Augmented Radio Services through the Synchronized Aggregation of Multimedia Streams in Hybrid Broadcasting – HYB-RADIO

Broadcast Radio is still the most heavily consumed media in France. But we have seen its listenership erode over the years, mostly due to the appearance of new usage patterns, competing means of access and an overall diversification of content and consumption, in part through the durable installation of the internet in our lives.

Whether to uphold the principles of broadcast radio (its free nature, its pluralism, its proximity & spontaneity) or to preserve it economical model (publicity), over-the-air channels now find themselves having to evolve and join in modernizing their usage patterns and means of access.

The upcoming switch to Digital Radio through the T-DMB standard opens the door to new strategies of enrich Radio content, named “augmented radio” herein, aiming to merge visual or interactive content, synchronously or asynchronously to a high-fidelity audio feed.

This project aims to further the actual push around Digital Radio and augmented radio, by prolonging the work and investment already conducted by radio stations and content producers, notably through new service, user testing, new content and broadcast optimisation. We will study in particular hybrid systems which associate a digital or analog over-the-air broadcast with enhanced contextual media sent over a connected environment such as 3G cellular networks or WiFi.

Our two main objectives are:
- developing hardware and software solution for hybrid broadcasting and reception, allowing us to demonstrate prototypes for near-future product lines.
- obtain a better understanding of emerging usage patterns in augmented radio thought creation of services.

In order to do this, we will meet challenges, including the absence of appropriate synchronization mechanisms for our hybrid model; and the absence of definitive studies of the uses of augmented radio, especially on the French market.

Our work will be split in 4 tasks (plus one coordination task)
1. Service Design, to analyze usage patterns and create new contents (visual, interactive, contextual, etc.)
2. Technological Development, of both broadcast and reception modules.
3. Integration and Demonstration of broadcast and reception prototypes
4. User Testing in the automotive, home and mobile contexts


Our final expected products are technological modules for each of broadcast and reception. Our expected scientifical output is a standard (ratified or not) for hybrid broadcasting of enhanced radio and a whitepaper report on usage patterns in such contexts.

We expect this project to lead to the creation of a new line of products for enhance radio, both on the provider and listener sides of the spectrum. Those products, whether alternatives or complements to T-DMB should be pivotal in the rejuvenation of the broadcast ecosystem.