A prototype hybrid car adaptor which can track the same radio channel across multiple platforms has been unveiled in the UK.
The Radioplayer device scans DAB, DAB+, FM, and internet sources, automatically selecting the best platform to deliver any station. If a signal is lost, it switches seamlessly to the same station on another platform.
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The was developed in conjunction with Connects2, an automotive audio firm in England’s West Midlands. The small device, fitted behind the dashboard, is controlled by a dedicated app on the driver’s smartphone which, ideally positioned in a dashboard cradle, acts as the radio interface.
Safety is a key factor in its design, which is as simple to use as a car radio. A listener can swipe anywhere on the screen to move through pre-set stations. A voice identifies each station, to minimise distraction. A tap anywhere on the screen stops and re-starts the radio.
Using the system, drivers can also Bluetooth their own smartphone music collections, take hands-free calls, listen to incoming text messages, and receive audio travel news, customised by GPS to location and direction of travel.
Radioplayer, a platform run by the BBC and UK commercial radio stations said 20% of radio radio listening is in-car, and some 27 million UK vehicles still not able to receive DAB digital radio, so the technology “could present a solution to one of the biggest hurdles faced by the radio industry, in the move towards digital”.
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By GlobalData
