Experts on hand
If you don’t have the resource to produce RadioDNS Hybrid Radio yourself, you can use a service provider to do it for you. Find out more
Connecting broadcast radio and the internet
Hybrid Radio is the seamless combination of broadcast and IP technologies to create an experience of radio that is better than can be delivered by using either technology in isolation
Enhanced radio broadcast
Add content, meta data, interactivity and analytics to broadcast radio
Consistent experience
Switch automatically between broadcast radio and IP streaming to extend listening time
Reduce expense
RadioDNS is free for you to implement or incorporate into your device, and it’s based on existing internet technology
We help solve broadcast challenges wherever you’re starting from
For Broadcasters
Find out how to use hybrid radio to improve the listener and advertiser experience of your radio station
Get StartedFor Manufacturers
Deliver a state-of-the-art listening experience on your existing radio devices with open, royalty free technologies.
Get StartedFor Developers
Libraries, documentation and more in order to get RadioDNS-powered services up and running quickly in any size of organisation.
Get StartedEverything you need to deliver exceptional radio experiences
Our suite of technical standards, combined with our partners' support, makes implementing hybrid radio easy
Who does what in hybrid radio?
Our open standards means there’s a plurality of organisations involved with delivering hybrid radio from broadcasters to listeners. Find out more here.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you need any help or information don’t hesitate to contact us: feedback@radiodns.org
It’s free to use RadioDNS. There are no charges to broadcasters, manufacturers, listeners or technology providers to use our technical standards and DNS lookup, and there are no patents or licences on our technologies (to the best of our knowledge).
RadioDNS is entirely funded through membership fees paid by members. Members get access to better support and implementation tools, can define new technical standards, and control the direction of the organisation. They don’t get any preferential access to the DNS service, nor to any data from radio stations.
RadioDNS does these three things:
- Provide education, information and support about hybrid radio
- Define and maintain open technical standards for hybrid radio
- Operate DNS root server to enable the link between broadcast radio and IP
These are things we don’t do
- Hold, store, transfer or monitor any data – all data flows directly between radio station and receiver
- Actively participate in providing services to radio stations or manufacturers
- Publish the details of all the radio stations using RadioDNS
Our role is to enable hybrid radio, not participate in it.
No. We do not store any data from, or about, radio stations or their listening. All data is held by the radio stations, and provided directly to the radio receiver.
The majority of connected cars are either using, or will start using, RadioDNS to source accurate information about radio stations, including station logos. If you want to make sure your station is presented correctly in cars, then you should provide that data using our standards.
Audi, VW and Porsche implement seamless service following between broadcast radio and streaming. You need to make sure you are providing your streaming URLs as part of your SI (Service Information) to have this enabled.
RadioDNS can be implemented on any device that combines broadcast radio and internet technologies. As well as connected cars, RadioDNS has been implemented in Samsung mobile phones, tabletop radios and in home cinema systems.
Hybrid radio makes it possible to get insight into who is listening to your broadcast radio station. You can do this by:
- Looking at the log files of the server which is providing your SI file
- Using distinct URLs for the assets linked to from your SI file (e.g. logos, streaming URLs)
- Implementing visual slideshow and monitoring connections to your server.
Our new Analytics standard will give more detailed reporting of listening. You can also look at our HOWTO Guides for more suggestions on measuring listening using hybrid radio.
We can’t. We don’t hold any radio station data. Here’s our advice on what to do:
- Make sure you’re providing your up-to-date station logo using our standard – you can use our testing tool to check
- Some car manufacturers buy databases from third parties. We can’t update those databases. Contact the car manufacturer to find out who they use, and how to get it updated
- If you’re not able to contact the manufacturer, let us know, and we might be able to.