https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/radio-owner-challenges-vw-over-on-screen-metadata
"The recent saga of AM and FM radio in cars usually comes down to whether or not it is included as an option, or to electric interference within the vehicle. But a new cease and desist letter ... .. highlights the potential visual alteration of metadata sent by stations, including via RDS and HD Radio. ... Ardman sent the letter, dated Nov. 7, to the Volkswagen Group of America and its subsidiaries, which include Porsche and Audi. ...
..metadata, Ardman said, often will attempt to match up currently playing artist and song title data to its own database, which he cited is often either inaccurate or outdated. “If the listener sees it, they hold us responsible,” Ardman said. ...
“It’s a slippery slope,” Ardman told Radio World. “Do automotive OEMs get to pick and choose which ads are sent out on the display? The actions of VW’s infotainment systems, Ardman argued, constitute constitute consumer deception, “unauthorized manipulation” of protected broadcast material and potential FCC rule violations....
I don't know what VW does in its entertainment systems, but I doubt they are manipulating the data.
I have some experience with RDS (I generate it via software for my Part 15 FM signal), and I can say that the technology itself is rather backward and error prone. The signal itself is digitally encoded in a very high frequency sub carrier (57 Khz). Its strength is a small fraction of the main signal, and you can easily lose data bits.
I know that if I could hear my FM signal several hundred meters, I could not reliably receive the RDS data unless I was really really close to the transmitter antenna, and parked (essentially just below my apartment on the street).
To blame VW for the technology is rather silly.
@artisan-radio I'm just relaying what the article is saying, which is that certain auto manufacturers like VW and Porsches infotainment system dashboards are blocking out HD Radio and RDS visuals and supplementing them with their own choices.
I understand that.
In the case of RDS, some radios don't even support it. So I'm not sure how radio stations can complain when RDS doesn't show up. And if a car company wanted to put their own messages up on a screen, whatever they are, how can that be stopped?
I haven't really looked into HD Radio, but I would imagine it would be similar to RDS. How can you force the manufacturer of a car radio to display all the messages being sent by a radio station?
I liken it to an audio player playing a digitally encoded music file. That file can contain a number of things, including album covers, lots of metadata such as year recorded, etc. It's the music player that decides what it will display out of all that data, not the creator of the file.
I understand that.
In the case of RDS, some radios don't even support it. So I'm not sure how radio stations can complain when RDS doesn't show up. And if a car company wanted to put their own messages up on a screen, whatever they are, how can that be stopped?
I think the point is that those specific auto manufacturers of new cars are responsible for somehow making it to appear the radio station itself is who's delivering those ads or whatever they are, and thus it's perceived as a reflection of the station, the radio stations consider it an infringement and a high highjacking of the content they intend to be received.
I can see their point. But I have no idea how the auto makers are implementing it.