surround sound on four wheels
The reproduction of surround sound is also based on supplementary spatial sound
information relayed over and above the conventional stereo signal. The
requisite technology for broadcasting 5.1 surround sound to the vehicle is
provided by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. A BMW X5
technology carrier at the Berlin fair will allow this technology to be
experienced first hand. To this end, Deutschlandradio will broadcast a special
programme in DAB Surround format for the duration of the fair. Inside the BMW
X5, this will present itself as the perfect surround sound audio experience.
Cars with conventional DAB receivers will continue to receive the programme in
good stereo quality, as before.

As yet, mobile radio surround sound is not available in production cars.
However, a DAB tuner for the reception of Digital Audio Broadcasting on the
move is available as a special option on the models of the BMW 7 Series, BMW 6
Series, BMW 5 Series and BMW 3 Series, as well as the BMW X5 and the MINI (from
model year 2007). The cost of this optional DAB tuner is 410 euros incl. tax.

Saturation coverage of digital radio stations is striding ahead
In Germany, more than 80 percent of the transmission area is equipped with
radio masts for broadcasting digital radio programmes. Similarly Denmark,
Norway, Great Britain and Switzerland also have virtually blanket DAB coverage.
The EU requires its member states to pull the plug on analogue broadcasting by
2012, which means more and more broadcasters are currently going dual and
providing analogue as well as high-quality digital programmes. Thanks to this
parallel feed, a DAB tuner can automatically switch to analogue FM/VHF
reception if the signal breaks up during a digital broadcast. The BMW Group
sees future potential for this technology in terms of surround sound as well -
though that will depend on what the broadcasters have to offer.