We're going to start off an on-going segment.
Post a comment to this entry about what you're listening to right now. XM, Sirius... doesn't matter.
Just post the Channel, the Song, and Where you are right now.
I'll start.
XM Channel 80 - The Move
Artist: Armand Van Helden
Track: Hear My Name
Location: In my new, very empty, house.
Billboard has announced an agreement with Sirius Satellite Radio to provide weekly music chart rankings and other information from the music industry.
Details surrounding chart-topping songs and albums will be featured on a variety of Sirius news and entertainment channels throughout the day, beginning tomorrow (Feb. 1).
This alliance with Sirius provides them all of Billboard's assets: content, charts and insights in the U.S. and global music scene.=
Sirius Satellite Radio will officially debut Maxim Radio in Jacksonville, Florida during Super Bowl week.
Maxim Radio is produced by Maxim magazine and Sirius Satellite Radio. Maxim Radio will be the irreverent guy-talk of Maxim magazine, with music, listener call-ins and guests from the worlds of music, sports and entertainment.
Hosted by Steve Covino and Rich Davis weekdays from Noon-4pm ET, Michael Bower weekdays from 4pm-8pm ET and Evan Roberts and Brian O'Leary weeknights from 8pm-Midnight ET. Maxim Radio's official debut will be on Saturday, February 5 at 8pm ET, Sirius Channel 145, live from "Maximony," this year's edition of Maxim magazine's famous annual Super Bowl party, in Jacksonville, Florida.
XM Satellite Radio today announced that Nissan North America, Inc., has chosen XM to supply satellite-delivered data and telematics services, such as in-vehicle messaging and XM NavTraffic, (which delivers current traffic information) to properly equipped Nissan and Infiniti vehicle navigation systems. This is a long-term deal for a minimum of 5 years.
Nissan has relationships with both Sirius and XM, though rumor has it that these agreements are set to expire in 2007. Is this an exclusive deal? No. But it makes things more difficult for Sirius to expand its relationship with Nissan going forward.
Nissan currently offers XM radios as an accessory option on all models of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles (18 models in total), including the Nissan Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Quest, 350Z Coupe, Murano, Armada, Pathfinder, Frontier, Xterra, and Titan, as well as the Infiniti FX35/45, G35 Sedan, G35 Coupe, M45, Q45, and QX56.
This represents a major milestone for XM, as they've dedicated significant resources to the development of XM NavTraffic (amoungst others) over the last two years. Nissan signing on for integrated data and telematics is big. Very big.
No start date has been set yet, but rumor has it that the first Nissan vehicles with integrated data and telematics services will be offered for the 2007 model year.
Rumor has it that XM Satellite Radio will announce a deal with the Indy Racing League within the upcoming weeks.
While there's nothing official yet, we can easily assume that they'll probably be carrying the Indy Racing League Radio Network.
XM currently has an in-depth partnership with NASCAR (XM Channel 144 and XM Channel 145). No word on whether the IRL deal will include the ever popular in-car audio coverage currently available with NASCAR.
Thanks candlebougie!
After all the speculation about something cool involving an OnStar/XM combo, GM's FindTheMessage campaign was in fact all about OnStar and StabiliTrak being standard equipment on all GM cars.
How disappointing. :(
GM launched a cute little national billboard campaign that reveals a new, one word billboard each day. On Monday, January 31, when all 17 words are revealed, a sentence will be formed. The campaign revolves around the FindTheMessage website, which craftly reveals each word so you can try to figure out what the message is.
Unfortunatly, a lil' over a week ago the message was cracked due to some poor programming techniques and the first line to the message was (gasp) revealed. It reads "This is the last time you will ever have to feel alone on our nation's highways" which, still leaves a lot of room for guessing.
The original speculation is that it's an announcement that GM will offer OnStar in all of its vehicles. Others speculate that this has something to do with XM Satellite Radio because the contest is sponsored by XM. And out of the two, the OnStar announcement sounds pretty reasonable - right?
But what if it's a combination of both XM and OnStar? What if AutoWeek's article jumped the gun a bit before the big announcement could be made? Could the FindTheMessage campaign be a big announcement about OnStar / XM Satellite Radio integration? Wouldn't be too far of a guess considering how this campaign has been handled so far.
But let's add a bit more to the speculation. With a recent Patent Application by GM. Below is a diagram from GM's patent on MVCS (mobile vehicle communication service) 100.
According to the patent application, MVCS 100 is implemented as an OnStar system, and as an XM Satellite Radio system. The application is for a "system for pulling information from a mobile vehicle within a mobile vehicle communications system." This, combined with XM and OnStar would be pretty kickass technology - and definitely worth a detailed and hype-driving announcement like FindTheMessage.
"This is the last time you will ever have to feel alone on our nation's roadways. Because everyone should hear these words."
Just food for thought. :)
SkyReport reports (ach that sounds redundant) that the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission yesterday authorized XM Satellite Radio to launch and operate two replacement satellites to support its services.
The replacement satellites, XM-3 and XM-4, will be located at 85 degrees and at 115 degrees respectively. The satellites will eventually replace the existing XM-1 and XM-2 satellites at these locations as they're experiencing technical problems (solar panel degradation). The bureau also granted XM's request to relocate XM-1 and XM-2. XM-1 (Roll) at 85 degrees, will be moved to 115 degrees and will operate at that location with XM-2 (Rock). Both will each transmit at full power, but only on one transponder per satellite.
XM-3 is set to launch in February (probably late-Feb) by Sea Launch. After the launch of XM-4 (in 2007 I believe?), XM Satellite Radio can operate XM-1 and XM-2 as in-orbit spares at 115 degrees for the remainder of the satellites' existing license terms.
[View the XM Public Notice application here (PDF)]
There'll probably be a live feed of the launch on Sea Launch's website. Orbitcast will feature it when it does happen. For now, if you want to watch the archived videos of the XM-1 and XM-2 launches, you can see them here.
Just for clarification, the launch of XM-3 will probably not be noticable by subscribers. This is simply steps taken by XM to fix the degrading birds in-orbit, and prevent a loss of broadcast signal strength.
