The dashboard is the most critical piece of turf for terrestrial radio, though other forms of portability remain important.  This week, Best Buy and Insignia joined forces to introduce the first portable, HD-compatible receiver.

Best Buy confirmed a sub-$50 price tag for the Insignia NS-HD01, potentially the first of several similar receivers.  Actually, Best Buy already offers a number of tabletop and aftermarket dashboard units, from Insignia, Denon, JBL, Sony, Alpine, Jensen, JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony and Yamaha.

So who cares?  Actually, that is a realistic question for consumers, and a major concern for the traditional radio industry.  The HD format, an antidote to satellite radio, remains a relative darkhorse despite serious marketing expenditures.  But technologies like these have a tendency to creep up on consumers, especially as the hardware replacement cycle continues.  Instead of monthly fees, HD means multiple, digitally-transmitted stations for free, a serious competitive advantage in stressed economic periods. 

At present, there are roughly 2,000 HD stations in the United States, and about 1,000 H2 and H3 sister frequencies.