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Satellite Radio - XM vs. Sirius?
"So far I have gathered that XM seems to have better audio quality, and a larger selection of music channels. Sirius has less music channels, but more "commercial free" music channels and more talk channels. Also, it scares me that Clear Channel has a stake in XM -- does this mean XM will eventually turn to utter crap like every Clear Channel station seems to have? Does Clear Channel have enough ownership to have a say in programming?
I'm looking for more strengths and weaknesses from people who have used one (or better yet, both!) of the services. I'm leaning towards XM right now, with the Clear Channel issue being my main fright. Sirius streams their stations online, giving me a good sample. So far I have been fairly impressed. But, I like the fact that XM carries Art Bell, more than one 80's station, and VH1 content. It's a toss up, so I'm looking forward to some info from the Slashdot community."
Buy/Make your own transmitter, hook it up to your computer playing mp3s, viola, whatever you want to hear, wherever you go... assuming you don't go to far.
-- OMFG = Oh My Floatse Goatse
I've had XM in my Chevy C/K-1500 for about three months now and I've been very happy with it. If you listen to the radio a lot, or travel a lot in the car, or live in the boondocks, I would recommend XM Radio. Here are the basics; you need a deck that is XM ready, or a system that has an adapter, an antenna, and a receiver. The receiver is a boring box that goes somewhere out of sight in my case, the antenna is small and went on the roof, and the deck replaced my old crappy Delco built in 1987. The quality of the programming can't be beat, and it is very high quality sound. What I have preset on my deck. 10 40 41 42 44 65 The guts of the system My CD Player My Satellite Receiver My Antenna XM Radio Rock and Roll Very happy with the service and the programming.
I was looking at satellite radio stuff the other day (not to actually buy just to see what it's all about), and came to the conclusion that it's really not worth it. It would be a stretch to say that you'll like all the music that XM can offer, so I think it would be appropriate to say that you probably only like 1 or 2 genres of stuff that will be streaming nonstop over satellite. For what you're paying (and will pay as it is a monthly service) you might as well invest in an indash mp3 player (these days you can actually get a head unit that plays CD/mp3s/DVDs pretty cheap), get a modest 10" sub an amp, and play all the music you want in a true 'upgrade'[d] environment.
I didn't like Sirius... for whatever reason I don't remember.
;)
The stake of Clear Channel in XM has very little to do with it. XM is mostly managed by GM and subsidiaries (like Hughes, aka DirecTV). The reason Clear Channel is involved is provide some of their local stations (like LA Kiss FM) onto the XM radio waves, however there are only 4-5 of these out of 100 channels.
There are also about 30 different "talk", but not your normal talk. You can get CNN, MSNBC, Weather channel, ESPN, CNN-SI, and various other "news" stations and the such. Basically, CNN Is just a stream of CNN Headline News, but it's nice to keep up on the news if need be.
Heck, XM even has Bluegrass if yer into it
And to be honest, XM does cut out like if you get stopped under a bridge, it takes a second to find it's way around or if you pass in between a couple big trucks. Basically, if your antenna gets blocked by any metal objects, it'll go out for a couple seconds until it switches to the other satelite.
I've looked at both, as I really want to get one of their services in my next car. I'll be going with XM when I do. The main reason is the programming differences between them. For one, XM has a person in charge of each "channel". That's a lot of individual attention to the quality of the music they put on the air. For another, there are two channels on XM that are aprticularly interesting to me a) Deep Tracks, which goes back to classic albums and picks out songs from them that were never released as singles (so you get to hear a ton of good stuff you'd ordinarily never know about) and b) Unsigned, which is made up entirely of bands that have not yet signed with a label. YMMV, but those reasons make XM a better choice for me
This tagline is umop apisdn.
Or buy a SonicBlue Rio Volt SP250 for $146 at Buy.com and hook it up to your standard car stereo. It has many options most MP3 car stereos should have, but don't. Whether it's a portable or in-dash unit, however, MP3 players have quite a bit going for them. That's not to say Satillite Radio doesn't. But I figure you're shelling out how much and still getting commercials?! Record a 650mb winamp stream, burn it to disk an bam, you're there.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Doesn't it bother you that you are considering giving *money* to a service to provide you with music and radio programs--services which have been provided free of charge under the advertisement funded system in the United States since very early on in radio technological history?
