A recommendation that may help to encourage the use of receivers that link radio services and internet services was agreed at last month's meeting of the World Broadcasting Unions. The WBU is the collective organization of the eight regional broadcasting unions around the globe, including the EBU. The new recommendation will give added momentum to the spread of Hybrid Radio services.

The system identified in the recommendation, RadioDNS, is an open standard that provides a way of linking a radio station with content provided over the web. The RadioDNS equipped receiver examines the identification data broadcast along with a radio service via, for example RDS (for FM) or as part of the DAB/DAB+ signal. This is passed, via an internet connection, to a Radio Domain Name Servier - hence the name RadioDNS - which in turn locates the correct website, and delivers the appropriate web content to the radio receiver.

The WBU recommendation notes that most modern radio receivers are equipped with a display that can be used to show content that enhances the experience for the listener. It states: "This form of hybrid radio (over-the-air reception plus internet connectivity) opens up many creative possibilities for the future of radio."

Limitless possibilities

Among the systems under the RadioDNS umbrella are specifications for delivering text and graphics (e.g. album art, weather charts, advertising, etc.); an electronic programme guide that can make it easier to switch from, say, an FM service to an internet stream of the same station; and a framework that allows users to "tag" content they want to save or bookmark. The possibilities opened up are limitless.

The EBU is an active participant in the work of the RadioDNS organization and has endorsed the system in its own recently published Recommendation on Digital Radio Distribution. A set of open source tools that help broadcasters to launch their own RadioDNS services is available at ebulabs.org.