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"Er no, I wouldn't, based on the evidence that they apperently don't "concider" anything of the sort."

Evidence please, now you have me interested. Not to say or even defend those that develop products, I know there have been a few things, electronics wise, that I've gone 'What in the hell were they (not) thinking?'. But, that phrase has surprisingly become rare. Unless you count my remarks when I got my MiFi.

Thanks in Advance for the info.

It's coming!!

XM started a new service call XM navtraffic which beams traffic information to cars via their satellites. The system is currently available in 20 metro areas. From what I understand, it will be a subscription based service.

The GPS systems that use navtraffic can tell you how long you trip will take with traffic and how long a proposed detour would take. Very cool.

The 2005 Acura RL was the first car to have this available.

More info here
http://acura.com/models/model_comfort_realtime.asp ?module=rl/

and here
http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/pr_2004_04_ 07_2.html

Heck, give that a few years to equalize, and you may be right!

p.s. ok tepples, time for bed! :)

1. All the channels (some are premium) Stern is talking about making a premium channel.
3. No discounts offered if you pay annually OR add other receivers to your account. Wrong and wrong. See XM
In addition, XM has a reputation for a larger play list than Sirius.

Anybody know if this is possible, even with modified equipment?

I know the service is sold only to those in the US; however, news articles I read seem to indicate that it could be picked up (at least, at some point) from Perth:

http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/press_relea se_2001_05_08.html

I'm in Adelaide, FYI.

Satellite radio is kind of like cable tv. I mean why would I want to pay for all those cable channels, when I can pick up these two nice local channels for free?!

http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.js p?ch=133

Election coverage, including CNN, is another good reason to get an XM-Radio. Sirius is also good.

It doesn't look like this unit comes with an internal antenna, in fact it looks to come with an indoor and an outdoor antenna as well as the docking setup for each.

It includes a home and car setup (with associated antennas, yes) but also has the "First-ever built-in XM antenna" (see the bottom of this page.)

It has an NPR station now. Or at least a "public radio" station. XM 133, "XM Public Radio." Check out the details here . Not sure if it has actual NPR, but it has the WBUR feed which is equally bor-- er, entertaining.

XM Radio has every reason to push MyFi, in its press release, it mentioned "MyFi is a revolutionary product that dramatically expands XM Radio's appeal and potential subscriber base". The easier it is to listen to their contents, the more subscribers they will get.

$349.99 is a bit pricey, but with enough advertisements/sponsors etc, they might even be able give it away for free??

I wonder if any other company is going come out with a competiting product (like TiVo vs MythTV)? Might be another lawsuit in the making. And how about time-shifting local radio station? There are times when you want to skip some ads, or probably pre-record some live converstion before you head into a no-reception area.

You obviously haven't done any looking around have you? Almost every store that sells XM sell the exact unit you want (i.e. the one I have). It allows you to move it in and out of your car and to another car or in your home etc.

Try:
SkyFi

XM already has constantly repeating (and commercial free) traffic and weather stations for the larger metro areas.

If you are someplace small enough not to be represented, you probably don't need a traffic report anyways!

http://www.xmradio.com/programming/neighborhood.js p?hood=traffic/

XM Radio Online was launched on monday... i think this was meant as a replacement for it.

Recently, after the death of the XMPCR, XM announced that they will broadcast the signal to your computer for an extra $3.99 ($7.99 if you don't already have a player) a month. Sounds like they killed XMPCR to make more money... http://www.xmradio.com/xstream/XM info

I don't think this would work, actually.

XM's data stream is encrypted. I have no inside knowledge of the matter other than the fact that I'm a paying subscriber to the service. That said, I imagine that what's sent down to your receiver every so often is the crypto keys required to decrypt the audio channels (I'd guess one key per channel or service tier, to allow for premium services, sports blackouts, etc.).