Now onto the nicknames of the two satellites. From what I've heard, XM-3 will nicknamed "Rhythm" and XM-4 will be "Blues". "Sex" and "Drugs" would've been great second choices, but I don't think the corporate types would enjoy it.
XM Satellite Radio will celebrate Black History Month in February with a wide variety of music, talk and entertainment, including brand-new episodes of original XM music programs.
Throughout the month of February, XM will offer listeners a wide range of exclusive shows, featuring Quincy Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Nas, and Wynton Marsalis, among others.
Some of the highlights of XM's Black History Month programming include:
* "Black History Timeline" on The Groove (XM Channel 64)
* "Artist Confidential" on XM Live (XM Channel 200) and various channels
* "Charlestown: Ray Charles" on the 50s (XM Channel 5)
* "From Scratch: Nas" on The City (XM Channel 67)
* "Stax Records Special" on Soul Street (XM Channel 60)
* "We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite" on Real Jazz (XM Channel 70)
* "Divas of Hip Hop" on The Rhyme (XM Channel 65)
* "B.B. King Live on XM" on Bluesville (XM Channel 74)
* "From Be-Bop to Hip Hop with Quincy Jones" on The Groove (XM Channel 64)
* "Legacy" on Watercolors (XM Channel 71)
* "90s Artists in Black History" on the 90s (XM Channel 9)
* The Power (XM Channel 169), the only 24-hour nationwide African American talk radio channel, will broadcast a series of exclusive specials, in-depth interviews, and call-in shows devoted to Black History Month during February.
Jonny Moseley, Olympic / World Cup ski champion and host of The Moseley Method on Sirius Satellite Radio's Faction channel, will give hourly updates on all of the action at Winter X Games 9 exclusively for Sirius listeners.
Moseley's insight into the excitement will hit the air starting Sunday morning at 10 am ET on Faction channel 28 and run throughout the duration of the biggest action sports event of the winter.
Hey wow, big day for Faction as Lance Armstrong's new show will launch later on Sunday night.
Just saw a new XM2go MyFi commercial. The front of the MyFi is shown from a first-person point of view the entire time while the background is changing. Has anyone else seen it? Far better than the Elton John spot because the commercial isn't about him (and let's face it, the Elton John MyFi commercial wasn't about the MyFi), but rather about the unit itself.
If anyone can find a copy of the commercial, please email me and I'll be glad to post it.
UPDATE: Whoa, should've checked my email before I posted this. Fellow Orbitcast reader candlebougie pointed me to a post on XM411 about the new commercial. Apparently others have seen it too!
There's no question that Sirius has been spending a ton of loot lately, what with big salaries and half-billion dollar deals being thrown around. Yesterday's announcement about the big 4th Quarter Loss made the reality of the situation, only more real.
But a Daily News article points out that Mel has some big plans for advertising on Sirius. Right now, advertising at Sirius accounts only for less than $1 million of its $67 million in sales. But Karmazin said he's planning on beefing up Sirius' ad sales force, and predicted that ads will become a much bigger part of the business. The article seems to praise Mel for the move, and while it's a revenue stream that Sirius would definitely benefit from, I have to wonder about the possible underlying effects.
With big advertisers like Heineken, Snapple and Dial-A-Mattress supposedly in the works, how long will it be before the commericials leak out of the 55 talk and news stations and into all the other non-commericial radio stations? If Mel sees a need to boost revenue significantly, maybe he won't consider the subscription profits to be the cash cow, and instead sell out significant ad space to advertisers (much like magazine subscriptions).
Bottom line. Are we going to have to listen to 20-minutes of Dial-A-Mattress commercials all over again?? I hope not, but there may be no choice.
Apparently the relationship between OnStar and XM Satellite Radio has produced two "bundles of joy" according to an AutoWeek article. Looks like both companies are working on bundling OnStar/XM subscriptions and developing hardware that would be compatible with both technologies.
Since both OnStar and XM have deals with GM and are available under the auto maker, it's an obvious fit. The idea would to be offer 3-months free of the new service, and if all goes well in both their accounting depts, they should have something up within the next 12 to 16 months.
Side Note:
Why the hell isn't this a big Press Release? I'm a little bothered by the fact that this wasn't considered to be a big deal. XM and OnStar? uhhhh... sounds like PR material to me.
(unless AutoWeek jumped the gun?)
Vic Henley (best known for his stand-up comedy bits) will join Sirius Satellite Radio on Channel 36 - Outlaw Country, as on-air host starting on Monday, January 31.
His charming yet wickedly well-crafted Southern humor will be heard from 8 pm to Midnight ET Monday through Friday, directly following Mojo Nixon ("the loon in the afternoon"), who hosts Outlaw Country from 4pm to 8 pm ET.
Henley first hooked up with Sirius when he hosted a week on Outlaw Country in late 2004, filling in for Mojo Nixon.
So Sirius had their investor conference call yesterday - you can listen to it here or if you're so inclined you can call 877-519-4471 (pin number 5564674) or 888-350-0137 (pin number 3202).
XM is having their conference call on February 10th. You can listen to it online, or listen to it live by calling 800-374-0551. If you happen to miss it, you can call 800-642-1687 (pin number 1040354) and listen to the replay.
Side note:
I'm a little unsure whether to actally bother blogging about this type of stuff, because it's pretty much.... boring. (If you're an interested investor, you already know about the conference calls anyway). But with the lack of super-exicting news lately, (ie, Engadget reporting on XM launching the XM-3 satellite next month - something many of us have known since... I dunno... a couple years), I almost feel like I'm being a dick by not mentioning these things. Feel free to let me know you agree or disagree. Any feedback will help me how to steer this baby so it's more interesting for everyone.
Six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will debut his new exclusive weekly show on Sirius, Lance Armstrong's Live Strong Radio, with a live broadcast this Sunday, January 30.
The new program can be heard each Sunday at 9 pm ET on SIRIUS' Faction channel 28. Armstrong, whose association with SIRIUS was initially announced in October 2004, and like other Faction hosts, Armstrong will play his own selection of music and talk about what motivates him for professional competition.
