Hardly - it's been around for some time, and really isn't catching on in the US. Part of the issue is that the general public in the US doesn't even know HF broadcasting exists, and the rest that do know it have little interest in it. DXers detest it due to the numerous sidebands DRM generates which wipes out any smaller, lower power station that happens to be in its path. It's the IBOC of HF....
It's being pushed more in Europe and Asia as a means to compete with the MW/FM market, which by comparison to the US market, is quite small. HF is far more accepted in these areas, and one of the most common complaints is that 'its not as clear as a FM signal....'
Well, technical issues such as bandwidth and receiver technology aside, HF is a completely different animal, and the average joe simply doesn't want to spend the time learning about it. DRM is an attempt to address the clarity issues; and while it has some limited appeal in those areas, the radios are, for the most part, too expensive for folks in the poorer Asian (and to a lesser extent, African) nations to even afford.
It's a giant boondoggle; there aren't even all that many DRM broadcasts beamed to North America. A lot of folks I know that DX avoid it like Superman avoids Kryptonite.
best regards...Mike