Since this audio decryption key is going to be the same for every radio, it's further encrypted against a unique key in the radio. Your radio receives a broadcast containing its serial number and an encrypted key. I wouldn't be surprised at all if there were actually multiple keys sent, along with validity periods (use this key until time X, then this key until time Y, etc.). Your radio then uses its unique key to decrypt the shared keys, and stores them away in its memory.

Providing multiple keys in advance makes things a lot easier when you can't guarantee that a particular receiver will be on to receive the key; if you provide enough keys in advance and cycle through them slowly enough (say, one per week), you can be sure that most radios in regular use will get an updated key set before that key goes into use.

The problem with leaving an XM radio off for a long period of time is that you'll miss these key updates. While the radio may not have been specifically deactivated, the lack of any valid decryption keys is basically the same thing in the end. If you miss the deactivation signal, you can listen so long as you have valid keys. But if I were architecting the security of XM's system, I'd have arranged things so that the "deactivate now" signals are sent periodically for at least as long as the end of the validity period for the longest-lived key available when the receiver was unsubscribed. So, if you listen while your keys are still valid, chances are good that you'll get deactivated by having your crypto keys overwritten. If you aren't listening, this can't happen, of course--but you also don't have access to the signal.

For legitimate subscribers: if you DO happen to lose service on an infrequently-used radio because it didn't receive an activation signal in a long time, XM has a web page that will let you cause the relevant data for your radio to be sent quickly, rather than waiting for it to roll around in periodic update cycle.

Phil

Ok...XMPCR is a means to steal, because you agreed not to make derivatives....

You pay for a service to listen to the broadcast in a digital format, and then want to record it just like ripping the cd's.

The fee you paid was not to use the media as you see fit, when you see fit, it was agreed that you listen to it AT THE TIME IT WAS BROADCAST or record on you PC. It says you cannot reproduce or create "derivatives" such as MP3's. --> "You may not otherwise reproduce, perform, distribute, display or create derivative works from the Content."

But the slashdot thieves will argue that they have some sorta 'right' to steal it and 'share' it....

Get over it already. I stopped buying cd's due to the cost, and the DRM crap the producers started to use that blocked a cd from playing on the only player I had, the PC. I did not turn to theft to express 'a point' with them. Stealing is stealing, you can equate it how ever you want, but 1+1=2...

If you want the right to record the media, then you have to use a FREE service, such as common radio. Paying for the privilage to use the XM radio broadcast contains an agreement not to pirate it read it here

Now stop the whiny whines, suck it up, and accept that if you steal, and get caught, you pay the fine according to the law, orrrrr, don't steal.

Here is the official definition of what it is, picture and all.

Basically, XM canned this because people were recording the stream and distributing it over the web. Since XM is a premium service, they didn't want their shows being disseminated over the web so they have cancelled this product and will most likely create something new that is less easy to record from, although I'm sure it won't be impossible for the 1337 hackers out there.

XMPCR

Check this out.

Sirius and XM Radio are not the same company. They're competitors.

Sirius is the one that Stern will be on, which I presume is quite a victory for them.

xm has bbc too.

Opie and Anthony

From Sirius' Corporate Page, you can find out that Sirius has a partnership with ClearChannel too.

From XM's corperate page: XM Does for Radio what Cable and Satellite Did for TV:

Beyond AM. Beyond FM. It's XM - Radio to the Power of X: Radio has just taken a quantum leap into the future. With over 120 channels in 2004 of music, news, sports, comedy and talk, nationwide coverage and digital-quality sound, XM Satellite Radio -- the #1 digital satellite radio service in the U.S. -- is unleashing a radio revolution in cars and homes across the country. Part rocket science, part rock n' roll, it will change forever the way you hear radio. XM's support runs wide and deep, with strategic investors including America's leading car, radio and satellite TV companies -- General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications, and DIRECTV.

XM is as big a part of the monopoly as any other radio station.