The New York Post is reporting that XM and Sirius are holding preliminary talks on a possible merger. No discussions about price yet, however, according to to the Post's sources they have discussed potential antitrust concerns.
XM and Sirius are hoping the Federal Communications Commission considers satellite radio as part of the broader industry of delivering music and other content through mobile devices, such as cellphones.
According to the Post, the fact that Mel got on board with Sirius gave a lift to discussions between the two merging.
The NY Post sources say the deal could be at least a year away.
CNN/Money also cover this story here.
UPDATE: According to the Billboard Radio Monitor, Mel is 'quashing' the Sirius-XM Merger.
Mel Karmazin characterized a New York Post report of a potential XM-Sirius merger as the ?third rumor? he has had to deal with in his first eight weeks as Sirius CEO.
He stated, ?I have not met with the [XM] chair or the CEO, so I have no idea where this [rumor] has come from.? Later adding, that he thought such a merger would be a ?difficult deal to get through,? when asked about potential antitrust restrictions for such a merger.
I'm not so sure if Mel's statement actually 'quashes' the merger rumors - he simply stated that he hasn't met with Hugh Panero. Whether or not talks have been initiated are still unknown for sure.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Chance Patterson, XM spokesperson, has made a statement about the merger rumors, "This is the same news organization that last fall reported on its cover Dick Gephardt was named John Kerry's running mate. So consider the source. We don't comment on rumors and speculation, which this clearly rates as."
(well said)
I just noticed this today, but XM Satellite Radio has recently put up a comparison page, essentially a rebuttal to Sirius' "Why We Rock" comparison page that's been up for quite a while.
XM's page does a side-by-side comparison between the two company's content, with an obvious bias (gasp) towards XM. The first few comparisons are maybe the only valid ones to look at, as the rest are just there to give the overwhelming (and transparent) feeling that what you want is "Not Available" from Sirius.
Poorly executed by XM in my opinion.
Sure, have a comparison page. That's fine, minus the slew of arguments from Marketing-types who feel it's ridiculous to mention the competition when you're the market leader. But at least make it something that gives a realistic comparison between the two services. At least try to make it somewhat objective, even if the outcome just happens to be the same. It's worthless to point out that Sirius doesn't have Opie and Anthony or Quincy Jones, or at the very least don't make them each line items.
Now, Sirius' page isn't exactly an objective source either with terms like "slim pickings", "nickel-and-diming", and "wannabes" being thrown around in what's supposed to be a product comparison. Then again, no one will ever actually expect an objective view from either companies. And the fact remains that Sirius is still the "underdog", so attacking the market leader is acceptable within reason, so they're free to do whatever they want.
My advice to XM is to change the page and make it something a bit more intelligent rather than the oh-so-dramatic "Not available" boxes. How about comparing Sports vs Sports? (like maybe the MLB vs NFL?) Rap vs Rap? Country vs Country? etc. Flex your muscles a bit with good writing and a visual comparison of exactly what you get.
Neither XM or Sirius should be hiding behind "cute marketing" tactics - they should be proud of what they offer and flaunt it.
Merrill Lynch says that Sirius should have more 2005 news catalysts than rival XM Satellite Radio. They attribute this to the deals with Ford and DaimlerChrysler as well as upcoming 3G products, Howard Stern, and "a focus on building advertiser relationships."
The firm said "the market is not giving Sirius the benefit for ultimately achieving 50% market share with similar or better operating leverage (less than 25% revenue share) than XM Satellite." Merrill said XM Satellite shares are fairly valued at current levels "while there is nearly 30% upside potential for Sirius shares."
Now, mind you this is all based on speculation that Sirius will in fact reach 50% market share (in 2005?). But XM has their Connect-and-Play technology which opens up massive opportunities in consumer electronics (ahem, SkyPod anyone?), so I wouldn't count them out as Merrill seems to be implying.
I think more than anything, if XM is going to hold back Sirius' explosive gain - it's going to depend on their marketing dept. Sure, car shows allow for great exposure - but they really need to work on their television spots IMHO.
Sirius just announced the formation of an exclusive creative, marketing and promotional alliance with Interscope Geffen A&M Records.
Interestingly enough, the forming of this partnership opens up opportunitities for the Chairman of Interscope, Jimmy Iovine. Iovine was instrumental in the formation of Shade 45, Sirius' exclusive hip-hop channel co-executive produced by Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, Shady Records and Interscope Records.
In addition to serving as an executive producer of Shade 45, Iovine will act as creative advisor and consultant to Sirius on new programming opportunities. Interscope Geffen A&M will also offer Sirus marketing and promotional opportunities with their artists.
Sirius Satellite Radio announced that they'll release the 2004 Financial and Operating Results on January 26.
Sirius will also hold a conference call at 8:00 am ET to discuss these results. You'll be able to listen to the conference call on their website, or by tuning to SIRIUS Channel 131.
The NBA and Sirius Satellite Radio today announced that Sirius will broadcast NBA regular season games, Playoffs and The Finals nationwide to subscribers as part of a non-exclusive multi-year extension agreement.
Sirius currently broadcasts up to 40 NBA games each week at no extra charge over the basic monthly fee. This new agreement provides Sirius with expanded trademark and promotional rights, and Sirius and the NBA are expected to conduct joint marketing efforts targeted at NBA fans.
And for the first time, Sirius subscribers will receive live official courtside game stats on their Sirius Satellite Radio unit displays.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell plans to resign from the agency - the job he's held for four years, two agency officials said today.
Powell, apparently does not plan to step down immediately, the officials said. However, he will leave soon. While he might've done a whole lot of stuff during his tenure at the FCC, Powell is probably best known for overseeing a dramatic crackdown on broadcast "indecency".
Is this good news for terrestrial radio? Doubt it.
Since the damn Jackson's Super Bowl halftime incident last February, the FCC received over 1 million indecency complaints in 2004 (more than 540,000 were specifically for Ms. Jackson's shindig). But interestingly enough, nearly 99.9 percent of indecency complaints - aside from those concerning the ?wardrobe malfunction? ? were brought by the Parents Television Council (an activist group), according to the FCC analysis dated October 1, 2004. Nearly all indecency complaints ? a whopping 99.8 percent ? were filed by the Parents Television Council, in 2003.
