DAB technology 'energy-guzzling' ?

In an article in the Times newspaper, published June 22, Libby Purves describes DAB technology as 'energy-guzzling' and queries the need to abandon the analog bands.

Libby Purves's article follows the Governments release of the Digital Britain Report containing plans to move UK radio broadcasters out of the AM and FM wavebands and force them to use VHF DAB.

As well as highlighting the waste in scrapping hundreds of millions of perfectly good radios, Libby also points out that DAB radios are 'energy-guzzling' and she reminds us that the UK version of DAB was rejected by everyone else in Europe except Denmark and Norway.

Read the article 'Radio revolution will leave listeners in silence' (Times June 22) at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/
libby_purves/article6549533.ece

In the 1970's the UK Governments Protect and Survive programme recommended people took a battery radio with them into their shelter.

An AM or FM radio can last a long time on a set of batteries. For a DAB radio, a case full of spare batteries may be required as well !!

Protect and Survive Video
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1964to1979/
filmpage_warnings.htm

Today's DAB radios will cope with 2015 switchover, mostly
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2009/
dab_will_cope_with_switchover.htm

Digital Britain Report released
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2009/
digital_britain_report_released.htm