Sure, you get more channels, but how many do you really listen to? How many of the channels are really worthwhile--and how many are the audio equivalent of the "Knitting" channel on cable?
Yet another "Low Low Monthly Fee" to keep you chained to your position in the U.S. Economy. God forbid you have freedom.
Yet another free resource you now pay for. What's next, charge-per-page to read at the local public library?
Save your dollars, put them into retirement investments or CD's (the bank kind, not Limp Bizkit). Try making your self rich instead of the media giants for a change.
I just bought one of these two weeks ago. Best purchase I've ever made for my car, besides new brakes. Instead of 60+ cd's cluttering my car up, I've got 5. I find that I can fit on average 16 albums on an 80 minute disk, giving me..uhm..carry the two..80 albums that fit in my center console..
Combine that with an eMusic subscription (unlimited downloads, fast growing library, no "security measures", 10 bucks a month) and I'm in music heaven. I find myself listening to more kinds of music than I ever would buying conventional cd's. At 20 bucks a pop now, I'm not going to take risks on something I'm not sure about.
The stereo model (Kenwood - KDC-MPV7019) I bought is also Sirius ready if I ever want to make the move to digital radio. Plus, the lcd screen on it changes colors! Mmmm, useless shiny things, ahauuhaaghghggh...
Hey, for a lot of us, radio and live radio shows are the only thing that make driving long distances bearable. I mean, I have hundreds of CDs of music I like (and paid for), but listening to new stuff and stuff at random is the only way to go on long rides.
If I have to drive long distances on a regular basis, I'd definately do satellite radio. Try driving from LA to San Francisco sometime and listening to the Central Coast's crappy religious channels and you'll see what I mean.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
and I love it. I still use the minidisc player in my car, but I'd say at least 75% of the time I listen to XM. I can't really talk about Sirius because I don't have it in my car, but I am very pleased with my XM service.
A couple of things to think about:
1. Commercial free - not as important as I would have thought. Yes, lots of channels have commericials. I thought that breaking up the music like that would have annoyed me, but it didn't. I either listen to the commercial, or change the channel, just like TV. Don't be afraid of XM because it has more commercials.
2. If you're afraid of Clear Channel, don't listen to "20 on 20" or KISS-FM from LA. I doubt that Clear Channel is going to mandate a Britney Spears quota on XMU, Liquid Metal, or Unsigned, for example. And some of the corporate content is worth listening to. CNN en Espanol, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, Sporting News Network, and NASCAR Radio are all on my rotation. How can you not want 24 hour coverage of NASCAR? (Wait, don't answer that. I know I'm a redneck. Get over it.)
3. Don't worry too much about audio quality. Just as high bit rate MP3s still sound like MP3s, satelite radio is going to sound like satelite radio. I would say that the sound quality is generally more consistent than the FM stations around here, and richer than the AM stations, but its not like a CD or MD. I don't notice many digital artifacts on the music stations, and even less on the talk stations (although the bumper music for ESPN Radio's Sportcenter sounds pretty nasty, but that's not a deal breaker for me), but I do notice them. And music that was recorded with too much bass then mixed with too much bass will never sound bass-y enough, no matter how much I play with my equalizer. But the variety of options available makes up for any percieved shortcomings in the audio quality.
4. XM Comedy is worth 10 bucks a month all by itself.
Just my two cents.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, its too dark to read.
Here on slashdot a while back there was an interview posted with the founder of fightcloud.com, who had some interesting things to say about XM vs Sirius. Sure, it's just one's guys opinion, but he seems to have done his homework. Here were his quotes from the interview:
Q: Is the Net going to change radio at all do you think?
A: No, not yet. Not for a long time [because of the legal issues]. Greed is choking the Internet right now. It's definitely territorial. . . . The artists are greedy, they want their cut off the Internet, the record labels are greedy . . . . Everybody is so greedy that nobody can work on the Internet so there is going to be no radio on the Net, not even Internet radio stations. They all are going to start playing more independent. It's going to favor the independent artist; the unsigned artist really is who people are turning to because the unsigned artist isn't going to sue anybody.
