First ITunes-Tagging HD Radios Hit Retail Shelves

From what we can tell, iBiquity is far more excited about their HD Radio technology than consumers are. With so many great music sources available at our fingertips, it's understandable that music fans aren't dying for improved fidelity from the radio stations we no longer listen to. The allure of conditional access to HD Radio programs ("pay-per-hear?") isn't much stronger.

Nonetheless, there's one HD Radio feature that could be of interest to people who listen to lots of radio and purchase music from iTunes. Apple's iTunes Tagging feature allows listeners to tag songs they've heard on HD Radio for later purchase on the iTunes music store.

The first such device is Polk's $500 I-Sonic ES2, now available in Apple stores and online. Alpine, JBL, and Sony have also committed to manufacturing iTunes Tagging-capable HD Radio sets. The feature apparently works by saving a wishlist to your iPod. The next time you sync the iPod to iTunes, you'll be presented with an option to purchase tagged songs.

As we've theorized before, the same sort of technology could eventually be applied to streaming music stations Apple could eventually stream to to iTunes, iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Here's the press release:

HD Radio™ Receivers with iTunes^®
Tagging Hit Retail

Polk I-Sonic ES2 is First; inApple Stores Now

Home/Office and Car HD RadioReceivers Anticipated
From Alpine, JBL and Sony

Columbia, Maryland__–__April 7, 2008 – iBiquity Digital Corporation, thedeveloper of digital HD Radio technology, today announced that the first HD
Radio receiver supporting revolutionary iTunes Tagging technology is availableat retail.
iTunes Tagging is only available on HD Radio receivers.

First up is PolkAudio’s I-Sonic®
Entertainment System 2 – now available at 170 Apple Store locations across thecountry as well as the AppleOnline Store, the Polk Audio Website and at select Best Buy stores in June. Serving “new media” customers,
the Polk Audio I-Sonic ES 2 is the first to allow listeners to buy songs heardon HD Radio broadcasts using revolutionary iTunes Tagging technology fromApple®.

The combination of iTunes Taggingand HD Radio broadcasts integrates the number-one way to discover music – radio – with the number-one way topurchase and management digital content – the iPod and iTunesstore.

The I-Sonic ES2, recipient of the2008 CES Innovations Award Honoree for Enabling Technologies, features the sameaudiophile-grade acoustic technologies that made the original I-Sonic one of thebest sounding table top music systems; however, the ES2 breaks new ground withits
iTunes Tagging functionality. This Polk device is the first iTunes Tagging HD
Radio receivers to come. Alpine, JBL and Sony have also announced that they willincorporate the technology in upcoming radios.

“iTunesTagging is an early example of the outstanding capabilities HD Radio technologywill enable beyond new multicast content and higher quality audio,” said BobStruble, president and CEO of iBiquity Digital, the developer of HD Radiotechnology. “Leading entertainment brands, like Polk and Apple, are embracing HD
Radio technology and creating the most advanced experience of the digitallifestyle.”

iTunes Tagging allows consumers to“tag” audio content while listening to an FM station’s HD Radio broadcast (HD1)
or HD2 or 3 multicast broadcasts and to later preview and purchase that contentafter syncing their iPod to iTunes. Broadcasters including CBS Radio, ClearChannel Radio, Cumulus, Cox, Entercom, Greater Media and others are currentlyimplementing iTunes tags within their HD Radio broadcasts.

Fora complete list of these subscription-free channelscurrently broadcasting in the U.S., please visit http://www.hdradio.com.

About HD RadioBroadcasting

HD Radio™ Technologyis the latest advance in broadcast radio, a medium chosen by more than 90
percent of the U.S. population each week. Listenerscan enjoy the local stations they love, now digitally enhanced in crystal-clearsound: FM is CD-like quality audio and AM sounds like FM, with no more static,
hiss, pops and fades. Creating an exciting variety of new stations, HD Radiomulticasting allows for more choice in music, news and sports on FM channels.
Heightening the experience, HD Radio Technology also puts real-time informationon receiver display screens like song title, artist, traffic and weather – allsubscription FREE. More than 1,600 stations in the U.S. arebroadcasting with HD Radio technology, along with more than 750 new multicast(HD2 and HD3) channels.