[Link]
So will Mr. Powell resigning get the the PTC to stop sending complaints to the FCC? Probably not. But at least the spokesperson behind the ?a dramatic rise in public concern and outrage about what is being broadcast into their homes,? as Mr. Powell said will be gone.
Good riddance.
The NASDAQ Stock Market was proud to welcome SIRIUS Satellite Radio (SIRI) to the market open yesterday to celebrate the achievement of exceeding its end-of-year target of 1 million subscribers in 2004. Sirius closed out 2004 with 1,143,258 million subscribers and expects to double that number is 2005.
Click this entry to see more photos of the event.
I've been getting bombarded with emails about the new ReGo, so rather than typing my little fingers off, we're going to have a little Q&A session. Hopefully this will answer all the questions about the upcoming Xact ReGo (Record-and-Go) device you've been losing sleep over.
Q: What kind of features will the new ReGo unit have?
A: For those who didn't see them at CES, here's the Xact ReGo XTR5 Plug & Play Features:
* 6-line screen display
* MP3 & Sirius Playback
* Trans Flash Card Slot - capacities that range from 64MB to 1GB (not included)
* 4 Hour Recording Built-in Flash for Sirius Download
* Illuminated Keypad and Control Buttons
* Backlit Display
* S-Seek
* Program Alert
* Parental Control
* Satellite Updated Real-Time Clock Stereo, Line Level Audio Outputs
* 3.5 mm Stereo Headphone Jack with Volume Control
* Wireless remote control
* Built-in wireless FM modulator with variable frequency settings
* 18 presets
* Integrated headphone output and volume controls
* Wearable, Car, home and universal docking kits available
* 2 Boom box options (1 model with MP3 CD?s/CDRW and a digital AM/FM radio tuner with 10 presets)
Q: Is it 'wearable' or not? I keep hearing conflicting information on this.
A: Note that in the feature list it mentions that a wearable docking kit will be available. This explains the confusing language we've been hearing between whether it's a plug-and-play unit, or a wearable unit (like the XM2go devices). The battery-pack that will fit to the XTR5 ReGo will be much smaller than the XTR1's 'power pod' and the antenna is incorporated into the top of the headphones - therefore giving it 'wearable' attributes (but out of the box, as we understand it, it's not a 'wearable' device).
Q: How much is it going to cost?
A: From the information we've gathered, the ReGo will be priced around $300. For a device with this many features, can't say that's unreasonable.
...and the most asked question (c'mon, gimme a drumroll):
Q: When's the ReGo coming out???
A: The ReGo will be released in Spring 2005 (late April, beginning of May). Start saving your lunch money kids!
Five-time GRAMMY award-winner, jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton is the host of the new weekly Sirius Satellite Radio music program, Artist's Choice with Gary Burton, on Pure Jazz (Sirius Channel 72), every Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm ET.
Burton, who emerged as a major jazz talent during the 1960s, brings a storied career and a unique perspective to Sirius jazz listeners. A self-taught vibraphonist with a unique four-mallet technique, he made his recording debut with country artist Hank Garland at age 17, performed with jazz greats George Shearing and Stan Getz, and, with guitarist Larry Coryell, formed one of the early jazz fusion groups in 1967.
Oh, and it?s Gary?s birthday today to boot. Crazy.
Sirius announced the appointment of Philip Summers as Senior Director, Sports Marketing. Summers will develop acquisition and retention marketing efforts with all sports properties with which Sirius has a broadcast relationship, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, English Premier League, and various NCAA institutions.
Prior to joining Sirius, Summers served as Senior Director, Marketing and Sales at the NFL.
On Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 9:30am EST, Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin and Chairman Joseph P. Clayton will preside over the NASDAQ Stock Market opening bell in celebration of surpasing over 1 Million subscribers last year.
Joe Clayton opened the NASDAQ Stock Market last year on January 29th, 2004 (pictured).
Orbitcast will post pics of the event after it happens.
Yowzers. We just can't get enough of the upcoming Xact ReGo (Record-and-Go) Sirius satellite radio unit.
Here's a new product shot of the Xact ReGo Boombox. Yep, and the hi-res version is even cooler.
Can't wait to get our hands on this device. Xact Communications has seriously turned up the drool factor here.
I reported that XM Radio Online is now available on the Windows Media Center Edition 2005 Online Spotlight (or OnSpot), but never had a screenshot to show everyone.
Well, Sean Alexander was kind enough to post OnSpot applications that aren't currently featured on Microsoft's page yet. And as a result we get a glimpse at the XM Online App (see picture at left).
Very neat.
Thanks Mike!
News.com reports that Audible just struck a deal with the NFL to offer recorded games on portable music players. Listeners will be able to download the entire broadcast, or selected highlights, the morning after the game and listen to them.
I wonder if it'll be narrated by Sirius announcers like NFL On Demand?
XM Satellite Radio just announced it has acquired Effanel Music Inc. Effanel Music are leading live music, remote and mobile recording specialists. They've developed a sterling reputation for delivering high-quality live broadcasts and recordings for major television networks, record labels and A-list talent. Ranging from large-scale, multi-artist concerts and festivals (like The Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, U2, Madonna, The Dave Matthews Band, Santana, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, to name a few) to intimate club performances, to multi-channel post-production work.
With Effanel, XM now has a built-in mobile recording and broadcast division that enables them to air live music, sports and entertainment events from anywhere in the world in 100% pure digital sound.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
I dunno if everyone's noticed or not, but Orbitcast has been getting hammered by comment spam as of late. I just want to apologize if you've come across those awful comments, and let everyone know that I've taken some steps to keep these bastards at bay.
I still want to keep Orbitcast as Accessible as possible (yeah yeah, I'm working on it), so a CAPTCHA won't be used (they can be bypassed pretty easily now anyway), but if anyone has any problems posting a comment - please email me here and let me know.
Thanks.
