Satellite Radio Blog

Kenwood DNX9980HD and DNX6980HD incorporate HD Radio and Pandora Internet Radio

2011-07-13T02:24:00.000-07:00

The Kenwood DNX9980HD ($2,000 suggested retail), shown at International CES in January 2011, is the company's first multimedia model to incorporate HD Radio and the Pandora Internet Radio link as built-in features.Particularly a handful of in-dash navigation decks that give you touch control over Pandora from the radio screen. All the new in-dash navigation units include free live Navteq traffic. They are satellite and HD Radio-ready and let you make phone calls without losing your view of the navi map due to a split screen function. The exception is the DNX9980 that has built-in HD Radio (where others are only HD Radio-ready). It also has Parrot stereo Bluetooth and voice command control and twin iPod AV control. You operate iPod video and iPod audio as separate sources.All seek, search and "thumbs up/down" functions are replicated on the faceplate of the DNX9980HD, and the 6.95-inch touchscreen display shows full-color album art, song title, album and artist.

The unit also includes built-in Navteq Live Traffic service that is free for the life of the product.2011 DNX Series looks very promising, Fast, Easy to use, Ipod Favorite album makes life on the road much easier. You even have an option to use dual ipods at the same time. Built in 3D Navigation is the coolest thing ever with even better graphics, NOW YOU GET HD Radio for Free… and you can do Sirius with HD at the same time with the 9980HD. Pandora link is built in and is a pleasure to use. You can also now get an OBD2 Adapter that work via Bluetooth and you gauge info will come up on your radio. You can ever check engine codes.

Also now shipping is the double-DIN DNX6980 ($1,200), which comes with built-in Garmin navigation and Parrot Bluetooth. Features include a 6.1-inch WVGA LCD touchscreen panel with navigation/audio/video split-screen view capabilities. This provides the user with complete control over multiple A/V sources, including DVD, MP3/WMA CD, iPod, iPhone, Pandora Internet Radio link, external mass storage devices, satellite radio and HD Radio, the company said, noting that optional iPod, HD Radio, or satellite radio accessories and Internet access may be required.

Both come with two-year warranties and are available only through authorized Kenwood eXcelon retailers.Kenwood started shipping their new DNX9980HD in-dash navigation receiver this week. This is the company’s first model to offer both HD Radio and Pandora Internet Radio link.

For the Pandora Link to work, users will need an iPhone with the Pandora app on it; all the same controls from the app interface will be mimicked onscreen. Album artwork and various visuals get displayed on the 6.95-inch touchscreen as well as the main function: navigation.

The navigation is powered by Garmin and includes realistic looking 3D buildings and landmarks for maps around metropolitan areas. Also, with an optional module, the DNX9980HD will be able to retrieve vehicle data such as fuel consumption, engine temperature and exhaust emissions.

The fully-featured unit also includes built-in Navteq Live Traffic for free and voice recognition for hands-free operation of the navigation system. With all the standard features, it’s going to give many in-car infotainment systems a run for their money — as it should for $2000. But, while the Pandora Link is impressive, I’ve been able to do this with only an Aux jack for a while.

Kenwood’s new flagship double-DIN multimedia / navigation receiver is the DNX9980HD , which is Kenwood’s first multimedia model to incorporate HD Radio and the Pandora internet radio link as built-in features. Along with better sound quality and additional HD Radio-specific programming, the user can enjoy full-color album artwork and other visuals appearing on the touch screen display. New for 2011 is the addition of Pandora internet radio control capability when used with a Pandora-enabled iPhone (Internet access required). All seek, search and “thumbs up/down” functions are replicated on the faceplate of the DNX9980HD, and the 6.95” touch screen display presents full-color album art, song title, album and artist.

Advanced 3-D navigation technology by Garmin is included, offering three-dimensional buildings and landmarks with many images being photo-realistic. Lane Assist with Junction View are two features that reduce highway interchange confusion and improve driving safety. ecoRoute provides the most fuel efficient travel routes, and the optional ecoRoute HD even allows the user to view vehicle diagnostics such as fuel consumption, engine temperature and exhaust emissions (ecoRoute HD requires the optional KNA-EC100 external ODBII interface module). The DNX9980HD also includes built-in NAVTEQ Live Traffic service that is free for the life of the product.

Kenwood’s voice control feature allows the user to fully operate the navigation system and utilize features such as entering addresses or phone numbers, choosing menu options and select points of interest. The voice control system will also operate the audio and video systems, allowing the user to change between multiple sources, access entries in a cellular phonebook, make phone calls, seek out music and video files and access station presets. Twin iPod control allows for the connection and operation of two iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone devices.

The DNX9980HD has an advanced Digital Aria 3-D animated graphic user interface (GUI) with selectable skins and movable, drag-and-drop icons for complete customization. A high-resolution WVGA 6.95” touch screen with Dynamic Brightness Control provides the best looking DVD video, iPod video and USB video. While in the navigation mode, the DNX9980HD can display mapping information as well as audio/video controls on a split screen and will even allow continued monitoring of the navigation screen in split screen view while making or taking hands-free phone calls. The latest Parrot Bluetooth module is built into the DNX9980HD and is capable of A2DP stereo audio streaming from a similarly-equipped portable digital media player or Smartphone.

The double-DIN DNX6980 ($1,200.00 suggested retail price) is a value-added combination of cutting edge technologies, intuitive user interface and great Kenwood eXcelon quality. With the Garmin navigation and Parrot Stereo Bluetooth built right into the unit, the DNX6980 offers the latest in technologies at an attractive price. A compact front-panel knob is included to easily control volume. An upgraded 6.1” WVGA LCD touch screen panel with navigation/audio/video split screen view capabilities give the user complete control over multiple audio and video sources, including DVD, MP3/WMA compact disc, iPod, iPhone, Pandora internet radio link, external mass storage devices, satellite radio and HD Radio (optional iPod, HD Radio or satellite radio accessories and Internet access may be required). The user can customize the GUI and hard-key illumination colors of the DNX6980 to match the unit’s faceplate lighting to the interior lighting of many vehicles, while the background and startup screen graphics can be changed to show personal photos or the brand logo of the vehicle.

The DNX9980HD and DNX6980 come with two-year warranties and are available only through authorized Kenwood eXcelon retailers.Kenwood is launching its first nine automotive head units with Pandora Internet radio control, offering its first head unit with two iPhone/iPod USB ports, and adding HD Radio to an in-dash multimedia/ navigation unit for the first time.At booth 1801, Kenwood is displaying Pandora in all five new in-dash multimedia/ nav systems, in two upper end CD receivers, and in its two mech-less digital media receivers, which lack CD but connect to alternate sources such as iPods and USB drives.

Navigation: The company’s five new A/V-nav products, priced from a suggested $1,150 to $2,000, feature Pandora Internet Radio link and built-in Navteq live traffic free for the lifetime of the product. They also feature a split-screen touchscreen to let users control sources while a map remains on screen.All five feature upgraded Garmin navigation software exclusive to Kenwood in the aftermarket, and all are satellite- ready and HD-ready (except for the top-end $2,000 DNX9980HD with built-in HD Radio). The top-end $2,000 model, part of the step-up Excelon series, adds voice control and twin iPod/USB ports.

