Visual radio: should we paint pictures with words, or pictures?

The dDAB project is investigating the possibility of making radio programmes more effective through the addition of visual information. It is being carried out by a consortium of commercial companies and the Impact Research Group at Loughborough University. A key feature of radio is that it can be appreciated whilst doing other things. It is critical not to destroy this unique feature by forcing listeners to watch a screen. However, there are a number of situations where visual information could be useful. The project has produced a number of programme examples including a documentary and an example of music radio, and developed a system to broadcast and receive these programmes over DAB. The technical solution enables highly flexible design of the visual information and precise synchronisation between the visual display and the audio. The value of the visual information and the performance of the technical solution is being assessed in listener trials