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XM Radio Hacked by Car Computer Hobbyists
An anonymous reader writes "There is an article over at News.com that talks about a small Florida company called Hybrid Mobile Solutions, that hacked XM Radio. They created a cable and software that makes the new XM Commander and XM Direct units work just like an XMPCR. They are in negotiations with TimeTrax to allow recording of XM Radio to MP3's. XMPCR was canned due to this late last month."
I've never come across the term before. Anyone got a handy explanation?
Their website does not have a whole lot of information though the XM product is their along with the $45 price and a shopping cart that allows you to order. What the site does not tell you is how this works with an existing XM account. For example, I have a subscription and a Roady I reciever. Would I be able to use the PC product and still use my Roady or does entering the subscription/radio code into the PC product "turn off" the Roady? XM charges an addtional $6.99 per month per device for up to four addtional receivers. Still, I'd pay the extra money to have the PC product. In my case it's not for recording as much as to be able to stream the music easily throughout my house. They also do not provide any software themselves right now though their website indicates they are working on developing a relationship with TimeTrax that I assume will allow them to bundle the software with their hardware. I think this would be a very popular offering. I wonder how long it will take before XM Radio or the RIAA gets a cease an desist order from a judge.
http://www.busyweather.com/
Seems they don't need any help from these guys. They have made their own device to replace the pulled XMPCR...
Of course all that really matters is Air America Radio, and that's on all day.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
I wouldn't call it hacking. More like reverse engineering the old service and building a new.
Call me a nitpicker, but the term hacker is growing too wide for my taste.
Underholdning.info
Well XM Radio hacking great, I bet it is gonna be a FCC violation like those people who hack Direct TV. Anyway good to see the counter culture at work. By the way this fancy smancy page is gonna die.
a $250 profit
the XMPCR is a little box that allows you to listen to XM radio on your pc/mac/sun (mac/sun supported by 3rd party apps). it's a little box that has an audio out which you simply plug in to your mic or line-in. it's controlled via usb (the unit internally has a usb->serial adapter which happens to be well supported by *bsd, linux, etc).
the protocol that goes over the usb cable (used to change channels, etc) was reverse engineered, and people started making all sorts of applications to play with them. timetrax is one that allows you to record the music, as well as automatically add the title, artist, etc info to the ripped song
vodka, straight up, thank you!
Not a dupe.
The other stories you linked to are regarding the xmpcr which is no longer available.
This story is about an interface hack that allows you to use XM radio units originally intended for use in a car on your computer.
Does an obscure interface as a copy-protection mecahnism? Because I'd say it was just circumvented.
See you, space cowboy...
It's not like they are trying to get the service for free. This is for subscribers who want to use the service differently. You can make MP3's off of broadcast radio too.
XMPCR: Time-shifting software for PC-based XM radio receiveers.
The new replacement: XmDirect Tuner Interface Cable. From the manufacturer:
With this cable and our software you will once again be able listen to XM satellite radio in your home or in your car using the included Hybrid eXeM interface along with the xmDirect...The SDK is available for developers that want to continue using xm radio within their applications.
The email address to request the SDK (by the way, serious points for offering AND publicizing the SDK) is sdk at hybrid-mobile dot com.
A cool picture: This picture shows the adapter plugged into what looks like the butt of a Dell laptop.
What is going to happen: Someone is going to get the crap sued out of them.
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Someone recording sub-CD-quality music from a device they're required to have a subscription to use is a hack, yes, and may even be a good one if there are no native outputs... but it's not hacking the company.
Saying "XM Radio got hacked" brings to mind ideas like
1) someone's broken the subscription requirement,
2) someone's broken into XM servers,
3) someone's taken over XM's broadcast satellite system,
etc.
One terrific advantage of this hack will be combining XM and Sirius satellite radio receivers. Why choose between different channels in the same medium by buying one of two available boxes? It's like buying an AM or FM radio in the 1960s. Integrate two sets of HW into a device with one UI, as long as it's unified for user operations. Like with a single "bookmark" list of mixed channels; it will be simple enough to hide its inner complexity under the hood.
--
make install -not war
satellite radio is very nice. it is definitely worth the $10-$12/mo
... howard stern, clear channel, sirius lets you listen over the net as part of your subscription, etc)
i just drove from phoenix to denver about 3 weeks ago. the *only* time i lost the signal was driving through the canyons east of taos, nm. on the way back, i was on the interstate the whole way and never once lost signal. similarly, on a drive from phoenix to lake tahoe 2 years ago, the only time i lost signal was while driving through the canyons at hoover dam
xm has treated me well for the past 2+ years, but i'll soon be switching to sirius (for a few reasons
vodka, straight up, thank you!
I remember in the good old days, not only was it legal to hack the stuff you bought, you actually OWNED the stuff you bought. Heck, I'm old enough to remember back when all electronics came with schematics! I'd love to have schematics for the stuff I buy now.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
No one has "hacked" XM Radio.