Roqbot new music platform app for iPod,iPhone or Android - virtual satellite radio digital jukebox

2011-03-25T02:45:00.000-07:00

Roqbot is a new social music platform for businesses. We offer a virtual jukebox solution that runs on any internet connected device connected to the sound system. Business owners customize their catalog of music from our 5 million songs. Customers in the venue utilize our smartphone applications do browse the catalog, request music, and vote on the queue. Roqbot is a fully licensed music solution that provides a powerful engagement tool for any type of business. We are officially launching at South by Southwest 2011. Bars, restaurants, and other venues that pay to play music while you enjoy yourself on their premises have a new tool - Roqbot.

Roqbot, which beat over 400 other music apps to win the SXSW Accelerator contest at SXSW last week, pipes music into venues — just like a jukebox, satellite radio, Muzak, or an iPod, but with a few twists. For starters, it plays through “any internet-enabled device” and covers licensing fees so that venues don’t have to worry about getting busted for playing music in a public place without a license.

Co-founder Garrett Dodge says Roqbot isn’t actually competing with jukeboxes, but with iPods. Playing an iPod at a cafe or a bar has its disadvantages, namely that the staff gets tired of listening to the same music day in and day out and that customer requests are never heard. There is also the legal issue of music licensing fees when playing personal music in a public setting.

The Roqbot iPhone app (for iPhone or Android) also lets patrons buy songs jukebox-style, rating them to change the play order or checking the profiles of the people who chose the songs. If they choose to purchase a given song from iTunes, the venue gets a cut of that revenue.

Rather than the dimes, quarters, and now dollars and credit cards gobbled by traditional and digital jukeboxes, Roqbot accepts credits that can be purchased with a credit card or earned when the user performs certain actions, such as confirming their email address, rating songs on a venue’s playlist, adding a profile image, or allowing the app to post their plays to Facebook or Twitter. The credits cost a different amount depending on volume; two credits costs a buck — enough for two songs at the end of the queue or one song at the top — while 25 credits cost $10.

In addition, users can vote on each other’s picks, adding a social dimension to the app, somewhat along the lines of Jelli’s crowdsourced FM radio programming. The system rewards highly-rated DJs with “a badge system based on picking good music that other people in the bar like” and generally increasing their prominence within the system, according to Dodge. (Roqbot, currently at version 0.4, is still a work in progress and the founders are currently seeking funding for further development.)

To make it easier to find personally-compatible music within the service, users can sync their Last.fm profile, iTunes library, or Facebook favorite bands into the app. Meanwhile, Roqbot-enabled venues can let customers choose between all five million songs available in Roqbot’s catalog — or restrict them to a subset to fit the style of the venue. The system can import the venue’s existing playlists and provide recommendations based on artists that already define a particular venue’s sound.

All of this often has the unintended effect of bringing patrons within a bar closer together, according to Patel, in a reversal of the usual effect of digital music.Roqbot has many clear advantages over the traditional jukebox or a venue-controlled iPod, but it also offers much easier music discovery than internet-connected jukeboxes such as the Ecast jukebox — the first internet-connected jukebox ever installed, because it lets people see what’s playing from the comfort of their barstool, restaurant table, or bowling lane.

Another side effect of this system: It knows with perfect accuracy what it has played, and so can pay artists and their representatives accurately rather than relying on random sampling or other less-reliable methods. As more businesses switch to Roqbot or something like it, the so-called “long tail” artists loved by hundreds or thousands rather than millions of fans should stand a better chance of receiving part of the royalty payments paid by restaurants, bars, and other establishments.

With Roqbot you can check in at a participating venue as well as publish your checkins and music picks to Twitter, Foursquare, Last.fm and Facebook. You can select a song to play using Roqbot credits that you can buy with Amazon, Paypal or your Credit Card through your phone. The app offers you a comprehensive list of popular music to choose from, including some that will please the cranky indie music snob you’ve dragged along. If you’re having trouble deciding what to play you can pick from curated lists like “Highest Rated of all time,” “Most Played of All Time” and yes “Top 80s.”

Participating venues have their own dashboards within the app and aspiring DJs can navigate through “Now Playing” “Next Up” “DJs” and “Specials” homescreens. On the “Next Up” screen, a Digg-like interface allows you to thumb up and thumb down songs, increasing or decreasing people’s DJ ratings with each vote (and it gets heated). Likewise people can vote your picks up or down, which affects your own DJ rating as well as your position in line. For extra Roqbot credits you can set your musical picks to “Priority Pick” which moves them up in the queue.

Roqbot also gives away all the equipment for free to venues, including the entire catalogue of five million fully-licensed songs (one of the co-founders has a background in IP law and one of their advisors used to be the CEO of Sony Music).The Roqbot beta can be downloaded from the iPhone, but can only be used at Bar Basic in San Francisco which I highly suggest if you’re in the area. Dodge plans on launching the alpha for both the Android and iPhone platform in March, offering it for free to people planning parties at SXSW. Roqbot is currently bootstrapped.

Roqbot is gaining momentum in the world! They are one of eight Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator finalists in the music related category. As a finalist, Roqbot will showcase their product March 14th and 15th after officially launching at SXSW. Roqbot allows you to request songs at bars, cafes, and other businesses through your mobile device. Businesses can also access Roqbot’s 5 million song library to play as background music.

The startup is pioneering the use of social music in businesses by integrating input from customers and staff. Listeners are able to vote for upcoming songs and rate pre-made playlists. The app is available for iPhone, Android, the mobile web, and as an application for laptops. While at SXSW, Roqbot will be available for parties and in area bars.

Satellite radio in the new iPhone5

2011-02-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

Apple plans to change the game by displaying all the available radio stations nearby on an interactive map, with names and signal strengths displayed for each station. Apple quietly submitted a patent application that altered the radio experience for its users and introduced three new elements to the iPhone: FM, AM, and Satellite Radio – all built in.

The radio patents are an indication that the iPhone 5 might offer a unique radio station mapping function which will let users find and select a station with the closest or strongest signal. The folks at T3 believe that Apple might integrate an FM radio receiver added to the top right corner of the device.If you’re traveling from town to town, this might be a great feature. Although from a functional standpoint it may be “cooler” than a scan feature, it’s hard to believe it is better. Meanwhile, if you – like most folks – do your radio listening in your own ‘hood, then this feature is pretty worthless. Still, kudos to Apple for more out-of-the-box (if surprisingly non-funtional) thinking.

The dream will have been realized and radio (and satellite radio) will once again be portable on one of America’s most popular mobile devices – the style-setter for all the rest.That portability will be provided at the level of consistency folks expect from FM and AM signals without the dropouts that may characterize streaming.You’ll still need to stream, you just won’t need to stream so that an iPhone owner around the corner from the station’s broadcast tower can get your station on their iPhone. Not only that, but there will remain an opportunity to stream things that are different from what’s on your air to properly leverage the power of your brand.