We all heard about Terrestrial Radio's latest multi-million dollar ad campaign, stating that with "Radio, you hear it here, first" - well, XM Satellite Radio has fired back with "XM, you hear it here, best."
The latest in the battle between terrestrial and satellite, XM pointedly raises the perverbial middle finger to terrestrial by saying "Not Only Do You Hear It Here First, It's Commercial Free" and featuring Ludacris, Ashanti, Alicia Keys, Hoobastank and Avril Lavigne right on the Hear It Best page. The same artists who are featured in the Hear It First radio commercials.
Want to hear the radio spots? Check them out here (all ZIP files):
Alicia Keys
Ludacris
Nelly
Ashanti
Hoobastank
Avril Lavigne
Thanks to candlebougie for the tip!
Fast Company has an extremely detailed article, Written in the Stars in the February 2005 issue, that gives a great overall history of both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Everything from the CEOs, to the technology, to the choice of Headquarters location - it's a nicely written background of both companies.
Thanks Mike!
Engadget pokes fun at the art skillz of the XM team when they drafted up images for the Patent application. I dunno if the entry is actually "anti-XM" (as Engadget has been blamed for being), but I gotta say that these are pretty funny.
I especially dig the stick figure guy holding a box. And check out the dubs on that ride! hehe.. good stuff.
So Digital Fountain, the uber-geeks who have an awesome compression and broadcast encoding technology, just announced in a press release that they'll be licensing their "Meta-Content technology," known as Raptor, in upcoming products from Sirius. Over time, the two expect that Digital Fountain technology will be incorporated into all Sirius Satellite Radio receivers.
Glenn over at Droxy takes some issue with this move, wondering if it means that the previous deal between Digital Fountain and XM has been affected? Who knows, but unless it was an exclusive license, I don't see why Sirius and XM can't both use the same delivery technology. We know that Sirius will be using Microsoft's WMV 9 codec, and that XM is using On2 TrueMotion VP6.2 compression - so why couldn't the delivery technology be the same?
Rumors are still floating around about the iPod Satellite, but this one comes from a different angle (yes, even more different than the XM SkyPod). Apparently this new iPod Satellite won't be a portable unit, but instead - a Tabletop unit.
MacOS Rumors reports that this new iPod Satellite variant is "...designed to act as a complete 5.1 Digital Surround Sound home audio system with Sirius Satellite Radio support, a full-size 3.5-inch desktop hard drive with 120GB or more of storage, and IEEE 802.11n (108Mbps vs Airport Extreme's 54Mbps, plus several other major new features) high-speed wireless networking support."
Labeled as the iPod Home, or iPod Radio (depending on who you ask) they're stating a timeframe of September or October.
Pretty cool. This supports the theory that the Sirius chipset currently won't support an iPod-sized portable unit. But with Sirius devices getting smaller, and 3G looming in the distance, who knows?
Thanks Peter!
A recent Washington Times article points out that XM satellite radio is now focusing some of it's marketing might towards auto-show attendees (who can number between 600,000 and 1.3 million depending on the show) with an interactive booth that looks like an XM-branded radio tower, giving people a chance to test-drive XM.
Attendees can listen to XM using the latest satellite radio hardware and gadgets or hop into the carlike listening booths, where attendees can hear XM channels as they "drive" with the help of a television screen that simulates driving down the road. The exhibit then directs attendees to different manufacturers' booths that have at least one vehicle at the show in which XM is activated in their cars, such as GM, Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan.
The auto-show strategy, which will put XM in at least 21 shows in the next three years, hopes to build the number of subscribers through new-car purchases.
XM's new exhibit was first seen in November at the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami, then at the Washington D.C. Auto Show in December, the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show a couple weeks back, and at North American International Auto Show in Detroit which just ended yesterday.
Orbitcast will be at the New York International Autoshow so we'll have some pics from the XM Booth and the Urban Tuner Tent for everyone to see.
(Slow week.) ZDNet wrote up a nice article illustrating the XM Patent we talked about a couple days ago.
Not necessarily anything new, but nicely puts it together for everyone who doesn't want to read the huge patent application.
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both announced that they will broadcast "Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope," a live benefit special organized by the NBC Universal Television Group to help victims of the tsunami tragedy, tomorrow - Saturday, January 15, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET.
Tsunami Aid: A Concert Of Hope will feature scheduled performances by Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Maroon 5, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Mary J. Blige, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Gloria Estefan, Nelly and many more. The musical program will be augmented by appearances by Halle Berry, Kevin Spacey, Usher, George Clooney, Uma Thurman, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Danny Devito and many other stars.
The commercial-free concert will be broadcast in stereo on XM's MSNBC
channel (XM Channel 130) and XM's CNBC channel (XM Channel 127), and on SIRIUS Hits 1, ( Sirius Channel 1) and on SIRIUS' CNBC channel (Sirius Channel 101).
This is only part of what both XM and Sirius are doing in terms of tsunami relief aid.
There's "XM Nation: Operation Helping Hand," which XM started in September 2004 to raise money for disaster relief following the hurricane devastation in the southeastern U.S. When you make an online contribution of $50 or more to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, XM will send you a special XM Nation: Operation Helping Hand wristband.
Sirius is rallying up their Faction stars and athletes to hold an auction featuring one-of-a-kind, autographed items and/or experiences. Items will be made available in an online auction starting Monday, January 17 at 6 pm ET, through www.eBay.com/sirius.
While not necessarily "news" to the SatRad elite, PC Magazine's latest satellite radio article Heavenly Music: The Best Satellite Radios is an awesome read chock full of great information on the Roady2, the Sportster, and of course the MyFi.
The patent filed by XM Satellite Radio is starting to cause quite a stir, especially on Wall Street. Bear Stearns reiterated an "outperform" rating and $45 target price on XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) stating it shows "a potential road map for the tremendous future of satellite radio."
The patent includes potential future devices with increased functionality including MP3 capabilities, removable storage, multi-tuner recordability, legal downloading, Buy-It-Now buttons, cellular compatibility and DVR-like functionality.
This is getting the day-traders into quite a frenzy.
