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XM Satellite Radio  

post #1 of 6
5/17/01 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
XM has just announced it started broadcasting from its recently launched satellite Rock. Has anyone seen a receiver for this (or Sirius) that is available (even a beta version)?

For a Company that says it will launch "this summer" you would think they would have more than just the "CES booth model" avilable for potential users. You would think that they would be running extensive beta tests getting feedback from several thousand users under real - world conditions. They also announced that they shipped the final version of their chip set. So where the hell are the radios. My guess is they are way behind with their R&D and production of the real radios.

The blizzard of press releases is designed to keep the investors happy until they work out the kinks. If anyone knows where I can get one of these, please e-mail me. I will be more than willing to pay a substantial premium to get my hands on a working unit.
post #2 of 6
5/17/01 at 3:43pm
I saw these units at CES. The potential is great, but they will have at least one serious flaw in the near term. I asked both companies and got the same answer. If you own more than one radio, you are out of luck. Each one requires its own subscription. I suspect most radio listeners have many radios like I do. I have at least 3 in the house that I use regularly and I would want it both of the cars that I drive occasionally. I won't even think about this until you can activate multiple radios on one subscription.

Good luck finding a unit. I remember Sony featured them prominently at the show.
post #3 of 6
5/17/01 at 4:08pm
You are correct, RJ: each "radio" requires a subscription. However, part of the plan is to offer "cradles" conecting the receiver to power and antenna for mounting at home and in the car. Therefore you carry the receiver with you and just have to purchase the cradles for the locations you want.

Inelegant (and more costly), but functional.
post #4 of 6
5/18/01 at 8:10am
I read today via a link to a 5/17/01 Washington Post story at www.broadcastingcable.com that XM competitor Sirius was planning on increasing iits monthly subscription fee from $9.95 to $12.95. A spokesman for XM indicated they are sticking to their business plan calling for an "under $10 per month" fee.

This, in addition to reports that XM has applied for over a thousand gap-filler repeater sites around the country (like, for when you are driving in an urban canyon or through a tunnel and lose the satellite signal) vs. only several dozen gap-fillers from Sirius is making me more interested in XM.

To get the link from Broadcasting & Cable go to near the bottom of their homepage a click on "Sirius Price Increase" under "Elsewhere on the Web."

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HiDefDave

STOP HDCP!



[This message has been edited by Dave McRoy (edited 05-18-2001).]
post #5 of 6
5/18/01 at 9:11pm
Is this the only digital radio available in the US? Seems a bit klunky. Do you need a GPS-like satellite reciever with a line-of-sight to the sky?
post #6 of 6
5/18/01 at 9:22pm
Quote:
Originally posted by cskates:
Is this the only digital radio available in the US? Seems a bit klunky. Do you need a GPS-like satellite reciever with a line-of-sight to the sky?
most of the signals come from the bird, but they are also building out terrestrial repeaters for areas like Manhattan and such to fill in where sat signals may be too weak.



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--Steve
BrainStorm PR
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