O&A are coming to XMradio. Might be worth it to get the stream service so you can listen to them at work... [with the volume turned down ;-]

Is XM Radio available over the Internet?
XM Satellite Radio is an entertainment service delivered to cars and homes via satellite. Although we do plan on continuing to use the Internet to provide samples of our audio, our over 120 channel lineup is only available using dedicated XM hardware. (Additionally, the state of Internet streaming technology and limited consumer bandwidth would necessarily degrade the clarity and quality of our service.) If you'd like to sample XM, please visit http://channels.xmradio.com/ and listen in.

http://www.xmradio.com/faq/help_sub.jsp?id=32&off= 0&pgSize=10#3

Is XM Radio available over the Internet?
XM Satellite Radio is an entertainment service delivered to cars and homes via satellite. Although we do plan on continuing to use the Internet to provide samples of our audio, our over 120 channel lineup is only available using dedicated XM hardware. (Additionally, the state of Internet streaming technology and limited consumer bandwidth would necessarily degrade the clarity and quality of our service.) If you'd like to sample XM, please visit http://channels.xmradio.com/ and listen in.

http://www.xmradio.com/faq/help_sub.jsp?id=32&off= 0&pgSize=10#3

Yeah, right, but when is a big company like XM gonna cater to the demands of their fans and customers....

Yeah, right, but when is a big company like XM gonna cater to the demands of their fans and customers....

Yeah, right, but when is a big company like XM gonna cater to the demands of their fans and customers....

The Xenarc screens are supposed to be better than the Lilliput screens FWIW. I've purchased a 7inch version with vid capability as well as VGA for under $400 off of EBAY.

I've been looking into this in order to monitor what's going on with my car's standalone EFI system. Since that EFI system's software allows me to build "dashboards" I can do LOTS of interesting displays. I have been collecting URLs and you can see pics of other's progress and discussion here -> http://forum.aempower.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=9604

Some URLs I've collected in no distinct order or organization:

http://www.logisysus.com/catalog/product_info.php? cPath=74&products_id=189
http://logisysus.com/catalog/product_info.php?prod ucts_id=334
http://www.kingyoung.com.tw/s620.htm
http://littlepc.com/
http://www.diamondsystems.com/
http://www.viaarena.com/
http://www.media-car.fr.st/
http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/index/Griffi n_RadioSHARK_AM-FM_Radio.htm
http://www.xmradio.com/xmpcr/ (I bought one, have added optical output, and have purchased TimeTrax!)
http://www.hauppauge.com/html/wintvpvr usb_datashee t.htm> (have one on the way, thanks EBAY!)
http://store.karpc.com/cat-LCD-Touch-Screen--lcdmo nitor.htm
http://www.mp3car.com/
http://www.soundblaster.com/products/audigy2NX/
http://www.carbotpc.com/products/
http://www.powerstream.com/DC_PC.htm
http://www.powerstream.com/mini-itx.htm
http://www.media-car.fr.st/
http://drivesoft.net/
http://www.gnetcanada.com/
http://www.lighttek.com/talisman.htm
http://skylab.org/~chugga/mpegbox/MPBS1/
http://www.compucar.be.tf/
http://www.autonode.com/ig710specs.html?
http://www.trc12volt.com/
http://www.intraplexcorp.com/tx3.asp
http://www.sfftech.com/
http://www.mini-itx.com/store/
http://www.dashmatics.com/forum/faq.php

Hopefully some of those will be of help to others considering this sort of thing, I'd be interested in working with others to research this! My plans are to mock up something with the touchscreen and front-end software working with the WINTV, XM PCR, my MP3 collection, GPS mapping, the RLTC software, and my AEM datalogging software. IF it works well (or even halfway well) THEN I'll buy hardware to put IN the car. No sense spending the money if the interface turns out to suck or be too distracting while driving. I'll likely be able to play DVDs too but honestly that's pretty se

I'm willing to bet that the XM Direct box is EXACTLY the same as the XM PCR, but with a different outer box and connectors. They're both $49.99 and about the same size... Possibly the xmdirect isn't even using USB but is rs232. It makes sense when you realize that the XM USB driver is really just a USB-serial driver.