Matt Fishman, former program director at KCSP-AM in Kansas City, will be executive producer for Major League Baseball programming on XM Satellite Radio airing this spring.
Fishman will start his new position on January 19th.
[Link]
Orbitcast was the first to give you photos of the new Xact ReGo (Record-and-Go), now we got our hands on another angled shot of the new portable plug-and-play unit for Sirius Satellite Radio.
Note the headphone jack on the side of the unit. We've contacted Sirius and are getting all the details on exactly how this thing works, but we do have an official statement that this is not a 'wearable' device. Orbitcast is trying hard to entice a ReGo unit for review from Sirius (we're pretty eager to play with this thing). Keep checking for more details as they come in.
Note to all the message boards:
Please try not to directly link to the image. I don't mind spreading the word, but my bandwidth costs are starting to get nutty. Be kind and just link to this article.
Thanks all!
Gizmodo reports that XM Radio filed a Patent for a system and method for providing recording and playback of digital media content.
The concept would be that a preview service would have satellite content preloaded on a device, allowing you to listen to content even when you don't have a satellite signal. This preview content would be updated on a regular basis by XM, so you wouldn't have old stuff that you'd need to listen to. The patent also goes on to say that the user would be able to select which content they'd want, and the system would respond by keeping fresh cached content on the device according to their selections.
This isn't contrained by audio content either. Video, graphics, text or any other media content would be part of the whole system.
Gizmodo also said that there are even plans to let users purchase songs they want to keep in a more permanent place.
Pretty cool.
The P`7131 captures the essence of what made Porsche Design legendary, while its audio performance stays true to the Et?n name. Featuring FM and DAB Radio technology, delivered through two full-range speakers and powered subwoofer, the P`7131 is a stereo for those that seek the next level of electronics. Some say it?s enough for a radio to sound good - we think it takes more than that.
Drive through the airwaves (AM/FM/SW/XM) and get breaking news from this stylish radio—designed by the legendary Porsche studios. Its smooth-turning knobs, clean metallic finish, and brilliant blue backlit LED are sure to turn some heads. The three built-in speakers, including the large sub-woofer, perform together to deliver crisp, rich sounds with big bass. The slim credit-card-size remote, line-level input and outputs, customizable station presets, and alarm clock functions are just a few features this Porsche Design radio has under the hood.
Porsche Design P`7132 Portable AM/FM Shortwave, and XM Satellite radio
The P`7132 accelerates portable audio to new levels, offering the latest inspiration and innovation in a coupe model for ultimate portability. The only digital radio in its class to feature FM and DAB Radio technology (UK), operated through its contoured switches and knobs, the P`7132 brings style and luxury to portable audio in a different way.
They said that Satellite Radio would never take off. Then they dismissed it as barely even a threat. But now, it looks like terrestrial radio is starting to feel the heat. With more and more satellite radios being sold by Sirius and XM, and the marketing departments of both companies creating more exposure than ever before, suddenly Terrestrial is taking notice and is launching a counterstrike.
Big Radio companies such as Clear Channel, Entercom Communications, Infinity Broadcasting, Greater Media and Cumulus Media, put their wallets together to scare up $28 million in advertising time over the next few weeks to air a series of 30-second radio ads. Radio will be the primary media vehicle in the campaign, but other media, including Print and the Internet-based will also be used.
A WSJ.com article (subscription req'd) points out:
The campaign combats "the urban legend out there about radio not being an innovative medium," says David Field, chief executive of radio company Entercom, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. He points to breaking artists and emerging formats such as "Hispanic hip-hop" to make his point.But satellite-radio operators counter that they are more cutting-edge, and that their diversity of stations allows them to give more airplay to new artists. "We are not far from the day when XM breaks a [mass appeal] artist," says Eric Logan, XM's program director.
New York-based DeVito/Verdi was tapped to create the campaign. The first round of radio spots goes after the 19 to 29 year-old featuring Nelly, Ludacris, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Ashanti and Hoobastank in an attempt to prove terrestrial's leading role in launching new artists.
Prove it? Please.
After years of listening to "Traffic and weather together.." "The number one home of Rock and Roll.." and "Be the 9th caller to win.." by all the same wacky-DJs - now they're surprised that terrestrial radio is being viewed as (gasp) not innovative?! That's gonna be a little hard to fix with just a few commercials.
Sirius Satellite Radio is rallying some its top athlete hosts to contribute exclusive items to an online auction to help raise funds for tsunami relief. Contributing to the auction are all of the celebrity athletes that host shows on SIRIUS' action sports and lifestyle channel, Faction: Lance Armstrong, Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Bode Miller, Jonny Moseley, Kelly Slater, Sinjin Smith and Kerri Walsh.
One-of-a-kind, autographed items and/or experiences with these world-class athletes will be made available in an online auction starting Monday, January 17 at 6 pm ET, through www.eBay.com/sirius.
Some of the items to be auctioned are expected to include:
* A US Postal Service racing jersey autographed by Lance Armstrong
* A Bam Margera-signed skateboard deck, guest appearance on his Radio Bam program on Sirius, and a visit to the set of the Viva La Bam TV show
* A 2-hour surfing lesson with Kelly Slater in Southern California, a signed Channel Island surfboard and a signed copy of Kelly's book, Pipe Dreams
* A Tony Hawk signed Birdhouse skateboard deck
Net proceeds of the online auction will be forwarded to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
Sirius Satellite Radio, Nelligan Sports Marketing, the University of Louisville and College Sports Television announced an agreement making Sirius the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the University of Louisville. This didn't come without a fight, and a whole lot of drama (see here, here and here) between Clear Channel and Sirius. See, for years Clear Channel's AM station WHAS and U of L have been in bed with each other, but Sirius put a kabosh on all that.
Sirius will broadcast select play-by-play sports of Louisville's nationally-ranked college basketball and football teams. Louisville joins a growing stable of Division I schools currently broadcast on Sirius College Sports Radio.
The Cardinals' first broadcast on Sirius will be Tuesday, January 11th when the Cards travel to Hattiesburg to take on Southern Mississippi at 7pm ET on channel 181.
