Although I enjoy listening to CDs on my new RR2150, most of the time I listen to FM radio. The FM stations I listen most often also broadcast in HD radio.

I've read that FM broadcast in HD produces CD-quality sound. It would seem a natural addition to the RR2150 or any tuner/receiver.

I seceond your suggestion. A standalone HD tuner would be a very valuable addition to any HT setup. The quality of HD broadcasts exceeds that of Sirius or XM radio IMO, and it doesn't cost anything.

A componant size/appearance of the HD tuner would be another recommendation for such a standalone componant.

The only such tuner I know of is one by Rotel, and THAT retails for around a thousand dollars.

It seems inconceivable that Outlaw isn't planning an HD radio tuner. At a reasonable price, and with their track record, I think that audiophiles would find a stand alone tuner an attractive item. This would also be attractive to all those with HT set-ups. However, I would love to see an HD tuner in the next version of the RR 2150 Stereo Receiver. I've been salivating over this lovely beauty for a long time, but my financial challenges have prevented a purchase. With an HD radio tuner integrated into the RR2150, it would be amazing!

Has anyone tried either of these HD Radio components?

http://www.sangean.com/product.php?model=HDT-1

or

http://www.ada.net/products/av/duo_tuner.php

I have not, but I'm curious...

I wonder if HD radio is even going to catch on. The number of products available is very limited. The receivers that include HD are high end units that also include XM/Sirius. Very few, reasonable priced main stream receivers / tuners out there.
Very big chicken/egg problem!

Perhaps the number of HD radio listeners is too few to make it viable?

What this country needs is a good $50 HD receiver for home use.

Business Week http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070525_027388.htm

Don't be fooled, HD radio or "hybrid-digital" is a low resolution format. It is sort of like hearing the sound coming out of a tin can.

FM stations can carry information at 96 kbit/s or 128 kbit/s it uses a really stupid proprietary compression algorithm that the radio stations pay a royalty to iBiquity to use. Standard FM radio sounds way better because of the ludicrous level of compression used.

While in hybrid mode, an HD Radio will lock onto an analog signal first in mono, then stereo, then try to find a digital one. There is a reason for that, it sucks.

Try listening to BBC radio from their site over the internet to get an idea of the quality.

Yes HD stands for Hybrid Digital not High Definition. You will notice that the marketing fails to point this out. Listen to one first (assuming you can get it to even tune to a station in digital mode). It is a stillborn product.

What's even worse is that the digital sidebands extend out of the allocated station bandwidth and spill over into adjacent channels interfering with nearby analog stations. This is especially bad on the AM band.

According to Ibiquity, the "HD" in "HD" radio doesn't officially stand for anything, though they are clearly trying to send the message by using letters that are, let's see, associated with something else that is "high definition". Nice bit of marketing.

SOmething can't be "hybrid" digital. It either is, or isn't.

I wonder why somebody in marketing didn't think of CD, for Combination Digital, which would have had at least some claim of factual accuracy. Of course CD also has other definitions relevant and irrelevant, but would also have had the positive connotation the marketers were looking for. Truth? Ha ha - what a u$ele$$ concept.

It is hybrid digital because analog and digital are in the same channel. Still beware, it is a POC product

POC is your opinion. If you live somewhere with limited programming choices and the multi-cast channels provide additional options, it isn't As they say, YMMV.

The next year or so will tell what the consumer reaction is to HD Radio as prices drop for the components required for manufacturers to include it, and then beyond a certain point it's up to the broadcasters and public. The great unknown is if the FCC will ever try to pull off an "analog shut-down" for terrestrial radio as it has for terrestrial television. Unlikely given the hundreds of millions of analog AM and FM radios out there, but it is on the docket for consideration at some point.

If all you want is talk radio Hybrid digital radio is fine. Just don't expect anything more than a table top radio can deliver in the way of sound quality.

and outside the US, people have been enjoying Digital Radio for a while (DAB)... which idiot chose HD Radio as the US Digital radio standard?

Cheer up the UK's system is just as abysmal most use 128kbps or worse than FM analog radio.

The good news is that all this stuff is moving to the internet anyway.