You’ll still need mobile apps, you just won’t need mobile apps that do nothing more than repackage your station in a stream (do you understand now why Apple has been rejecting these single-function radio apps?). You’ll have an opportunity to solve new consumer problems with your apps and extend your brand experience in new ways.Standard FM and AM are going into the new iPhone – not HD radio.Satellite radio is getting equal shelf-space to terrestrial on the new iPhones.

After all, this provides more distribution for FM and AM radio, but distribution has never been radio’s problem (which is why almost everybody listens to radio). Could it add new quarter-hours to your station’s audience? Sure, but primarily at the expense of somebody else’s quarter-hours. In other words, it does little to enlarge radio’s audience or revenue pie. Will folks turn off Pandora and their streaming radio apps for the new built-in radio app? Maybe. But Pandora has succeeded on iPhones not because FM or AM isn’t there – it has succeeded because it’s different from FM or AM, and that will not be changing.

Broadcasters will look at the presence of radio on iPhones as a future-oriented victory. But the race radio is competing in includes many more players besides other radio stations. And product innovation is key to win that race. Victory will not come from more distribution or from pretty geographic maps of your tower or from new platforms which place FM and AM beside satellite radio.On the iPhone, your competitor is not the station next door, it’s everything else competing for time and attention and advertising dollars on the iPhone. Imagine a radio dial that expands exponentially, and you begin to get the idea.

A new patent application from Apple was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office which covers Apple's intentions of finally bringing radio to the iPhone via AM, FM and Satellite signals. Apple being Apple, we could always expect something different, and in this case they're thinking of introducing us to a unique radio station mapping function that acts as an alternative to a straight scrolling list of radio stations. This could actually be very handy when you're on the road as opposed to being at home where a list is just fine.

On the road, instead of using your in-vehicle radio roaming feature to find new stations, the proposed iPhone radio station mapping app would simply layout the stations visually for you to choose from - all at one time. It's a quick and easier solution. Apple's patent also hints of releasing a radio peripheral card for MacBooks.In opening cover graphic you could see a partial of patentwhich covers satellite radio. Apple states that the iPhone's radio will work with XM or Sirius satellite radio stations – beyond the basics of AM and FM.

In Apple's noted below, we see that an FM radio receiver (104) is associated with a future version of the iPhone. The iPhone's smart radio program is capable of presenting you with an FM radio list or a unique map with icons of the primary FM stations (e.g., 204a, 204b, and 204c, collectively referenced as 204) in the neighborhood.The map (202) may include the station call letters and the genre of the program that is currently being played at each station. The map is also able to show the broadcast signal strength (e.g., 210a, 210b, and 210c) of radio stations. The map is interactive, so you'll be able to tap on the icons representing the radio station in order to tune into the stations.

In Apple shown above we see an illustrated example of an iPhone tuned into the classical music broadcast from a radio station shown as KQXO. As you could see in the illustration, you'll be able to preset at least your top five radio stations on your touch screen.According to Apple's patent, the FM radio receiver 104 could "be a device that is attached to a notebook computer through a wired or wireless interface" but could also be "a peripheral card that is configured to be inserted into a peripheral card slot of a notebook computer."

ICC Cricket World Cup on SiriusXM radio

2011-02-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

Sirius XM Radio announced that it will broadcast the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, offering both Sirius and XM subscribers play-by-play coverage of men’s matches from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from the group games through to the World Cup Final on April 2.

For the second year, match broadcasts, provided by Cricket Radio, will air on Sirius channel 113 and XM channel 244. Visit www.siriusxm.com/livesports for match times and listings.

The ICC Cricket World Cup, the 50-over world event for cricket held every four years, will take place at venues in India, Sri Lanka and, for the first time, Bangladesh. Fourteen national teams from around the globe will compete in two groups with the group stage matches running from February 19 - March 20.

The eight teams that emerge from the group stage will compete in the “Super Eights” from March 23 - 26. The top four teams from the Super Eights will compete in the semi-finals on March 29 and 30 and the 2011 Cricket World Cup champion will be crowned after a one-match final on Saturday, April 2.

England, the reigning 2010 World Cup champion, returns to defend their title. They will be challenged in this year’s competition by Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.

Sirius XM offers an extensive lineup of international sports programming. In addition to the Cricket World Cup, listeners can also hear Formula One racing, world class soccer from the English Premier League, and World Cup skiing events from around the globe.

General Motors built the world’s first “vehicle-sized electronically modulated spherical near-field antenna testing system,to Improve Sirius XM Satellite Radio Reception

2011-02-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

General Motors built the world’s first “vehicle-sized electronically modulated spherical near-field antenna testing system,” or ATS, in partnership with transmission tech giant SATIMO SA (Societe d’Applications Technologiques de l’Imagerie Micro-Onde SA).

It looks like Sirius XM Satellite Radio reception is getting an upgrade thanks to “wireless signal super-receivers” developed by General Motors utilizing their newly completed and now operational $750,000 antenna testing facility.

There are only two other vehicle antenna validation systems like this anywhere in the world, and ours was the first. The ATS system lets us test the antenna systems on the GMC Yukon Denali in virtually every possible real-world condition. What would take other automakers days of testing can be done in minutes with this system.

According to General Motors, the gigantic, first-of-its-kind signal-testing facility was created to “optimize satellite antenna design and placement” and to “keep data, cellular and other signals active in areas where wireless signal strength is limited.”

The massive ATS, resembling half of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, transmits signals from 103 discrete probes to a vehicle on a rotating platform below. GM’s 2011 Yukon Denali will be one of the first vehicles to benefit from this new technology.

Insignia NS-HD01 HD Radio - Only FM HD radio or satellite radio

2011-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

HD Radio sounds better than satellite, Internet, or analog AM and FM radio. Have you heard it yet? Chances are a few of your local AM or FM stations broadcast HD Radio signals, but they probably don't mention that fact on the air. To find out if your local stations are HD, check with iBiquity Digital, the company that licenses the technology. HD Radio--unlike digital satellite radio--has no subscription fee.

The Insignia NS-HD01 ($50) portable HD Radio's sound quality is a big step up from most mini radios, and it's the least expensive way to listen to HD Radio. Once it's locked onto an HD Radio signal, background hiss and noise vanish.

I listened to the NS-HD01 with a bunch of sets of headphones, including some of the best high-end custom in-ear models from JH Audio, Ultimate Ears, and Westone. Once the NS-HD01 is locked onto one of the better-sounding HD Radio stations, like WBGO or WNYC, the sound quality was a big step up from FM. Stereo separation and overall clarity were good enough to satisfy my audiophile tastes.

When I was on the move through New York City streets the NS-HD01 repeatedly lost the digital signal and switched back and forth between analog and digital sound. So it's clear that HD Radio technology doesn't improve reception. The NS-HD01's analog sound quality is still decent, but the analog and digital switch-overs might be a deal breaker for some buyers. The NS-HD01 is FM-only; it doesn't receive AM or AM HD Radio signals.

The radio is tiny, just 3.07x2.06x0.63 inches, but not so small that it's difficult to use. The front face is dominated by an easy-to-read 1.5-inch color LCD screen that's surrounded by nine control buttons. I found the radio easy to use and it was easy to toggle up or down through my presets. A rocker switch on the right side controls volume and mute.

