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XM Radio Pulls PC Hardware
Didion Sprague writes "News.com is reporting that XM has decided to "quietly discontinue" the XMPCR -- a tiny USB satellite radio receiver for XM radio. Slashdot readers may remember last week's story about TimeTrax -- homebrewed software that allows XMPCR users to automatically record and tag each song. Now, XMPCR receivers are going for almost $400 on ebay. The RIAA, it should be noted, claims that they weren't "behind the discontinuation of the PCR"."
If enough people over a period of time asked if they could hook it up to their computer and decided not to buy when they say no, maybe they would rethink their decision.
Item listing before posting on slashdot. .. wouldn't that only be true if there were any bids?
Starting bid: US $379.99
Number of bids: 0
Hits: MPCR receivers are going for almost $400 on ebay
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Isn't this kinda pointless, customers are paying for this service, it's like hooking up a vcr or tivo to your cable/satellite box and recording your shows (except the software tags the songs for you) I would think this would be a good thing for their service, that is, unless the RIAA asked them too (yea, yea I read the article)
The RIAA, it should be noted, claims that they weren't "behind the discontinuation of the PCR"
Well, maybe not directly, but from XM's perpective, the possible threat of the RIAA coming to get them sure did.
It would be cool if it didn't suck.
Didn't Willie Nelson do a series of commercials for XM a while back about how it allowed him to listen to music freely whenever and wherever he wanted?
Here's a major setback to that freedom. What would Willie think?
It would be cool if it didn't suck.
XM is not in any position to expend any amount of money on law suits or even legal wrangling. They will probably revisit this 5 years out...
Did they ever hang that new satellite?
It's not really about recording music as it is making it incredibly easy to do so; in theory, as long as you can hear the music, you can record and distribute it.
It's just that having a program automatically grab and tag songs for you is pretty far-removed from manually recording songs (at FM quality, which I'd assume is considerably worse than XM quality) with DJs and what-not talking over them, and then tagging them yourself. Not that I don't find the entire situation pretty foolish, but it's kinda understandable. In a way. To a point.
Yeah, okay, so it's not, but it's par for the course, at least.
Just because the price is set at $400 doesn't mean they are going for that price. They will most likely not sell for such high of a price. In fact, not a single bid has been placed on the given auction as of yet. So while the seller may be asking for $400, if no one is willing to pay that, he might as well sell it for a billion dollars.
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Think about it. So-called "time shifting" is (for the moment) legal. They never minded people taping things off the radio. They're mad as hell about people not paying for their music - but radio airplay makes money for them through compulsory fees, not to mention publicity (at least in theory, IANA broadcaster...)
Enter Sirius / XM; the industry still gets money and still gets publicity (perhaps more than before; with all the niche stations and lack of commercials & inane banter, I've been tempted to subscribe...) And more people are willing to PAY FOR MUSIC because of this service - just not the $18 or so they want 'em to pay.
So if the RIAA is behind the move to get rid of the XMPCR, what do they expect? That a lot of the people who subscribe will continue to pay for XM, AND pay for a copy of the CD, AND pay another couple of bucks for a "legal" version for their portable player once it becomes illegal or impossible to rip it yourself ... And of course piracy is a perfect excuse^H^H^H^Hplanation for why XM will lose subscribers from this.
You can use the tape recorder in your portable to tape music off of the airwaves. I don't see Sony rushing to rip those suckers out. What's the difference here?
Damn. I was really hoping these would stick around. It would have been a great addition to my aspiring Car PC project. Time-shifting talk radio over XM would have been neat.
As far as I was concerned, devices like this were one the major reasons to subscribe to XM instead of Sirius.
I am MuchTall
Nice find! Yeah, the TOSLink is after the decompression. You're probably right - the digital link is probably not going to help improve the sound over the damage imposed by the compression.
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And um... It had nothing to do with this, or any other screw-ups with XM programming.
Parent isn't off-topic: he's riffing on the RIAA denial:
While not a "freaking goggle fest", it's a smart and subtle jab at the RIAA's less-than-believable denial.
I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but I got a grin from it and I'd have modded it up Funny. Modding it down off-topic is simply bizarrely wrong.
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Well it worked, it just sold via Buy it Now for $399.99.
I find it funny that XM/RIAA is worried about people getting music for "free" -- Just look at how much people are willing to pay for the ability to record and later listen to tunes/concerts/shows on XM radio.
If XM were to secretly sell their overstock on eBay, they could make an incredible killing.
Not to mention AA, since the grandparent used a, "*".
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
Even if you could bypass it.. Do you think submitting an order for a product that is out of stock is going to get you anywhere?
Maybe they'll just pull a few PCR's out of their behinds?
Better get a discount on those.
Look yall, this has the stench of one big publicity grab. Dig it:
XM gets the publicity from the time trax thing. Obviously DiaRIAA is pissed and throws in its two cents. But Publicity good.
Because of Time Trax, the PCR starts selling like hotcakes...stock begins to run out, and the story starts to drop off the radar.
XM announces that they are discontinuing the PCR. Huge new, people get worried, MORE PUBLICITY!!!! DiaRIAA is happy and excited (though claiming nothing to do with this of course). Stocks of the PCR thing run completely out, demand skyrockets
2-6 months from now, XM releases new "safe from piracy" (but not really because such a thing doesn't exist) version of the PCR. MORE PUBLICITY!!!! Music lovers are happy because they can use their PCs. Geeks are happy because they can still hack it. DiaRIAA is happy because its "safe from piracy".
This is a win/win move by XM. They make a band of lawyers happy, look progressive, and get tons of publicity.
I have a feeling that the reason it was really discontinued was that it just wasn't selling very well. Most people don't need to stream satellite radio to their computer rather then their stereo. Most people are just going to stream audio off their internet if they are at their computer. Sirius, unlike XM also offers a service that allows streaming to a computer over the internet of their streams. My theory is XM is probably planning on launching a similar service.
[Something witty and intelligent should have appeared here.]
{Traicovn}
Not only are they playing word games, but they're not playing fair. These aren't performances being recorded, they're recordings themselves. When's the last time you heard of a live concert broadcast over XM? The only live broadcasts I see anymore are sports, news, and the occasional telethon.