The 2005 THQ AMA SupercrossSeries season will be broadcast on XM Satellite Radio Extreme XM - Channel 152 from 9-11 p.m. (PST).
XM?s coverage of THQ AMA Supercross Series will give supercross fans another media outlet to follow the season. With the expanded coverage on XM Radio, Supercross LIVE! and the television package on ESPN2, the coverage of this highly anticipated season is better than ever.
Supercross LIVE! announcers Jason Weigandt and Jim Holley will bring listeners all the action to from every race, capturing the most in-depth and cutting-edge news.
Trucker's rejoice! Freightliner Trucks is being a "good-buddy" and announced that it'll throw in one full year of Sirius satellite radio service with their vehicles equipped with a factory-installed Delphi stereo system.
Wake up the Lot Lizard and let her know.
Offer available for trucks built after Feb. 1, 2005.
So there were a bunch of rumors flying around this morning that a new Satellite Radio service might be emerging, supposedly DirecTV, owned by media mogel Rupert Murdoch. News of a new big player in town sent investors running for the hills as both XM and Sirius aren't necessarily money-makers just yet. Shares of both XMSR and SIRI took a nose dive as a result.
At a Smith Barney Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference today, DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said the company was "happy to leave satellite radio" to Sirius and XM (listen to the Webcast replay).
You can breathe now. :)
Want to hear what XM and Sirius had to say at the conference?
[Listen the XM Presentation Webcast here]
[Listen the Sirius Presentation Webcast here]
XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) announced that it has declared a regular quarterly dividend on its 8.25% Series B Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock.
The dividend is payable in shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock at a rate of $1.0313 per share of Series B Preferred Stock owned, with fractional shares to be paid in cash. The shares of Class A Common Stock to be issued will be valued at 95% of the average daily price of the Class A Common Stock for the 10 consecutive trading days ending on January 13, 2005.
The dividend is payable as of February 1, 2005, to Series B convertible preferred stockholders of record of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. as of January 21, 2005.
Remember when the Sirius / iPod Satellite Rumor first came out? Dreams of combining your own MP3 library with endless streaming satellite radio content on a single device were dancing in our heads. But then came the swarm of speculation and doubt that something like the iPod Satellite just could not be.
But now the Rumor Mill has started up again. Only this time, it's not with Sirius, but rather XM.
First, there's the MacObserver article by Brad Gibson which serves to squelch the rumor, but seems to have fired up the masses because of the questions it raised.
Sure, XM has been in talks with Apple, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything... yet. "We talk with a lot of companies," said Chance Patterson from XM, "That doesn't mean they have committed to building in our chip or our service. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen in the future, but it doesn't mean it's happening sometime soon. We have no imminent announcement."
And sure, XM's new Connect-and-Play proprietary chip and signaling protocol would be perfect to make the iPod XM-Ready, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything... right? "There is no reason why we can't embed the XM 'Connect-and-Play' technology into MP3 players, like the iPod," XM Director of Product Marketing, Phil Whitworth said, "There are no limitations to making XM technology a part of small, digital media products. We're excited about exploring those possibilities with manufacturers and those discussions are on-going."
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. As Mr. Whitworth adds, "It's too early to set a time line on a XM ending up in digital devices, but it's on our radar."
Only, if that's the case, and XM isn't necessarily gung-ho about the whole concept (or more accurately, can't talk about it right now) - then why did they register a new XM Trademark: the SkyPod?
Even though we announced the unveiling of Sirius' new XACT ReGo unit two days ago, we weren't able to get any good product shots of it until now.
The key feature of the XACT ReGo Record-and-Go unit is it's recording capability. Because it stores your data on removable flash cards, you're not constricted by an internal harddrive's available space. If you want to buy a huge flash card to save more of your own content - you can. Sorta neat.
One thing to note is that while you can download and play MP3s on the ReGo, the Sirius Content that's downloaded is NOT saved in MP3 format saved separately from the flash card part of the player (thanks to all who pointed out that correction) - in an attempt to prevent ripping of Sirius content.
Note: From the information we've gathered, this is NOT a wearable device (like the MyFi or other XM2go units). Meaning you cannot plug in headphones and walk around with the thing. Larry Pesce (Sirius' Senior VP Product Development and Strategic Planning) specifically was asked this at the press event at CES and he said plans to release a 'wearable' device available in the future. He also said that the ReGo was specifically a "plug and play" unit. The ReGo is only as 'portable' as the Xtr1 is. Just wanted to make that clear.
Click to see a bigger photo (FINALLY - a crystal-clear, high-res version!).
UPDATE:
More information on the ReGo has been released - check it out here.
XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) today announced that the initial purchaser has exercised its option in full to purchase an additional $100 million of the company's 1.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2009. This purchase increases the aggregate principal amount of notes to $400 million.
The closing of the sale of additional notes is expected to occur on January 12, 2005.
The notes are convertible into 20.0 shares of the company's common stock for each $1,000 principal amount of notes, representing a conversion price of $50 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances.
Sirius just announced at CES that it will be adding an instant replay feature to the Sportster - Sirius' number #1 selling transportable ?Plug & Play? radio.
The redesigned Sportster IR (for "Instant Replay" - go figure) will be capable of recording up to 44 minutes of programming simultaneously while a subscriber is listening to satellite radio, enabling the listener to pause the unit and return to where the programming left off.
The Sportster IR will be compatible with existing Sirius Sportster boom boxes, car and home kits.
The new unit is expected to ship to retail stores in the middle of this year. Pricing and a photo isn't available at this time. As soon as I get a pic, I'll update this entry.
On2 Technologies announced in a press conference at CES that XM Satellite Radio had selected On2's TrueMotion VP6.2 video compression technology for XM's in-vehicle prototype video entertainment system. This right after Sirius' announced that they'll be providing video using Microsoft's WMV technology.
According to On2, "competing video codecs failed to achieve" the quality and results XM was looking for.
XM and its automotive equipment partners are demonstrating the satellite entertainment prototype in a new technology showcase vehicle this week at CES. (Anyone got pics of this thing? All I found was the XM video demo from last year's CES)
The new system will be used to transmit video entertainment to satellite receivers in automobiles. The video signal will be used primarily for back-seat entertainment with content that can be either streamed in real time or and cached for later playback.