The NS-HD01 is powered by a (not user-replaceable) rechargeable lithium ion battery. The recharging port is a standard Mini-USB connection, so you can charge the battery on your computer. The battery is rated for 10 hours of playback, and the screen auto-dims to save energy. Accessories include a Velcro armband, earbud headphones, and a USB cable.

Popular Pandora in your car?

2011-01-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

Pioneer makes a wide array of consumer electronics products, but you wouldn’t know it from its CES press conference today. The company focused exclusively on its car stereo and accessories, putting its car division’s director of marketing, Ted Cardenas, on the stand to make some minor announcements including additional social networking support, the launch of a new iPhone dock, and its own app platform.

In the span of a few years, Pandora.com has gone from an unwieldy, unprofitable start-up to one of the most beloved sites of the internet and on mobile devices. CES featured so many devices that can stream music from Pandora, it was like the music service took over the show. The automotive world got a lot of attention for how Pandora plans to integrate the service, scaring the crud out of terrestrial and satellite radio folks, we imagine. Here are a few ways Pandora will be coming to your car:

Mini announced a partnership that will allow drivers to stream Pandora in all of its 2011 model year vehicles. The third-party app will not cost anything extra, and drivers will be able to control it through Mini’s existing system, called Mini Connected.

Ford’s Sync system will get Pandora, with the added bonus that drivers will be able to control their music through voice commands.

Automotive supplier Visteon revealed a concept system that can stream Pandora through a standard 4G connection. Users will even be able to give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down like on the computer (though perhaps this duty should be left to the passenger).

Sony became the first company to offer head units that can control Pandora from Android and BlackBerry phones. The company says Pandora will come embedded in “multiple” units this year, and it uses Bluetooth to stream the music. The company is quick to point out that combined Android and Blackberry users outnumber those who own iPhones.

Alpine introduced the iDA-X305S stereo, which uses a 3G connection. However, this model requires an iPhone 3G or 3GS to work, leaving out Android and BlackBerry users — not to mention the 11 of us left in America without a smartphone.

A similar unit from Pioneer, the AVIC-X920BT, will also require an iPhone to stream the internet radio station. Some will see these connection issues as a limitation, but some of us still remember a time when there was no music on the internet, let alone having the internet in cars.

Cardenas announced that nine Pioneer car stereo models will now support Pandora Internet radio, up from two last year and the electronics manufacturer is partnering with Aha Radio to add Twitter, Facebook, and podcast support to a couple of its high-end audio dashboards. Aha Radio, originally an iPhone app, reads tweets and Facebook messages out loud via a robotic-sounding voice and has about 100 podcast series available for download. It also features some light location searching, will read local Yelp reviews, and has traffic reports.

OCar turns your iPhone to your car’s head unit

2011-01-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of solution that will allow you to mount your iPhone to your car, OxygenAudio takes the idea to another level by creating the “oCar” – an amplified RDS car radio head unit specially made for the iPhone. It literally turns your iPhone to your car’s head unit, you can control all the your cars stereo function using the phones touch screen, listen to the music stored on your iPhone, and access your favorite app (pandora, maps, etc.) while the iPhone is being charged and docked to the head unit. The rotating mount holds your iPhone in landscape or portrait mode, it also pivots for that perfect viewing angle.

It appears that the oCar is basically a 4x55W, RDS tuner head unit with a built-in dock and hands free kit, it takes all your iPhone’s functions then seamlessly fuse it with your car, so it’s just a radio without an iPhone docked in it. Looks nice, however, it’s not clear if you would be able to control music using your cars steering wheel mounted playback controls. Lastly, a built-in airplay support could be nice, that way passengers can take over and stream music or video from their iOS device while you stay focused on driving.The unit is also compatible with iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4.

HD Radio's big advantage over satellite

2011-01-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

The huge Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is about all things digital, and increasingly applications best enjoyed from an armchair (including TV and Web access) have gone mobile with auto-based versions. One of the new frontiers is high-end car audio — not from a CD but from the radio.

There are cars everywhere at CES, from Aston-Martins to classic Camaros. The electric vehicle is being acknowledged at CES with a special Electric Vehicle TechZone from Audi, and EVs on display from Ford and General Motors.

One of the big sellers this year is likely to be aftermarket stereos that incorporate navigation and mimic the original equipment in new cars, but for half the price. Increasingly, these devices also incorporate features like satellite radio and a service I’m fascinated by, HD Radio.

According to Stephen Baldacci, a spokesman for HD Radio owner Ibiquity Digital (owned by a consortium of big-league radio owners such as Clear Channel), some 2,000 AM and FM radio stations now broadcast HD radio signals, which are transmitted digitally on frequencies between regular broadcast radio. Baldacci claims these local broadcasts reach 95 percent of all radio listeners in the U.S., but the rate of new stations going HD has slowed, largely because of cost issues in a radio recession.

At the CES show, Ashruf El-Dinary, a vice president of commercial applications at Ibiquity, sat with me in a HD-equipped Volkswagen. He said it costs stations $60,000 to $200,000 to go HD, depending on whether they need a new transmitter and other enhancements. Ibiquity has sold three million HD radios so far, and 17 auto brands now offer HD, and 37 models include it as standard equipment.

HD Radio sounds really good. Ibiquity’s claim is that FM sounds like CD, and AM like FM. On the VW, I listened to a country station playing Kenny Chesney and Joe Nichols, and the bass was really deep. Added features include a visual display of the artist playing with a photo, and tagging, which allows you to push a button and retain information on a song in an iPod playlist. Of course, you have to buy the songs for 99 cents each.

HD is a bit complicated for the novice. Tune into your standard station on an HD radio and you’ll hear it with enhanced sound and graphics. But the same station may also have an HD2 or HD3 channel with unique programming. As El-Dinary demonstrated, a station playing the Jack format on their main channel might offer an HD2 with smooth jazz and an HD3 with talk. NPR’s WAMU offers bluegrass on its HD2.

“HD is always local, and it’s always free,” said Baldacci. That last point is important when you compare HD to satellite radio. Consumers who are getting tired of paying for their SiriusXM subscription might want to investigate what they can get over the air, free. There are reportedly 1,000 channels of unique HD2 and HD3 programming, though it’s all local — only available within the range of the broadcast signal.

As I said, cars and audio are merging as digital products, and your next automobile purchase may be at a big-box store, with HD Radio and a built-in Web browser as part of the deal.

Canadian Satellite loss for $2.2 million

2011-01-13T04:59:00.000-08:00

Canadian Satellite said its average monthly subscription revenue per subscriber, or ARPU, increased to $11.40 from $11.26, marking the second consecutive quarter of ARPU growth, while the number of self-paying subscribers increased by 12.2 per cent to 439,300 from 391,600.

Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. parent company of XM Canada, said Wednesday its adjusted operating loss increased in the first quarter despite higher revenues.

The company put its adjusted operating loss for the three months ended Nov. 30 at $2.2 million, up from $1.1 million in the same quarter last year. Per share figures were not given.Revenue rose 12.6 per cent to $15.4 million from $13.7 million in the prior-year period.

