Insignia NS-HD01: first-ever portable HD Radio on sale at Best Buy

Remember that first-ever portable HD Radio prototype we peeked back in May? Turns out Best Buy just let loose the real-deal, today announcing immediate availability of the Insignia NS-HD01. Needless to say, the big box retailer and supporters of HD Radio alike are hoping that this subscription-free player will finally put some much-needed wind behind the sails of the format, and while it's pretty simple in nature, the sub-$50 price tag could place it squarely in the "impulse buy" category. The relatively brief specs list includes a color LCD, rechargeable Li-ion battery, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a bundled armband and ten user-selectable preset memory channels. You can catch the full release after the break, and the player itself in your nearest Best Buy.

Gallery: Insignia NS-HD01: first-ever portable HD Radio on sale at Best Buy

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Best Buy® Releases First-Ever Portable HD Radio Receiver

Insignia™ HD Radio™ Portable Player Provides Digital HD Radio Broadcasting On the Go

MINNEAPOLIS – Today, Best Buy announced the launch of the Insignia™ HD Radio Portable Player, a first-of-its-kind product innovation, which will be available exclusively at Best Buy on July 12.

HD Radio technology is transforming the radio experience in ways never thought possible. It enables FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally, ensuring that listeners will experience clear reception with no audio distortion. Digital broadcasting allows listeners to access – for free – new HD Radio channels and more programming than ever before.

As the first-ever portable HD Radio player, the Insignia HD Radio Portable Player will make it easy for listeners to take the exceptional HD Radio experience on the go. The player offers new and extra FM HD Radio channels with crystal-clear, static-free sound, allowing listeners to take
the ultimate sound experience to the gym or for a jog anywhere there is an HD Radio signal.

"The sound quality and LCD screen features of the Insignia HD Radio portable are phenomenal," said Mike Dahnert, Insignia Portable HD Radio product manager. "Best Buy is proud to be the first to bring such a unique and quality product to our customers."

"We applaud Best Buy for setting a precedent in the audio entertainment marketplace by offering the first-ever portable HD Radio receiver," said Bob Struble, President and CEO of iBiquity Digital Corporation, the developer of digital HD Radio technology for AM/FM audio and data broadcasting. "With new HD2/HD3 digital channels, crystal-clear sound, no subscription
fees, and now, thanks to Best Buy, the ability to take digital radio on the go, it's a total win for the consumer and one more indication that the HD Radio momentum is continuing."

The built-in, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery on the Insignia HD Radio Portable Player ensures long periods of continuous listening and entertainment, and a full-color LCD screen makes it simple to program your favorite preset stations at any time. A stylish armband and a 3.5 mm jack output make it easy to use the player on the go or in your car. Set up to 10 user-selectable preset memory channels to save and enjoy your favorite stations wherever you go. For a full list of HD Radio stations, visit http://www.hdradio.com.

MSRP – $49.99

Features:

• 10 station presets
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (up to 10 hours of playing time)
• 3.5mm output (can be used with car stereo [cable not included])
• Full color display
• Displays radio station, artist, and song
• 1.5" LCD screen

Accessories included:
Earphones, Armband, USB cable for charging

Package contents:
Earphones, Armband, USB cable, User guide and Quick Set Up Guide

[Binja @ Jul 12th 2009 12:08AM]

I have a portable HD radio in my garage and another in my house. Ones from Sony, the other from Memorex. I bought both of them at Best Buy during there fathers day sale.

Thanks for the commercial though.

[Nicola @ Jul 12th 2009 12:10AM]

the gloss-effect-to-sell-more is so attractive

[Jason @ Jul 12th 2009 1:37AM]

Although, when you see it in person, it'll be a piece of shit matte black product that was built by an 8 year old employee at Best Buy.

[Gad Get @ Jul 12th 2009 2:16AM]

That is one of the worst professional photoshops I have ever had the displeasure of beholding!

[AbbasJin @ Jul 12th 2009 2:20PM]

just came to comment on the n00bish glass effect. damn you've hired some real 'shoppin professionals Insignia.

[DaveZatz @ Jul 12th 2009 4:37PM]

I bit the bullet and picked one up. It's actually not bad looking, though the shiny plastic was immediately covered in fingerprints.

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2009-07/best-buy-launches-first-portable-hd-radio-i-gots/

[GadgetGeek @ Jul 12th 2009 6:33PM]

I thought the armband was the selling point... looks like one of those blood pressure readers.

[seriousam7 @ Jul 12th 2009 12:11AM]

I think it's fairly safe for me to predict that no one's gonna comment about the Zune HD being ugly after seeing THOSE pictures.