The $50 "aftermarket adapter" boxes just interpret the control signals from your car stereo and translate them to the same protocol that TimeTrax and the XM PCR software use.

If this is the case, then all you'd need to hook the xm direct up to your PC is a cable with the right ends on it.

Pretty sloppy reporting. XM's PC interface still available. xmradio.com/xmpcr/ I bought a couple yesterday.

I mean, that's great that Ryan Morris, owner of XMfan.com and one of those selling PCRs on eBay, says they're discontinued. But, why would XM possibly do that?

There's obviously a demand now. They haven't taken the site down. I'm not sold on the idea that this is the end of the product line. Maybe there's something similar coming out, maybe they just need to manufacture some more.

TimeTrax certainly was not the first (or at the least, not the only) software to offer XM to MP3 ripping with the PCR.

since one of XM's primary investors is ClearChannel, burglar of musical culture. That's why I bought Sirius Satellite Radio, which has comparable programming.

I'm still shocked that Howard Stern, now-perennial ClearChannel hater, is even entertaining the notion of going to XM...

Since our air waves are ruled by the CRTC overlords, when did they allow XM to sell it's services.

Both Sirius and XM Radio have put in an application with the CRTC to offer satellite radio service in Canada. While it's currently grey market (ie: signup via their websites with a bogus US mailing address) here in Canada, there are more and more Canadians signing up. In fact I just recently bought a JVC PNP tuner to listen to Sirius (which has WAY better signal coverage in Canada than XM, and IMHO superior programming) and have convinced some friends to buy receivers, all of which are happy new satellite radio listeners.

Seriously though, why would anyone want to record and save music off either XM or Sirius? Satellite radio has the sound quality 'better than FM' but far inferior to CD quality. Besides, it would fall under fair use in Canada, where our judges still respect what that means.

e rvice.html</a>

Section b:
"b) Use Limitations.
You may not reproduce, rebroadcast, or otherwise transmit the programming, <i>record the programming</i>, charge admission specifically for the purpose of listening to the programming...." (Emphasis mine)

So, it's against the Terms Of Service of the subscriber...thus, the reason legal action is probably going to be taken...

About Us - Press Room - Login ... Please call Jennifer Markham (202) 380-4315. Contact Information. Press Contact: Chance Patterson, VP Corporate Affairs chance.patterson@xmradio.com. ... www.xmradio.com/newsroom/ - 15k - Cached - Similar pages

Hell, even Tivo is more enlightened than this.

Let them know what you think....

b) Use Limitations.
You may not reproduce, rebroadcast, or otherwise transmit the programming, record the programming, charge admission specifically for the purpose of listening to the programming, or distribute play lists of the programming. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 9*, we or any of our programming partners may prosecute violations of the foregoing against you and other responsible parties in any court of competent jurisdiction, under the rules and regulations of the FCC, and other applicable laws. Subscription to the Service does not grant you the right to use any of our or our partners' trademarks.

So - does this trump Fair Use or what? Obviously complicated by the whole Canada thing - but what about here?

9. RESOLVING DISPUTES.

In order to expedite and control the cost of disputes, you agree that any legal or equitable claim relating to this Agreement, or the Service (referred to as a "Claim") will be resolved as follows:

c) Exceptions.

Notwithstanding the foregoing:

any dispute over the validity of either party's intellectual property rights or our licenses to operate our business;

any Claim based on Section 9(b) above; and

any dispute involving a violation of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 605, or the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, may be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Rumor was that the new SkyFi 2 was going to have USB connectivity built into the home cradles to provide XMPCR functionality. Now though, it seems like this will go away, which is a real shame. Also, the USAtoday article says that the most of the current radios cannot be hooked up to the computer, which is just wrong. Anything you can hear, can be recorded.
My question is, it seems pretty obvious to me that someone was going to do this, so why release the PCR at all? My guess is that they didn't want to offer online streaming like Sirius and wanted to pick up extra subscriptions for PCRs. Look what that got them. In any case, XM has a neat product and is doing well.

