Digital radio is great and all, but its take up has been hindered by a lack of options of in-car devices. Toyota has announced the’re about to change all that, installing a DAB+ radio as standard in its Camry Atara SL model.
From the press release:
Australian built in Toyota’s Melbourne factory, the top-of-the-range Atara SL model ($39,990) includes digital radio as standard. The Atara SL combines digital radio with a 7-inch touchscreen display, a 10-speaker JBL sound system, a CD player, reversing camera, Bluetooth hands-free and music streaming, as well as auxiliary and USB ports.
It’s not going to change the world, and it’s certainly not going to overhaul digital radio take up on its own, but it’s a step in the right direction. Nice move, Toyota…
[via Mumbrella]
doofus
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 9:40 AMHow will you actually connect to the net? Will you need a dedicated 3G plan for your car??
Matt
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 9:45 AMThe net? Why would you need access to the net? Digital Radio is broadcasted just like FM or digital TV.
I would assume that the music streaming they refer to, is from the bluetooth device (i.e. Music from your iPhone).
Timmahh
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:23 AMActually that’s only true if you live in an area that has it broadcasting in the first place! Certainly most country towns don’t do it, and even in cities there aren’t that many choices at the moment. So having a dedicated wifi or 3G connection would be handy.
Sam
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:36 AMNot sure what use WiFi would be, unless you plan on sitting in your car in the garage to listen to internet radio (not recommended for those who aren’t suicidal); and 3G for audio streaming is perfect for those who have money to burn, and don’t go outside the ‘burbs.
Nah – I think Matt’s hit the nail on the head; and I’m sure there would be an analogue FM/AM tuner in there somewhere for (the many of) us who live outside DAB+ broadcast areas.
Timmahh
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 1:52 PMWifi would be good for tuning in to all those stations country people and everybody else don’t have access to otherwise! I do realise that it is limited by hotspot locations, maybe a sat connection as with GPS. Whatever..
maddogeco
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:00 AMFinally now i can listen the the ABC grandstand channel. Anybody know a good after market DAB radio?
TSH
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:00 AMAbout bloody time. Went to get a car stereo as a gift last year and was appalled that there were literally zero digital radio options. Where else to people listen to the radio, if not in their cars??
Neil
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:18 AMVery misleading title guys – it’s only standard on their top most spec. 95% of all Camry’s that leave the factory floor will never have DAB+ installed.
Sam
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:40 AMI’m inclined to agree, but the wording used on Toyota’s press release isn’t any less confusing. At the end of the day, they’re implying that DAB+ is included on all Camrys of the Atara SL trim level, without the need to request it as an optional extra.
Greg
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 4:12 PMTerrestrial radio is a joke. What this country needs is some government backing to launch satellite radio. Then we’ll see some real advancement.
Scott
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 8:35 PMThe introduction DAB has to be one of the most mismanaged waste of efforts I’ve seen for what should have been an obvious upgrade path for consumers.
Here’s and idea to those incompetents at the top of this pathetic debacle. If your going to release a new technology where the main benefit is the superior sound quality followed by some other benefits like getting info on the tracks being played etc then spending huge amounts of money on marketing only to have a small number of total shit quality product appear at the likes of Harvey Norman, Dick Smith etc is total joke. I went looking for DAB radios when it was launched and all I found in the electronics retailers were plasitcy pieces of crap with tiny shit speakers that completely undermined the reason for considering DAB. I couldn’t even find a DAB receiver to plug into my home entertainment system. That should have been the most obvious product to have ready because those most interested in it would have been the ones who wanted to take advantage of the better sound quality. The other obvious no brainer is that the car companies should have been brought on board BERFORE the launch to ensure new cars would getting DAB. The simple fact is that most of us only listen to the radio IN OUR CAR.
Just pathetic