They want the exposure, so is the Internet going to change anything for a while? No. There are so many court battles that need to be fought that haven't even been thought of yet. The only Internet radio I like listening to is Christian pirate radio. It's aggressive, it's all new bands that nobody ever heard of. Its great rock, great pop.
Another prediction is the success of satellite radio. The satellite radio companies that I invested in like two years ago are going to come sneaking up and they're just going to level local radio. Local radio will go under. . . . I'll pay $10 for commercial-free guaranteed. You start doing that and what is your local sponsors going to be saying? Why should I advertise on your radio when they're not even listening to you? They're listening to satellites, commercial-free; they're paying $10. When those numbers go up, so [does] XM Satellite Radio stock value, which Clear Channel has its fingers in. They own a big chunk of XM because they know better.
Q: Is that something that you're invested in as well?
A: Oh yes. Yes, I invested in it as soon as I heard about it. . . . When satellite radio kicks . . . there's going to be no more syndication. You put a talent like Howard Stern in the XM building and boom, he's syndicated instantly. All satellite shows are considered instant syndication. It's going to be like having cable TV in your car.
You're going to have so many selections. A&E has its own channel; Home Shopping Network probably has its own channel. There are 50 channels of music and 50 channels of news and entertainment. They're going to be able to fine-tune exactly what you want. If I want to listen to Hollywood gossip there's going to be one channel just for Hollywood news. If I want to just hear about the planet, there might be a Nova channel. Local radio is nowhere near that level. I don't know if you spend much time in Los Angeles, but we have some of the worst radio in the United States. . . . XM and Sirius are going to be really good if they play their cards right and Clear Channel is very smart for being apart of that.
Q: Do you see XM as the winner, as opposed to Sirius?
A: Yes and two reasons. Sirius had a lead when they first started with Cosby backing them and they were at the top of Rockefeller Center and they had three satellites instead of XM's two. The tables turned when Sirius wasn't ready to launch on schedule. The car dealers weren't ready for them and Sirius announced they had to up their rates past $10 before they even launched. XM launched before them and XM now is running commercials full time and XM has the lead. If you look at their stock, Sirius is at $5 a share and XM is at twice that. There's an interesting battle going on; XM would love to beat out Sirius before they can even get off the ground. You always see the David Bowie falling through the roof or B.B. King falling through the roof, those commercials. They're going hard. I see it being a huge thing; I see it being in every car and every radio in the next three years.
Certainly both Sirius and XM fit.
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If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
but did your BMW deck display the information on the windshield? or have 4 channel output at 100watts RMS at .05% distortion? newer OEM head units with the integration (C-bus to be exact) that are made by Delphi electronics are starting to become higher quality than Kenwood, Alpine, or clarion (although anything is better than Clarion) I have in my car infinity speakers (stock) and a headunit that rocks better than most of the "wannabes" that drive around.. hell I recently discovered that there was a 8inch subwoofer in the back (dual subs in an isobarik enclosure with it's own amp) Yes of you buy a crap car you get crap stereo.. but anything that has a HUD, steering wheel controls, smart sound, settings integration will have a kick butt stereo.
Go and test drive a real car (not that el-cheapo BMW of yours.. if you are into overpriced machines you need to look at the $100,000+ Bmw's or the $35,000+ pontiac/GM's to the the equilivant machine..
Yes, a $35,000 Grand Am GT is as good as your $100K BMW. and will waste it in every way.
" it would seem to me that satallite radio will kill local radio by its very nature.
If its popular in LA, you bet your ass it will be all over satallite radio.
Of course, Radio isn't worth 10 bucks a month to me anyway so I probably don't count.
I'd rather take 10 bucks a month and toss it into a guitar case of some person doing a decent street performance then pay to hear satallite radio."
Actually, I see direct satellite radio as a consequence of what has happened since 1996 in broadcast radio...
Many of these new consolidated broadcasters have turned to voicetrack or satellite automation that leaves out local content and DJ personality to save money.
