Radioplayer launches world’s first hybrid Radioplayer app at Radiodays Europe

Paris is renowned for elegance and intelligence, so it’s appropriate that Michael Hill, Managing Director of Radioplayer, is launching a new “hybrid” version of the Radioplayer app at Radiodays Europe in the French capital today.

Developed for the world’s first mass-market smartphone with a DAB digital radio, the hybrid Radioplayer app will be automatically installed in LG Stylus 2 smartphones sold in the UK and Norway. Radioplayer developed the technology in collaboration with the International DMB Group (IDAG) and All in Media.

Capable of switching intelligently between broadcast DAB and streaming, the app uses the DAB technology in the LG chipset to scan for available free-to-air DAB stations in the background. When a listener selects a station, the app automatically plays the broadcast version if available. If the signal degrades as the phone moves around, the app switches to streaming and monitors the station on DAB in the background. Once the signal strengthens again, the app switches back to the free-to-air DAB feed.

So this ground-breaking hybrid approach delivers the best of both worlds: a “connected” interface with personalised favourites and recommendations, plus a robust “broadcast” audio engine that uses less data and battery power than streaming.

Michael Hill says: “Across the industry we’ve been experimenting with hybrid radio for several years now, so it’s great to see a mass-market smartphone that’s capable of powering it. I’m particularly proud that we’ve delivered the world’s first hybrid Radiplayer app and I’m looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned, so other apps and smartphones can adopt this capability.”

Find full press release here.