Several companies have come up with a way to add and PC-controlable tuner interface between the XM Direct radio. No big deal.
This issue does not concern the FCC since the service itself is not being stolen as was the case with sat TV service.
I own three of the XMPCR boxes. Two are in use, one at work and one at home, and the third is my spare (gotta have my XM.)
...that what I'd really like in my car is time-shifted:
Of course, the radio station's business model depends on my sitting through mind-numbing ads to catch the 20-second blast of traffic info, but with a subscription service, it seems like a perfect fit. I hope this idea goes somewhere.
XM Radio and Sirius are two companies who have started offering satellite-based audio for a monthly fee. you can buy a receiver for one or the other (usually in your car, but their are portable ones too) and receive the same content anywhere (in the continental US, i believe)
they are mostly commercial free.
-mkb
Although the article said that this was a "pristine digitial copy", XMPCR never did that and this doesn't look like it does either. Sure, it makes digital copies, but only after decompression through their lossy proprietary codec, conversion to analog, and then lossy recompression.
The Real Hack would involve recording the original digital bit stream (unencrypted, of course) and recreating XM's codec so you can play it back exactly the same way a normal XM receiver would. Like the DeCSS cass, the DMCA would probably be brought against anyone who tried this.
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
This "solution" is pretty much just a cable, and this groups software which does the translation. If you want something that works with all the existing software out there now, what you really want is the DirectPCR brought to you by Ryan and the XMFan people. The DirectPCR is more expensive, because it's actually got a microprocessor that reverse translates the standard "A5 5A" serial commands into XM Direct format (which is then dutifully translated back by the XM Direct).
The DirectPCR is the best solution if you really want something with the power and cool factor of the now-defunct XMPCR (no I don't have any business relationship, I'm just an XMFan regular and have been following developments). As for "hack factor" at least three separate people or groups have separately done the XMDirect protocol translation. If you have the right equipment, it's probably about an afternoon's work - just hook up two serial monitors side by side and dump away. So there isn't that much hack cred to speak of in this. Furthermore, if you're comfortable with a soldering iron, you can trivially build an XMPCR-compatible unit out of a SkyFi with a DB9 header, a MAX232, and an optical adapter board.
...the music industry is ever going to prevent piracy is if they take away the ability for the average person to record. There is no way in hell that they can do that without getting some kind of law passed that requires you to be a licensed professional in order to record audio or video. I can't see things going that far yet. But like it or not, the average person has a lot of options for recording these days.
Back when I was in high school and was lusting after a 4 track reel-to-reel multitrack deck from Tascam, there was a financial barrier to high quality recordings. But today, there are so many options out there that even if you aren't using AES/EBU digital connection (no SCMS DRM) you can still get much higher quality copies than you could with a cassette deck back in the 80s. So, even if the RIAA and MPAA do get DRM so intertwined into newer audio and video gear, it's going to be next to impossible to prevent older decent quality devices from recording. This is a battle that can't be won without draconian mesaures.
The shame of all of this is that nearly everyone with a computer has the facilities for making their own music and therefore bypassing the RIAA altogether. I do remember a period of time in the 80s when it was illegal to own a 4-track recorder in a residential area in my state. I wonder if they are going to try that with software based virtual studios? Likely not since most people with the ability and talent are just too lazy to make their own music. (It's easier than you think. If you can set up a Cisco network, you can make your own music.) So, what can the RIAA and MPAA do to stop people from pirating? How about they take away all sound cards and video caputre cards, digital audio and video recorders, and software based audio? They can't. The genie is out of the bottle.
With that out of the way, is it right to distribute music that you aren't authorized to distribute? Absolutely not. Quite a problem, ehhh?
Un-news
The SkyFi and XM PCR have been hacked for digital out.r ies/xmpcr -toslink-digital-output-board.htmlr ies/xmpcr -coaxial-digital-output-board.html
you can buy the kit for the PCR
as either a toslink
http://www.myradiostore.us/parts-accesso
or coaxial
http://www.myradiostore.us/parts-accesso
the SkyFi doesn't have as much space so there were a couple guys that were doing the mods, but didn't offer a kit.
Thanks to the DMCA, any attempt to add/subtract functionality from any corporation's products or services is in immediate violation and will be proscecuted to the fullest extent of the defendant's pocketbook.
Yeah, right.
Couldn't one just take the GNUnilink package from Sourceforge/Freshmeat and combine it with the short-lived Sony XM receiver that was a Unilink module, and control it that way?
(Unilink is Sony's protocol that allows decks to control disc changers and a limited number of other devices like TV tuners, mobile VHS VCR, DSP modules and so forth).
Southeastern Virginia REPRESENT!
XM is likely to be over in a few years anyway, right?