[Jason @ Jul 12th 2009 1:39AM]

Omg!1!!1!@ its so pretty i must buy!!! ZOMG

[Nick @ Jul 12th 2009 12:12AM]

If I'm not mistaken, the Zune HD has an HD radio in it....

[lawyer bird @ Jul 12th 2009 1:18AM]

I don't think anyone said the Zune HD was ugly per se, just that engadget posted some hurried and unflattering pictures..you know because they were working on that anti-MS bomb.

[lawyer bird @ Jul 12th 2009 1:18AM]

damn. meant for the above comment.

[morcheeba @ Jul 12th 2009 1:36AM]

True, but it's not for sale until the fall.

[konshuss @ Jul 12th 2009 4:01AM]

At best 'HD Radio' is a feature left to the back sections of your portable device, and not worth getting a dedicated product. What, you think those annoying 'back and forth arguing couple' commercials will sound better with an equalizer effect over it?

[Frankenstein Black @ Jul 13th 2009 1:39PM]

Exactly! HD radio is an add on (not a stand alone device). And a lame, commercial filled one at that! MEH!!

[Clinton Neal @ Jul 12th 2009 12:12AM]

My computer plays HD radio fine. And so do the 3 old ones I have. No need for an appliance style one.

[Josh @ Jul 16th 2009 2:58PM]

You keep using that word (HD). I do not think it means what you think it means.

[Rudy @ Jul 12th 2009 12:13AM]

hello circa 2001 rio mp3 player

[avstryker @ Jul 12th 2009 12:17AM]

AWSOME ... now I can get 40 minutes of commercials ever hour in HD Clarity.
I can hardly wait.YAWN.....

[fever @ Jul 12th 2009 12:28AM]

Apparently you don't listen to the radio very often.

[James @ Jul 12th 2009 1:41AM]

Radio? You mean that thing in my car which hasn't been turned on since i ran an rca cable from the back of cd player to my ipod?

[Karl @ Jul 12th 2009 9:44AM]

If you knew jack $h1t about HD Radio, you would know that there are actually commercial-free, cost-free stations.

[hecklerz @ Jul 12th 2009 4:20PM]

@Karl
I think you're confusing HD radio with Satellite (XM. etc) radio in your ill-informed rant. HD radio on my local stations are just better sounding versions of regular programming, morning show, music, AND commercials. Look before you leap into asshat canyon....

[THizzle7XU @ Jul 12th 2009 6:26PM]

@hecklez

Actually, the secondary HD stations are commercial free so far(aka 93.2-2, 93.2-3, etc). So Karl is totally right.

HD Radio is cool, but so far they really need to up the power of the signal as being more than 20 miles from the tower makes the station impossible to listen to with the digital cliff where an analog station might just have a little fuzz. I know there is talk to make the analog/digital power ratio 90/10 instead of 99/1 on the towers. It needs it bad.

[fever @ Jul 13th 2009 12:12AM]

@hecklerz:
One of the HD channels of one of my local stations is all stand-up comedy, all the time. Uncensored, usually, it seems, as well.

[Cold Bitter Truth @ Jul 12th 2009 12:26AM]

This will be AWESOME when I decide to drive 90 mins to Knoxville which has maybe 2 stations broadcasting HD! It will be well worth the um... oh yeah, never mind. waste of money to listen to shit I don't want to hear in the first place... doesn't matter if it's in HD or not. Radio plays a bunch of sucky ass music anyways!

[Cold Bitter Truth @ Jul 12th 2009 12:27AM]

oh yeah, I love the fake ass glare they put on it... looks like they used the same layer for both the front and back! it's a shame you have to photoshop your own product to make it look better, but only failing miserably.

[10minutehobo @ Jul 12th 2009 1:32PM]

You love it? I think it's quite tacky.

[Cold Bitter Truth @ Jul 12th 2009 11:02PM]

You might want to google "define:sarcasm"
I think that might help you understand my comment a bit more this time around than your first go at it.

[10minutehobo @ Jul 13th 2009 1:14AM]

Ditto.

[Windhawk @ Jul 12th 2009 12:40AM]

This will be a great way to add in CH2 and CH3 of NPR to my outdated and non-replaceable car radio. Thanks!

[James Burley @ Jul 12th 2009 12:47AM]

I wish HD really meant hi def in this case. Oh well, back to my sinking Sirius XM.

[NeoK-182 @ Jul 12th 2009 3:00AM]

actually event though it means Hybrid Digital instead of High Definition the quality difference is amazing. I have a Pioneer HD Radio in my car and the quality from regular FM to HD is amazing. HD-Radio is easily CD quality for all songs. It's almost like listening to songs off my Zune/USB drive.