“Our high-quality programming and content are the foundation of our ability to attract and retain subscribers," XM Canada president and CEO Michael Moskowitz said in a news release.

"Despite challenges in the economy, revenue growth continues to be robust, driven by an increase in both ARPU and self-paying subscribers. The auto sector recovery and the expansion of our content delivery across multiple platforms – most notably in the online and mobile space – have also contributed to our solid results.”

Stock in the company, which reported after markets closed, was down five cents at $3.50 Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

BMW offer one-year subscription of the "Sirius Everything" package with every new model year 2011 BMW Mini

2010-12-30T01:38:00.001-08:00

Sirius XM shares are spiking to a new 52-week high today after Edmunds.com said the number of new car sales in the U.S. will reach the highest level of the year this December.

Yesterday the satellite radio company announced it has teamed up with BMW to offer an introductory one-year subscription of the "Sirius Everything" package with every new model year 2011 BMW Mini and several of its new motorcycle models.

Sirius investors are bullish on the partnership news as the auto market is expected to boom.

Edmunds expects to see about 1.1 million new auto sales in December, up 30.4% from November 2010 and up 10.2% from December 2009. The car-buying site projects a 10.5% increase in total units sold in 2010 to 11.5 million from 10.4 million in 2009.

A few weeks ago, Stern announced he had finally signed a new 5-year contract with the satellite radio company, ending months of speculation regarding his plans. His announcement came less than one month before his original 5-year, $500 million deal was due to expire.

Joyce currently rates Sirius as neutral with a price target of $1.60, and contrary to most analysts, Joyce said he would "not chase the stock" just because Stern is staying.

While the retention of this talent will "salvage" Sirius' subscriber growth, Joyce believes it isn't enough to move the stock much higher than $1.60.

Sirius stock is up more than 145% over the past year. Shares spiked to a new 52-week high of $1.69 this morning and are currently up more than 3% in Thursday trading to $1.65.

XM Satellite Radio on Chevy Camaro

2010-12-22T04:11:00.001-08:00

A shark fin antenna on the 2011 Camaro Convertible's deck lid transmits XM Satellite Radio, OnStar and cellular signals, but the AM/FM antenna is hidden inside the spoiler.

The 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible boasts new AM/FM antenna technology, thanks to its fans and one ham radio operator.

Fans spoke out after leaked photos of the new Camaro revealed an AM/FM whip antenna on the rear deck lid.

Chevy turned to ham radio operator and antenna expert Don Hibbard to help redesign the car's antenna. Hibbard and colleague Gregg Kittinger were challenged to conceal the AM/FM antenna without sacrificing radio reception.

We weren't sure that it would be possible," said Kittinger. "Typically antennas are hidden in a vehicle's rear window, but with a retractable soft-top roof, that's not an option."

The result was an innovative way to build put the antenna inside the rear spoiler.

Where other automakers have tried and failed, Chevy succeeded," said Hibbard. "We hope to take what we've learned with the Camaro Convertible, build on it and apply it to future vehicles. Hibbard talks about the unorthodox placement of the antenna and the number of technical challenges it presented in the video below.

SIRIUS XM satellite service provider

2010-12-16T14:39:00.001-08:00

Satellite radio service provider SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (SIRI - Analyst Report) received a shot in the arm as Standard & Poor's (S&P) upgraded its credit rating from "B+" to "BB-". S&P declared that improved operating performance and declining debt leverage of SIRIUX XM are the primary reasons for this upgrade.

Overall, the S&P rating outlook for SIRIUS XM is stable. Recently, the company achieved a milestone, touching the 20 million subscriber base, which is a historic high. SIRIUS XM is now steadily moving toward stability, following the bankruptcy it was facing just a year ago.

During the third quarter of 2010, SIRIUS XM reported a significant improvement with respect to several operating metrics. Average revenue per user was $11.81 compared to $10.09 in the year-ago quarter. Conversion rate was 48.1% compared to 46.2% in the year-ago quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, the company's debt leverage was 9.9x compared to a massive 29.5x at the end of fiscal 2009. Debt-to-capitalization ratio was 0.91 compared to 0.97 at the end of fiscal 2009.

SIRIUS XM's business depends to a large extent upon automakers. The sale and lease of vehicles equipped with satellite radios is the most important source of revenues for both XM and SIRIUS satellite radio services. Improving U.S. economic conditions that resulted in the recovery of auto sector sales together with better-than-expected consumer spending enabled the company to vastly improve results.

SIRIUS XM owns an extensive satellite network covering the whole of the U.S. that provides audio content streamed over 130 channels. After Comcast Corp. (CMCSA - Analyst Report), the company is the second-largest entertainment subscription service provider in the U.S.

SIRIUS XM declared that despite facing severe economic turmoil and competitive pressure, it acquired the last 10 million subscribers faster than the first 10 million. The company now expects to add 1.3 million net subscribers in 2010, much higher than its previous prediction of 1.1 million. Importantly, this is the fourth time that management has raised its subscriber guidance for 2010. Management is hopeful that its year-end 2010 subscriber base will touch 20.1 million.

On December 9, SIRIUS XM announced that the company entered into a new 5-year agreement with its star performer Howard Stern who hosts a talk-show in SIRIUS XM. Many analysts consider the performance of Howard Stern as one of the main reasons for the company's gradual recovery in last couple years. Stern's existing contract size is $500 million for 5 years that will come to an end by end 2010. However, the company did not disclosed the financial terms of the new contract.

SIRIUS XM competes with other broadcast radio companies such as Cumulus Media Inc. (CMLS - Analyst Report) and Westwood One Inc. (WWON - Snapshot Report). We maintain our long-term Neutral recommendation for SIRIUS XM.

Beware of "Free" Satellite Radio Service on Your New Vehicle

2010-07-09T19:10:00.001-07:00

Nancy Shapiro of Middletown is one of the hundreds of people whom Sirius XM tried to take advantage of by billing for a contract she did not need or want, and had not requested.

When she purchased a new Buick LaCrosse, it came with a standard three-month trial subscription to Sirius XM Radio – a product I will buy with my next car.

And when the trial period ended on March 30, Shapiro contacted the company to get a regular subscription, like she had on her previous car, paying about $44 every three months.

But when her credit card bill arrived in May, she discovered she had been charged $488.86 for a lifetime subscription (the lifetime of the car).

"I contacted the company to dispute the charge," she wrote me in an email asking for my help. "I was immediately told that the subscription was nonrefundable. I explained to the customer service representative that I had not signed up for this and when I received the same response, I spoke with a supervisor."

"Once again, I was told that the subscription was not refundable. After a significant number of calls and virtually the same response from everyone I spoke with, I wrote a letter to the President explaining the problem and requesting a refund of the $488.86. The President has never responded to my letter."

Shapiro also tried unsuccessfully to convince her credit card company to cancel her charge.

After checking the Better Business Bureau – bbb.org – site and seeing hundreds of other complaints about Sirius XM billing practices, I figured I would pull out all the stops.

