Frontier-Silicon launches Venice 5.1 DAB+ module

Frontier-Silicon has launched a new DAB+ version of its Venice 5 module, called the Venice 5.1, and the original DAB-only module has been renamed the Venice 5.0. However, the Venice 5 was originally designed to support DAB+ anyway, and the only reason Frontier-Silicon has only been producing a DAB-only version up to now has been due to the DAB receiver manufacturers profiteering at consumers' expense, because they want people to buy two radios instead of one -- they want you to buy a DAB radio now, and once DAB+ stations launch in the UK they want you to buy another one, even though you would obviously only need to buy one if they produced DAB+-upgradeable models now. For more information about the receiver manufacturers deliberately delaying building DAB+ models, see this longer article on the subject. As I've explained in that article, the only additional cost to the receiver manufacturers for making a DAB+-upgradeable receiver is a pitiful 40 pence per radio!

One positive bit of news is in the following paragraph of the press release for the Venice 5.1:

Because the Venice 5.1 is electronically and mechanically compatible with the Venice 5.0, this means that all of the models that are currently using the 5.0 version could simply switch to using the 5.1 version without having to make any changes to the design of the receiver.

I also spoke to Frontier-Silicon about a month ago, and they told me that they were planning on switching to only producing the DAB+ 5.1 version of the Venice 5 at some point next year, so that would sort out the lack of DAB+ models in the shops, and there will be a wide range of DAB+ models available later this year in time for Australia, Switzerland and Germany launching DAB+ services, although this in no way lets the profiteering receiver manufacturers off the hook for deliberately profiteering at the expense of UK consumers in the way that they have been doing.

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