DAB radios with an EPG and recording facility are very hard to find.
A few years ago, there were some radios on the market with these two features, but they have since been discontinued.
Television viewers are used to having an electronic programme guide (EPG) that lists forthcoming programmes across times and available channels.
They can also, with the appropriate box, record several programmes at the same time so they never need to miss anything.
With a smart TV you also have access to various catch up services.
On DAB radio, however, things aren’t quite so simple.
DAB Radios with an EPG
In January 2005, Pure Digital launched a trial of an EPG for its Bug DAB radio, announcing it as ‘the first radio with EPG support’.
The Bug also had pause and rewind features and allowed programmes to be selected from the EPG for scheduled listening or for recording to an SD memory card.
The Bug is now discontinued, as are other DAB radios that offered an EPG and recording function—the Pure Outlet Evoke-3 and the Roberts Record R, for example (although no EPG for the latter).
These products listed on Amazon but are shown as ‘currently unavailable’, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever be back in stock. They may, however, be available second-hand through eBay, Gumtree or similar sites.
There are several digital radios that allow you to record onto a USB or SD card, but they usually don’t allow you to program the radio to record specific programmes:
Recording Radio on a TV
There is undoubtedly some demand for an EPG and recording from DAB radios but it’s never been properly met.
Although DAB radios do provide much more information about the radio station and programme you’re listening to than analogue versions, they clearly don’t have the same screen space as televisions and so can’t provide the same level of detail.
Televisions obviously do have EPGs and, for many providers, that will include a range of radio broadcasts as well as the TV stations.
You could program your TV to record radio programmes if you have a personal video recorder (PVR).
You can record radio via Sky or with a Freeview PVR.
This gives you the option of listening to, recording and playing back selected radio shows but just not on an actual DAB radio.