I sent an email to the satellite radio company’s public relations department, notifying them that I would be writing a column about this complaint as well as the complaints I saw on the BBB site and other consumer sites. I also forwarded Shapiro's email to the attorney general's office and to the state consumer protection commissioner, and informed the PR department about that.

While the public relations department never responded directly to me, they did to Shapiro.

Within 48 hours she became a valued customer. She received a call from the customer relations department apologizing for the problem and agreed to refund the $488.86 they billed to her Capital One account. She was also promised six months of free service.

"I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your efforts on my behalf," she wrote me last week. "You did in one day what I have been trying to do for more than three months." My pleasure.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal also responded to me in a written statement saying that while he was pleased that Shapiro got her money back, others have also had problems.

"My office remains concerned about Sirius XM's billing practices and will seek information from the company," he wrote. "We have received about 20 complaints about Sirius XM in the last five years, most concerning bill practices and unwanted automatic renewal. My office has resolved all but three. We are in negotiations to resolve the remaining three. None involved lifetime subscriptions, as in Ms. Shapiro's case."

Another approach that Shapiro could have taken was to file a complaint against the company with the better business bureau at bbb.org.

The BBB reports that it has received more than 3,200 complaints against the company in the past three years, with about half involving billing complaints.

Most of the complaints were resolved and the company has a B rating.

How to save satellite radio

2010-03-14T13:53:00.001-07:00

It feels like a critical time for music listening right now. Free streaming services like Pandora and Last.fm are poised to take off, but they're hampered by slow rollout, customer confusion, and the fact that labels like Warner are totally freaked out by free streaming and yanking their music from them.

On the other hand, terrestrial radio is virtually unlistenable, due to its crowd-pleasing format of two songs, then a 30-minute commercial block that's cleverly timed with every other station's 30-minute commercial block. Add to that the constant repetition of the same five songs and radio becomes, as a tool for music discovery, a mind-numbing exercise in tuning out (if you'll pardon the pun).

Enter satellite radio.

The Sirius/XM upstart has been on its deathbed for a few years now, but it's starting to creep out of near bankruptcy and its shares are into the $1 range. (Don't laugh, a year ago it was something like 12 cents.) It's hanging on by a thread and I think that, with a few key moves and a shift in strategy, now's the perfect time for satellite to sneak in and make a splash.

But let's be clear: there's not a lot of time. Pandora, delivered wirelessly via Bluetooth, is rocketing into car stereos and will be an integral part of the upcoming Ford MyTouch system and the next generation of Ford Sync. And millions of us are streaming Pandora online at work and on our phones either in the car or at the gym or walking down the street. If satellite is going to make a move, it's got to be now.

The biggest obstacle right now? Price. I just finished a 6-month trial of satellite radio in my car. At the end of the trial, I was totally hooked on several stations and absolutely devoted to the idea of commercial-free listening. I'd purchased a ton of music that I discovered on various stations. Now, sure, I use an auxiliary jack in the car to plug in my phone or music player, but it's annoying and dangerous to, say, switch playlists on the phone interface, or plug it in while driving if I forget to before I leave. And I like looking at the radio dash to see what song is playing. My Sirius trial was, for me, a total winner. But when the time came to re-up and become a paying subscriber, I didn't do it. Why not? Like I said, price.

Subscription prices went up dramatically after the Sirius/XM merger, and they are now at deal-breaking levels. Period. The standard package Sirius pitched me is $12 a month, preferably payable annually, and that does not include Internet streaming. There's an a la carte package that starts at $6.99 that requires a new stereo and also doesn't include Internet streaming. The various packages are ridiculously complex and the whole thing just feels like a confusing, overpriced mess--because it is.

Recently on Buzz Out Loud, we talked about streaming radio versus satellite, and here's an example of the e-mail we got about satellite's pricing.

"I'm a current Sirius subscriber and I absolutely hate the rates. Last year, I signed up for a year of service for about 90 dollars. My subscription renewed on Monday, at a rate of about 110 for the year. This includes a $12 charge for US Music Royalty Fee, a fee that satellite and internet based radio stations are forced to pay by the FCC yet terrestrial radio stations aren't required to pay yet. (They are currently fighting this fee). On top of finding this fee extremely obnoxious, I am essentially paying $12 per year for music that I have no physical copy of, ugh!

On top of this, Sirius/XM is the biggest nickel-and-dime company I can imagine. If i wanted to listen to streaming online, that's an extra $3 a month. O, you want to be able to listen to Sirius on your Blackberry or iPhone, well that's another $3 a month on top of the $110 fee. And then on top of that; if you want to listen to Sirius and XM you have to make sure you purchase not only the special plan but a dual receiver. And the worst thing about it is; when you purchase your subscription online, you have to use a credit card. Unless you call them, as there is no option online, you will be automatically renewed and charged for another year membership."

Guys. That's just ridiculous. Here's another, similar complaint about XM Radio.

"Out of the blue, XM Radio no longer allows subscribers to stream stations on a computer without paying for a premium account. First they cut the 64 bit audio to 32 bit and added a premium subscription of 128 bit audio for $3.00 a month. I called and canceled my subscription for two radios today over this. I imagine there won't be satellite radio at all for much longer."

Ok, so, start with price cuts, but don't end there. First, make the a la carte option the only option, and include Internet and mobile streaming. I'm sure it sounds terrifyingly low, but trust me, guys: for the convenience, the discovery, and the streaming, I'd happily pay seven bucks a month. Or, ok, I'll allow two plans -- a basic and a premium, and the premium includes ... nah, never mind. One plan. Seven bucks.

Next, you've got to change the way you try to get your customers. Get off the hardware crack and start selling satellite as an embedded service. Right now, when I go to the XM Radio or Sirius home page, I see devices. When I click the shop link on either site, I see an array of portable devices and car stereos. That's got to stop. No one's looking for another thing to carry right now.

First step: flip the script and start selling commercial-free radio stations and Internet and mobile streaming. Once you've got them paying for those subscriptions, people might buy receivers and new car stereos, but sell them the subscriptions first on the devices they already have. Almost every new car has satellite capability built in, and if you've got universal apps for mobile streaming, you're done, you're selling subs like hotcakes.

Next up, start using the Netflix model--don't try to sell extra devices, just be in every device. Netflix streaming is in Blu-ray players, TVs, game consoles, TiVo, heck, even the Sony Dash. Satellite should be, too, whether it's an actual receiver or just satellite radio streaming. Be everywhere with a trial that can turn into a subscription and, above all, make sure those subscriptions are cheap enough to be easily justifiable. Under $10 a month, I can swallow. Over $10? I'm out, and I'm not the only one.

Oh, and also, can't you build in some kind of broadcast buffer to stop the service from cutting out when I go under an underpass? Because that is annoying.

Look, satellite radio is a good product, Stern notwithstanding. (The terrestrials can have him.) The music discovery, the lack of commercials, the integration with existing car stereos: all of that is killer. And the opportunity for Internet and mobile streaming is satellite's totally unexploited and potentially game-changing opportunity. Innovate or die, Sirius/XM. I think you've still got a chance to innovate. And I hope you do, because I really like that Coffeehouse station.

Tuning in to satellite radio easy with SkyDock, XMp3

2010-03-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

I NEVER GAVE satellite radio much thought until late last year.

