While the consumer response has been chilly so far to “HD” radio, Sony has entered the market with their first radio, the XDR-Se3HD. Expecting to hit retail shelves in July for $200, it will also feature normal “clock radio” features, plus there is a jack that can be used for your MP3 player (or dare I say, Sirius radio).

For those of you that have no idea what HD radio is here’s a primer:

Free, over the air, “approaches” CD quality, HD stands for “Hybrid Digital” not High Definition. You can listen to 3 “streams” per radio station. Ex a Rock station can also send say a talk radio stream, and a classical stream on the same frequency

Pluses:
- It’s Free, over the air.. no extra subscription.
- 1300 radio stations available nationwide plus regular AM/FM stations
- A Very nice classic rich cherry looking design.

Minuses:
- Quality and choice of HD radio just isn’t as good as Satellite Radio, it’s still old school boring radio.
- The style, while nice may not fit into today’s living room that is mostly either black or silver in color.
- sound quality could be better

Hit or Miss >> Must Have Rating (out of 5)

3.5 - Hit!. If you are interested in HD radio, this Sony seems to be a nice unit, but make sure it will fit in with your other electronic decor.