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Good quality sound, easy to use, under $100 - is that possible?
Price point under $100 rules out standalone Internet radios. Figure to spend upwards of $300 on a standalone Internet radio. The only way I know of to get Internet radio for that little money is to dedicate an old computer that you already own to this task.
Satellite radio will fit into your sub-$100 budget and have generally better sound quality, but it will come with a subscription fee that may cost you more than an Internet radio in the long run.
I am trying to work out what kind of hardware/unit/product I need, and I think it would probably be wi-fi internet radio.
I just want something shaped and sized like a normal radio unit.
Not subscription.
I have used my laptop until now but the signal drops out, the speakers are useless and it doesn't fit in my kitchen - I need a radio unit of some kind but am lost in the maze of products!
I have seen some in the $300 range but thought maybe the technology is getting cheaper....?
We still have until the year 2020 or so before the AM/FM radio signals switch to digital. Also, all you need to listen to international stations, including The BBC, is a multi-band receiver. Go to Radio Shack, and try some of their multi-band radios. A radio that has a jack for an outdoors or indoors antenna, in addition to the antenna it comes with, is best.
Also, you should be able to find used multi-band radios. Just try the radio first to see if it can receive the stations you want. Don't forget that an antenna you can string across a room in the house (or something like that) will bring stations from far away.
I have seen some in the $300 range but thought maybe the technology is getting cheaper....?
A big part of the cost of an Internet radio is not only the hardware but the licensing of the various streaming schemes. The manufacturer of the radio has to pay licensing royalties for MP3, Windows Media and Real Player formats to the companies and consortium that own those technologies. That adds a lot to the cost of the device. You're not going to see these go under $100 until they become very mass-produced.
I never thought I would like satellite radio either and I resisted buying one for years, until I finally caved in and bought an XM unit to try last year. I started out month-to-month on the subscription and ended up springing for the 12-month option to get the lower monthly cost. I like the choices it brings me so much that I don't mind paying the subscription fee.
As far as international broadcasts go, XM has the BBC world service and the audio quality is basically FM broadcast. Years ago, I was a shortwave listener and I spent countless hours listening to static-y weak signals. Satellite radio sound is infinitely better than what you get on shortwave.
A big part of the cost of an Internet radio is not only the hardware but the licensing of the various streaming schemes. The manufacturer of the radio has to pay licensing royalties for MP3, Windows Media and Real Player formats to the companies and consortium that own those technologies. That adds a lot to the cost of the device. You're not going to see these go under $100 until they become very mass-produced.
I never thought I would like satellite radio either and I resisted buying one for years, until I finally caved in and bought an XM unit to try last year. I started out month-to-month on the subscription and ended up springing for the 12-month option to get the lower monthly cost. I like the choices it brings me so much that I don't mind paying the subscription fee.
As far as international broadcasts go, XM has the BBC world service and the audio quality is basically FM broadcast. Years ago, I was a shortwave listener and I spent countless hours listening to static-y weak signals. Satellite radio sound is infinitely better than what you get on shortwave.
Id have to recommend a mobile XM receiver like this poster, just because its going to be cheaper upfront costs, your long term costs will be small, and you can just move it, and yourself and not have to worry about internet connections, etc.
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