Cruising through Arizona in a cramped Ford Mustang rental (she had to have a convertible), the wide variety of music and other programming helped the mood immeasurably — almost as much my buffalo burger at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner.

On request, XM Canada sent me a sampling of its current product line. Included were the Pioneer XMp3 portable satellite radio/MP3 player and the XM SkyDock. The SkyDock is fairly new to the Canadian market. It’s a unique tuner that uses an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch as the control panel.

Satellite radio units installed as add-ons are generally clunky, full of hard to use buttons. They also clutter all but the most spacious interiors.

The SkyDock, however, incorporates a common gadget that may already be along for the ride and plugs directly into your vehicle’s 12-volt power adaptor. The fit is secure. No worries about the unit coming loose on bumpy roads.

The SkyDock ($130) is easy to install. The most difficult part was running the external, magnetized antenna to the exterior of the vehicle. Since it was a short-term loaner, I just closed the back door on the wire and stuck it to the roof. Worked like a charm.

After downloading the free SkyDock app from the Apple App Store, it was good to go. The app will run in either portrait or landscape mode, but stops working if the user switches to another app. Unfortunately, this rules out using the iPhone’s GPS function while listening to music.

There are two ways to get the sound to your car’s audio system, a line out to an auxiliary port or by using XM’s PowerConnect FM transmitter. I opted for the transmitter and sound quality was better than regular radio. I did, however, find that sound quality varied from station to station, but not to the point of being bothersome. Music stored on your iPhone or iPod Touch can also be played.

Like every XM radio I’ve seen, the device allows you to tag favourite artists or songs so it emits an audible prompt and display any time they’re being played.

The SkyDock also acts as a charger and really didn’t look terribly out of place in my car. Since my iPhone goes with me anyway, this configuration allowed me to have access to XM programming without having to haul around yet another gizmo.

Next up was the XMp3 portable device. It’s less than 10 centimetres high with a small antenna at the top, weighs only 88 grams, including battery, and uses a familiar navigation wheel with a central button for most functions. It sells for about $200.

Initially I had trouble getting a signal. Had I taken time to read the instructions, I would have pointed the external antenna toward the south sky instead of east. Once the antenna was sorted, everything else fell into place and reception was solid and consistent.

Menus are easy to navigate and an included remote makes listening from the couch a breeze. However, given the device’s small size, you’ve got to have eyes like a freaking superhero to see the screen from a distance.

As an MP3 player, it does the job. Sound quality is decent but not fantastic and it plays MP3 and WMA files. In addition to two gigabytes of storage, a microSD slot is built into the top next to the headphone jack.

As a portable satellite radio, its reception is hit or miss — mostly miss.

My favourite feature was that it can record up to 100 hours of programming from as many as five channels at the same time and it can be set up to do it automatically. In my opinion, this gives the unit a lot more utility and value.

Of course, in order to listen to XM, you have to pay for XM. Its 130 channels and access to online streaming will run about $15 a month.

Sirius FM-5 (Radiosat 5) Set To Sound Off

2009-06-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sirius FM-5 satellite logo Following the delivery, on May 22nd, of the Proton M booster rocket designated for the SIRIUS FM-5 launch, the aforementioned spacecraft was delivered to the Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 26th.

After passing through customs, the spacecraft was transferred to building 92A-50 for testing and integration. The satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral on the 1300 bus for SIRIUS XM Radio, is scheduled to be the fifth Proton launch of 2009 and the third ILS mission of the year. SIRIUS FM-5 will be inserted into a geostationary orbit and will supplement the existing fleet of SIRIUS satellites.

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) announced in June 2006 that it has been chosen by Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to build Sirius FM-5, a powerful new geostationary satellite for use in its satellite radio service. Sirius FM-5 will carry an X-band uplink and S-band downlink payload. The satellite will be one of the most powerful ever constructed, with end-of-life power capability at more than 20 kilowatts. Sirius FM-5 is based on SS/L's flight proven and reliable LS-1300 platform and will have a specified service life of 15 years. It will carry a range of technologies, including a 9-meter unfurlable reflector, which will allow for highly-concentrated transmissions to small, advanced devices.

As part of its commitment to Sirius, Loral has agreed to provide to Sirius a vendor financing facility of up to $100 million. The satellite will supplement from its geostationary position the three other Sirius satellites in highly elliptical orbits, all manufactured by SS/L.

Recession killed the radio star

2009-05-22T12:11:00.003-07:00

The radio business has been struggling lately, to say the least. Traditional, terrestrial radio hasn't found a way to successfully box out competition from Sirius XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), internet streaming radio, iPods, and other sources.

Plus fewer people are in their cars driving to work lately, so the ratings numbers are down. Not to mention the monotonous nature of much of today's music (or maybe I'm just old . . . get off my lawn, you Jonas Brothers, you!) It's no surprise, then, that the radio advertising business recently saw its worst quarter in history.

The Radio Advertising Bureau said yesterday that combined national and local ad spending dropped 26% to $2.8 billion during the last quarter. Network radio dropped 13% to $238 million while off-air revenue receded 12% to $264 million. The one silver lining was digital platforms (online, streaming, and HD Radio), which collectively saw revenue jump 13% to $101 million. Bottom-lining the numbers to reflect all segments of the traditional radio business, revenue dropped 24% to $3.4 billion during the latest reporting period.

Why The iPhone Won't Save Sirius XM

2009-05-22T12:11:00.001-07:00

Like many media companies, Sirius XM (SIRI) is hoping Apple's (AAPL) iPhone can provide a new growth market. That is why it is working on an iPhone app, due sometime this spring. But being the umpteenth radio app on the iPhone -- with a monthly fee -- is not going to be the satellite radio company's savior.

Why not? The same reasons we listed last summer when word of a Sirius iPhone application first reared its head.

1. The iPhone -- and any cellphone -- is hardly an ideal device for listening to the radio in your car, where Sirius shines. After you figure out how to hook it up to your car stereo system, relying on AT&T's cellphone network signal to reliably deliver an uninterrupted
audio stream could be a losing proposition.

2. Besides Howard Stern, there is not much unique Sirius content worth paying for to listen to on your iPhone that you can't get from other radio sources. An 80s station is an 80s station, no matter the source. (Even Sirius XM partner Major League Baseball will be offering its own live radio feeds of games this year via its iPhone app.)

3. There is plenty of other ways to listen to music on the iPhone that don't require a subscription fee, including its built-in library (now with over-the-air downloads), and free apps from Pandora, Last.fm, AOL/CBS radio, etc.

Cellphone owners have been able to stream satellite radio content for years, and that hasn't done much for Sirius or its former rival XM.

Sirius iPhone Application

2009-05-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sirius announced plans today for an application to stream its satellite radio service to the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. Sirius XM CFO David Frear made the comments on its earnings conference call, which covered Sirius's fourth quarter results. The company reported a fourth quarter net loss of $245.8 million on revenue of $644 million.

