Drivers may like the simplicity of radio while on the road, and as new dashboard entertainment systems spring to life, carmakers are focused on keeping drivers happy on both fronts. Last week, the AutoTech: Connected Cockpit Digital Symposium made clear the continued importance of AM/FM to drivers.
Research shows that 71% of people worldwide still consume broadcast radio, but how that access looks in the car is different than in the past. Today, dashboard entertainment systems are not only offering new options like HD Radio, but Xperi Senior VP Jeff Jury says they are also improving the visual experience of radio listening.
“The radio has been around for many years, but it is evolving,” Jury said. “It’s still the main medium for most people. And that doesn’t mean it has to look like radio from 25 years ago. We can provide much more information that goes along with what’s being played over the air, and that experience becomes really next generation compared to what it was a few years ago.”
Even as the debate over the future of AM radio in the car continues, including whether Congress should require it, Hyundai is among the automakers that have unilaterally stuck with radio — AM and FM. Last year, Hyundai announced it has no plans to change radio availability in dashboards.
“Why are so many people still listening to such an older form of audio? One is the simplicity of it. All the stations are very well known. And then there is legacy,” said Dan Henderlong, Manager of the Infotainment Systems Software Team at Hyundai. “It’s been in there for such a long time, and that’s just what everybody is used to.” But he thinks as new technologies arrive in the dashboard, if radio is able to be there alongside streaming audio, it will increase the usability of the medium.
Jury thinks the lean-back experience of AM/FM as well as its simplicity will serve the medium, and drivers, well even as some new “bells and whistles” are added. “At the end of the day, the fact that you’re driving is what keeps it front and center in the dash,” he said. Xperi has conducted studies and found that AM is also still “pretty relevant” among drivers, especially in the U.S., where they turn to the band seeking news and sports programming. “It still has its place in the modern vehicle,” Jury said.
While EV makers have complained about how their batteries impact AM reception, Henderlong said there are also technological advantages. “The distance that AM provides when you compare it to FM, just makes it much more appealing,” he said.
Content Comes First In Future
As the radio and car industries move forward, Jury predicts broadcasters will embrace a more “content first” experience, with new receivers helping listeners more easily find the music they want. For instance, if they are seeking a Taylor Swift song, the receiver might send them to a radio station playing one of her songs or a station stream, or even an online audio service like Spotify.
“Consumers don’t want to pick and choose between systems or stations. What they want to do is have that content first,” Jury said. He believes it will also have a safety advantage since it won’t require hitting a bunch of buttons. “Not only do they get the experience they want, but they get in a much safer environment than if they have to move a lot of knobs and choose a lot of different sources to get all that content,” he continued.
For automakers like Hyundai, Henderlong said safety is a main concern. Until self-driving vehicles are further along, he thinks drivers will still benefit from the ability to click a physical button that allows them to tell the difference between the radio and the heater.
Jury agreed, explaining his experience with the auto industry has showed that while consumers always want more features, they also complain there are too many buttons to push. But voice commands will help address that, and artificial intelligence may also play a role.
Yet Henderlong says AI is “still just a tool” and is more likely to change how drivers interact with features, such as learning which station they prefer to listen to while on their way to work each morning. One of the challenges will be, however, how much data that the automaker has access to from the driver as privacy concerns remain part of the overall conversation. Henderlong said it is already “very much part of the discussion” at Hyundai.
“There’s a sliding scale on all this,” Jury said. While some drivers will seek limits, others will care less about privacy to get a content experience they like. “I think that’s going to be something that’s going to play out over the next few generations of vehicles,” he predicted.
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