I see Sirius/XM as the satellite providers willing to dispense with the dishonesty of modern automated broadcast radio, cut out the middle man (and most or all the ads) and sell it direct to you.
Plus there is more variety. We don't even HAVE a Classic Rock or an 80's station (or any station that plays much 70's or 80's) in my area. Owners are too concerned about where they can shoehorn in another country station that will rank 15th in the market...
I run a radio discussion site covering West Virginia regional radio (also covering parts of KY, OH, MD, PA, and VA), and we've had many interesting discussions of Sirius/XM, voicetracking, satellite automation, and how Clear Channel is wrecking radio.
http://www.wvradio.net if you are interested.
=== The price of freedom is eternal vigilance
I'm not an audiophile.
The little lady and I were recently in the market for trying something new out with our tax refund. So, the option of satellite radio came up. We spend enough time commuting that it was going to be a respectable thing to do for entertainment. What do you do? Well, you go to a store, listen to the samples, and make the best decision you can.
So, we went to websites, read all the selections possible, restricions on buildings, costs, etc. Then, to Best Buy, Circuit City, all the brick and mortar places that would have a sample. Each and every one sounded like VBR MP3s at 96kbps. Sure, some of it was better than FM, but most of it was just different bad quality. I figured, despite any technical hurdles, the stores would have these things put together in the best possible configuration they could to show the gadgets off and drive some sales. Now, if none of their "demos" could get it right, my money is not going anywhere.
I realize, they were in a building, but this was their opportunity to shine! Stick the frickin antenna outside! Or did they? Salespeople didn't know the difference.
Know what you're buying. Make sure that you listen. Don't assume "CD quality" when it says "digital quality". You'd just be telling the digital cable and satellite people their marketting was right. Us Nerds/Geeks have to prove that someone understands.
And remember, you can't spell "geek" without double-e.
Are you totally clueless?
.05% distortion?
but did your BMW deck display the information on the windshield?
No, BMW has not subscribed to the philosophy of clutter up the cabin with crap, run out of space, and then clutter up the view out the windshield.
or have 4 channel output at 100watts RMS at
Even base BMW units are typically around twice that, if it matters.
newer OEM head units with the integration (C-bus to be exact)
BMW is at the forefront of integration. They've shipped CAN networking across the model lineup since the deployment of the E46 3-series. The current 7-series cars are loaded with multiple CAN busses, ByteFlight deterministic networking, and high bandwidth telematics busses (MOST, IIRC) for media and navigation.
Go and test drive a real car (not that el-cheapo BMW of yours.. if you are into overpriced machines you need to look at the $100,000+ Bmw's or the $35,000+ pontiac/GM's to the the equilivant machine..
Here's a homework assignment for you: drive a $30K Buick Regal GS back to back with a $30K BMW 325i. Then, tell me which has better handling, better fit and finish, a higher quality interior, better fuel economy, better ergonomics.
Just as a trivial example, the $30K GM's 'leather wrapped' steering wheel is only partially leather wrapped to avoid the expense of more complicated leatherwork. The BMW of the same price range will have a fully leather wrapped wheel, to go along with the true wood trim in the cabin and otherwise higher quality interior appointments.
Yes, a $35,000 Grand Am GT is as good as your $100K BMW. and will waste it in every way.
I hope your joking. I hope all your posts are just a pathetic troll.
My thought is with an MP3 CD player I can have music, plus with a subscription to Audible.com I can have audio books and magazines.
No, it's not as fresh as a live call-in talk show, but I find them to be mostly banal and annoying. An Audible subscription is not much more expensive than XM's monthly fee ($12.95 for one book per month), and I've gotten to listen to some pretty cool stuff like God's Equation, Moby Dick (unabridged) and the Bible (no, I haven't listened to the whole thing...). Great Scott! I seem to be a puritan... ;-)
As has been mentioned in other posts, I still have my car radio for news and the all important traffic update.
What I've started doing is recording internet music streams ( such as d-i etc. ) to tape overnight and playing them during my commute the next day. I'm sure you could do the same with CDR if you need the extra audio quality (I don't). That way, you get any channel you'd like. I've been pretty happy with this arrangement so far. Don't underestimate low-tech :)