Back in 2006, we asked if satellite radio could survive the onslaught of iPods and podcasting. Pods and podcasting threaten the future of satellite radio. A large portion of both companies subscribers has come from people that purchase cars with pre-installed satellite radio. More and more cars have iPod support, which cuts into XM and Sirius subscriber growth. Internet audio in the form of podcasts and streaming audio also offers a free alternative to the services.

Satellite radio's value was based on its coverage and its range of content. At this point, people are overwhelmed by the range of content that's available on the Internet. Devices like the iPhone can bring podcasts and Internet radio to you wherever you take your phone. Is the Sirrius iPhone app too little, too late?

Free Access to Sirius Radio Service

2008-12-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sirius XM Radio has quietly fixed a bug in its satellite radio system that provided a way for former subscribers to gain free access to the Sirius service since 2002, according to security vendor TippingPoint Technologies. TippingPoint found out about the issue when it was reported to the company's Zero Day Initiative, which pays hackers for technical details on security bugs. TippingPoint relayed its information on the issue to Sirius on July 10.

The situation shines a light on what could become a new problem for the radio network, following the July merger of Sirius and XM: SATELLITE PIRACY. Industry watchers say that with a combined audience of more than 18.5 million Sirius XM subscribers, pirates may now have the incentive they need to create illegal devices that can receive Sirius XM signals. The July 10 problem, which Sirius has apparently now resolved according to TippingPoint, was in the deactivation process used to cancel subscriptions. It seems to be really an oversight on Sirius's side. It's just kind of sloppy, and in the end it really hurts their bottom line. For example, the flaw could have been exploited to build black market satellite radio receivers that would never be deactivated, Forslof said. Although TippingPoint does not know how many people are aware of the issue, the person who reported the bug to TippingPoint said that "multiple people were doing this".

TippingPoint, a division of 3Com, lists the issue on its Web site as having medium severity, but the flaw does not affect the security of Sirius users. Also, it does not affect devices designed to use XM Satellite radio, which was recently acquired by Sirius XM. Sirius XM had little to say about TippingPoint's findings. "Sirius XM does not comment on security issues though we do invest in our technologies to insure our service is protected for our subscribers," the company said in an e-mailed statement. "We are confident in the effectiveness of our technology." It is not clear exactly when Sirius fixed the bug or for how long it was possible to exploit it. Sirius first began offering service under that name in 2002 and the bug apparently existed then.

Piracy already costs the satellite TV industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year, according to Jimmy Schaeffler, chief service officer with The Carmel Group, a digital entertainment consulting firm. With some TV packages priced at close to $100 per month, (Sirius Everything Plus service is $16.99 per month) pirates have focused on satellite TV. However, we view a move to satellite radio piracy as "inevitable," now that Sirius and XM have merged. That's because pirates can now reach a much larger market of nearly 20 million Sirius XM radio subscribers! A pirate can find true value from figuring out how to hack them. A search of online forums turns up anecdotal evidence that some Sirius subscribers may have been able to evade the company's deactivation signals and at least one reference to a cracked Sirius Sportster radio, selling for US$400.

Want HD Radio With That?

2008-10-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be convenient if all satellite radio—meaning Sirius XM—receivers also handled over-the-air HD Radio? A bill in Congress would mandate this pairing. The Federal Communications Commission is also considering it as an outgrowth of its approval for the Sirius XM merger.

On one level, the requirement makes sense. Haven't AM and FM radio been a happy couple for decades? But it also would mean binding a free medium to a subscription medium, something of a precedent setter. It is easy to imagine satellite listeners, having gotten a taste of free digital radio, letting their subscriptions lapse, especially when times are hard. The National Association of Broadcasters predictably "salutes the leadership" of Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), who introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives. Lining up in support are Clear Channel, public radio, and Ibiquity, developer of HD Radio.

Not so enthusiastic are the satellite broadcasters. Lining up in their support are Toyota and General Motors, which build satellite radios into their cars, but don't favor this "unprecedented requirement regulating the choice of entertainment technologies in an automotive environment." When it approved the Sirius XM merger, the FCC also approved an open-device requirement for satellite radio. That conceivably could mean accommodating HD Radio, but then again, the extra device could also be internet radio or an iPod dock.

XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio

2007-06-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Coke vs. Pepsi, McDonalds vs. Burger King, Yankees vs. Red Sox are all examples of some of the most well known rivalries in American culture. Is it time to add XM vs. Sirius to this list? Well, the significance of this rivalry is certainly up for debate, however there is no arguing that it has been bitter battle to this point.

I am of course talking about the satellite radio space, where subscribers receive hundreds of programming options with CD quality reception all across the country. XM and Sirius have many similarities, such as programming and hardware options, making it difficult for consumers to decide between the two. If you’re a Howard Stern junky or addicted to the NFL then Sirius is likely your choice. If Oprah is more your speed or you can’t miss an MLB game then XM Radio is the better choice for you.

So who is winning the satellite radio battle in terms of market share? Well, currently XM has 7.1 million subscribers to Sirius’s 5.1 million. But, who will be winning after the holiday season and into next year? The number of people visiting both Sirius.com and XMRadio.com can be used as a proxy for the future market share of each product. Historically, each site has received similar amounts of people per month, indicating an equal level of consumer interest in both brands. Interesting to note, last month, at the height of the 2006 Holiday shopping season XM and Sirius experienced their largest differential in site traffic ever! While XM skyrocketed past the 1.4 million mark, Sirius hovered to 1.1 million.

When Sirius signed Howard Stern as their marquee radio personality in 2004 they did so with the expectation that he would boost subscriber numbers and thus gain market share on XM. While the signing of Stern definitely increased subscribers, it is clear now, 2 years later, that XM remains the industry leader. With 2 million more subscribers and 350,000 more people visiting their site in November, 2006, it appears the XM’s number one status is secure.

Mitsubishi cuts deal with SIRIUS Satellite Radio

2007-01-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

Mitsubishi Motors North America announced that it will offer SIRIUS radio as a standard feature or factory option, starting with four models this fall, and expanding to the full Mitsubishi product line next year. All SIRIUS-equipped vehicles will include a pre-paid six month subscription.

The first models to come standard with SIRIUS will be the 2007 Galant RALLIART, and the Endeavor SE, as well as the Raider LS and DuroCross double-cab pickups.

Other automakers exclusively partnered with SIRIUS include Aston Martin, Audi, BMW and Chrysler, among others.

Sirius radio over Wi-Fi networks

2006-06-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sirius has recently registered the trademark Stiletto. Which we expect to coincide with their supposed next portable device. It is made from Zing and actually only delivers radio over Wi-Fi networks (an improvement over the S50 but not a solution just yet). The name Stiletto, seems to sound like a high fashion device, and makes sense to be ‘worn.’

Sirius is getting around to releasing a portable/wearable device that will receive live radio broadcasts, to compete with the XM Inno and Helix. Pictured above is the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled Zing prototype shown at D4. These “Wi-Fi Radios” have the ability to share music among friends, download music and upload data, and features a Buy Button (via Yahoo). There’s also push-to-talk functionality via a Wi-Fi network as the device has a built-in speaker and microphone. This device will be able to stream Sirius over Wi-Fi not Satellite, bringing us closer to live radio but not there yet.