[Polarbear @ Jul 12th 2009 1:01AM]

This will be purrrfect for my DISCO STICK>

[Ranger Rick @ Jul 13th 2009 8:50AM]

hahahahaha

[Richard Glitter @ Jul 12th 2009 1:22AM]

I don't know much about the new HD radio format. I realize the motivation to have a clean digital signal, but what happens when you have a spotty signal? If you live somewhere with mountains, stations go in and out a lot, but just momentarily and they get static-y. With this, will the station just not work at all unless you have a perfect clean signal?

[Michael Scrip @ Jul 12th 2009 1:34AM]

>> "I realize the motivation to have a clean digital signal, but what happens when you have a spotty signal?"

At that point you would plug in your iPod or other digital music player.

YOU choose what to listen to... not some corporate radio station!

[Richard Glitter @ Jul 12th 2009 1:42AM]

Michael,

I do agree with you in terms of content. I don't listen to the radio for much beyond NPR.

I guess we're years and years from a possible transition to digital-only radio, so its really a non-issue, but radio provides public safety information for severe weather alerts and communications in disaster-struck areas, etc.

[Jeremy W @ Jul 12th 2009 2:08AM]

With HD Radio, if the digital signal is too weak, it will switch to analog. One problem with this is the fact that many times, the analog signal is out of sync with the digital signal. Stations have to properly configure a delay for the analog signal in order to avoid this, and many times they just don't bother. So if you're in a fringe signal area, it can get pretty annoying.

[Richard Glitter @ Jul 12th 2009 2:19AM]

@Jeremy W

interesting, thanks for the insight.

[Brian Rose @ Jul 12th 2009 1:45AM]

I have a tabletop HD radio, with a strong antenna, not far from the broadcast transmitters of most New York City HD stations. Reception is, at best, spotty. I can only imagine what it will be like with a portable unit, with a cheap built-in antenna. And as a previous post noted, HD radio does not mean "high definition." The sound suffers greatly when compared to a good FM analog signal.

[Keepskatin @ Oct 9th 2009 10:23PM]

To Brian Rose HDradio does mean High Definition.Hd radio provides CD quality audio,and analog signal can never compare to that.If you live in a metropolitan area the more HD stations you will find.Most HD channels are the same as analog but in CD quality,and some channels are completely new,available only in HD signal.

[Murc @ Jul 12th 2009 2:06AM]

My first HD radio will be a Zune...not this thing.

Although, I just looked into HD radio...and found out that where I live, their is only 2 HD radio stations...and their both classical. :(

[Alex @ Jul 12th 2009 2:24AM]

I dunno, I think I'm gonna get one tomorrow, I have $50 in BB gift cards, and nothing to do with them before now. It can't be that bad, Insignia is an awful brand, but meh, the only other things I could get at BB for $50 would be DVDs.

[TVGenius @ Jul 12th 2009 2:46AM]

I won a desktop HD radio recently but still haven't unpacked it because none of my local stations do HD.

This thing makes the first gen Slacker portable look like a work of art.

[NeoK-182 @ Jul 12th 2009 3:01AM]

I'm slightly upset that the Zune HD will not be the first HD-Radio player anymore. But this is a good deal for $50 and anyone who wants a portable radio should go for it. Glad to see it actually come out and with good battery life as well. Guess with 10 hours in this thing won't have to be too worried about the HD-radio in the ZuneHD with the tegra and OLED screen helping the battery life.

[cruz @ Jul 13th 2009 4:19AM]

that tegra chip should actually help the battery life of the ZuneHD.

[MoFoQ @ Jul 12th 2009 3:05AM]

ok...so what?
what's the point of a player if the content isn't there?
Especially in the SF Bay Area where there's too many f*cking Clear Channel stations and they keep changing stations to bullcrap (because they said "market research" says they should).

In fact, if KKSF was still playing jazz instead of "Classic Rock," then I would have been tempted but no....the thugs at CC thought that the area didn't have enough classic rock stations (there were 2-3 in place and KKSF was the only jazz station...clearly a monopoly wasn't good enough)

[Bruce @ Jul 12th 2009 3:32AM]

...USB cable? For what, charging? Something like this should include a wall adapter, not depend on a computer's power.

[dj @ Jul 12th 2009 5:30AM]

You are kidding right!!!! USB charging is the only thing I will buy now! All I need is one more proprietary plug in transformer, NOT!!!!!!! Besides they have wall plug in adapters that have a usb cable charger available. It is all about STANDARDS. Be gone with all the different connectors! Sorry for the rant but I've been hoping for the day we don't need a different cable for every friggin electronic device I own, and that is a lot.....