From the XM site itself...

The XM PCR revolution is in full effect. Across the XM Nation, we're excited to see independent developers creating fantastic new versions of the XM PCR software for a wide range of platforms including Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows.

So they want people to come up with creative software to use the XM PCR unit, but just not this way?...

It is possible, however, to use inclined orbits to provide good coverage at high latitudes, including the poles. You'll need multiple satellites to provide continuous coverage, though. It's my understanding that the South Pole links use retired geostationary satellites that have run out of stationkeeping propellant. Without stationkeeping, solar and lunar perturbations increase the orbital inclination, the angle between the orbital plane and the equator, which is nominally zero for a geostationary satellite. This causes the satellite to move in a north-south figure-8 pattern, making it visible for part of each day at each pole.

Two good examples of satellites in orbits specifically designed to provide good high latitude coverage are the Russian Molniya series and the new Sirius digital radio broadcasting satellites. (Sirius' competitor XM Radio uses conventional geostationary satellite orbits.)

Both Molniya and Sirius use elliptical orbits with inclinations of about 63 degrees. At this inclination, the effect of the earth's oblateness on the orbital argument of perigee is canceled out. That means the apogee (farthest point from the earth) will always occur at the same latitude, which in these two cases is selected to be the northernmost point of the orbit (since northern latitudes are being served). The result is a satellite that, while not stationary, spends much of each orbit nearly motionless at high latitude.

The Molniya and Sirius orbits differ in that the Molniya orbits have fairly low perigees and orbital periods of about 12 hours. The Sirius satellites are in geosynchronous (but not geostationary) orbits, meaning that even though they do not sit motionless over the equator, they still complete exactly one orbit per sidereal earth day.

The Russians use these orbits because their country sits at high latitudes. Sirius uses their orbits to increase the elevation at which their satellites appear over the northern US and southern Canada, minimizing blockage by buildings and reducing the number of terrestrial repeaters needed in urban areas.

A Sirius orbit can be seen here and a Molniya orbit can be seen here.

No, but XM does. Then again, XM is owned by clearchannel...

With the amount of third-party software already written for the PCR, it seems like it would be trivial to do so. However, it is specifically against the customer service agreement to record stuff.

And why would you? The song you want to hear is just a request away and there are enough channels to keep you busy. Comments about the cost of satellite radio are fairly hollow. $10 a month is cheap for the amount and breadth of music you get access to, and the PCR can be had for $40-50 if you look around. Unfortunately, there are still those who will balk at the idea of paying for music.

With the amount of third-party software already written for the PCR, it seems like it would be trivial to do so. However, it is specifically against the customer service agreement to record stuff.

And why would you? The song you want to hear is just a request away and there are enough channels to keep you busy. Comments about the cost of satellite radio are fairly hollow. $10 a month is cheap for the amount and breadth of music you get access to, and the PCR can be had for $40-50 if you look around. Unfortunately, there are still those who will balk at the idea of paying for music.

Some of the discussion here is treating XM as if it were competition to Clear Channel. They've got their fingers in that too!

= 9J =

ooooh also boycott clear channel

Who, other than the major commercial radio providers, has the right to stream audio into moving motor vehicles in geographic areas where the major commercial radio providers have already snapped up a few dozen FM stations, to the point where the FCC can't find any spectrum available to open a college radio station other than the local Bible school's existing station? This is the situation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. No, XM Satellite Radio is not an option; Clear Channel owns the biggest chunk of XM that car makers don't own.

If you want to promote such a "social movement," then advertise this site heavily.

XM Radio just added over 20 channels for most major metropolitan areas that give you a quick 5 minute traffic and weather report. Find out if your city is listed here.

Of course, the cost of the hardware and the monthly subscription fee may turn many off.