The Sirus Starbase, unveiled today at CES, is a new digital control unit that allows any vehicle radio to connect with Sirius Satellite Radio.
Starbase makes it possible for consumers who do not have a satellite-ready radio in their vehicles to connect to Sirius when the unit is combined with Sirius' new trunk mounted satellite radio receiver, SiriusConnect - and an antenna.
The slim unit allows mounting in single din slots of vehicles, or with Velcro to the car dashboard. It also includes a built-in FM modulator that can connect the unit wirelessly to an existing radio over as many as 100 available channels.
Starbase is now available at retail locations at an MSRP of $169.95 (Now even cheaper - click to see the lowest price on the Sirius Starbase anywhere!).
Just a quick note on this, just because several have been emailing me about it.
The boys over at Engadget caused quite a stir yesterday when at CES the question was asked:
?Dr. Laura over the past couple of years said that gay people are biological errors. You talked before about decisive programming (i.e. Stern), I wonder what XM?s position is on hate speech was and if you condone it. And why would you associate yourself with her after you said you wouldn?t associate with Howard Stern because of controversial issues. Are you going to lose subscribers, and do you feel gay people are biological errors??
They then went on to ask:
?Any plans on putting the KKK on? ... Any plans on other racists on the network? KKK? Arian racists? Anybody else coming on board soon??
This caused quite a frenzy amoungst the commenters of that post.
Here's my take on the whole thing.
We got a quick peak at the Pioneer unit yesterday, but weren't quite sure what to make of it amidst all the CES frenzy. The Larry Pesce mentions trunk mounted solutions, specifically the SiriusConnect unit at the Press Event and we started to tie things together.
Now we know the whole deal.
Today at CES, Sirius Satellite Radio unveiled the SiriusConnect receiver. The new product utilizes SIRIUS? next generation technology to offer a single-piece system that is compatible with SIRIUS-ready headunits from manufacturers such as Alpine, Audiovox, JVC, Kenwood, Eclipse and Pioneer.
The SiriusConnect receiver will also interface with XM-ready headunits from Alpine and Pioneer that are up to three years old, making it easier for consumers to chose the content provider that best meets their needs and tastes. (NICE)
The new system combines a receiver with a translation device all in one unit, which is significantly smaller than current receivers, as well as with those offered by competitive systems.
The SiriusConnect design combines a standard trunk mounted tuner with a translator that is specific to each brand of Sirius-ready in-dash radio. This greatly simplifies installation. The SiriusConnect will be packaged with an antenna for easy purchase and inventory management and is currently shipping to support Alpine and Pioneer branded head units.
Pricing will vary depending on the specific brand interface. Sirius also expects the SiriusConnect to be compatible with additional satellite-ready brands throughout 2005.
Click to see a big photo of the Alphine SirusConnect unit. The Pioneer Unit can be seen here (no big photo yet, but you don't really need one).
Looking to buy one? Get the SIR-ALP1 SiriusConnect Tuner System here for only $79.
XM's premium Internet radio service XM Radio Online is now available as a feature of the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Online Spotlight.
XM Radio Online, which launched in October 2004, is also available through the Windows Media Player 10 Digital Media Mall.
When I get a screenshot of the Online Spotlight interface, I'll post it up here.
XM's pulling out the big-guns with a host of several notable music, sports, talk and news personalities in the XM booth during the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Beginning Today (January 6) through Saturday, January 8, the XM Performance Stage, located in the XM booth (CES Booth #4604), will feature interviews, live performances and fan "meet-and-greets" from numerous celebs.
You'll be able to listen to Opie & Anthony LIVE from CES, today and tomorrow, 1-3PM EST (10AM-12PM PST) on XM 202. Today's show will host Ted Nugent and other Special Guests. Tomorrow's show will include Penn Gillette, Jay Mohr & George Wallace.
Other celebs of note are Cal Ripken, Jr., Greg Maddux, Ludacris, DMC from Run-DMC, Al Jarreau, Vince Neil, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Sophie B. Hawkins.
Click this entry to see the whole celebrity line-up and schedule.
OK, now that I have a huge headache from all the CES announcements. Let's sit down and listen to what Sirius has to say.
I'll update this post if there's anything interesting said. Feel free to chime in with your own comments about the Webcast.
For the sake of everyone reading the homepage, click this Entry to read the highlights of the Press conference.
Yes, it's true (although, I can't really say - surprising), XM announced today at CES that they now have over 3.2 million subscribers, representing more than 1.8 million additional subscribers in the year 2004.
During Q4 of 2004, XM added more than 700,000 customers - their best quarter ever. More than 50,000 subscribers signed up for XM on Christmas Day, the biggest single day of activations in the history of the company. (Gotta say that 50,000 activations in one day is pretty awesome.)
And by year-end 2005, XM expects to have 5.5 Million subscribers - an additional 2.3 Million subscribers than right now.
Who wants to bet that they'll beat that 5.5 Million target?
Panasonic, will offer thirteen models of XM-Ready car stereo head units in 2005.
These car stereo units are the first Panasonic models to offer XM Satellite Radio capability and the first to interface with the XM Direct universal tuner box without the need of smart cables.
For 2005, all Panasonic mobile in-dash CD models with a $149 MSRP and higher and the new in-dash monitor with DVD player, model CQ-VD7001U, and the new DVD receiver, model CQ-D5501U will be XM-Ready. The Panasonic models compatible with XM will be branded with the XM logo. Panasonic plans to deliver XM satellite-capable radios beginning in January 2005.
(These CES announcements are rough!)
XM Satellite Radio today announced that former major league baseball manager and FOX baseball anchor Kevin Kennedy and acclaimed sports journalist Tony Kornheiser have joined XM's award-winning sports, talk and music programming line-up for 2005.
Kevin Kennedy, the long-time television anchor for FOX's baseball coverage and the former manager of the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, will host an exclusive show on XM's 24/7 Major League Baseball channel beginning this spring.
XM will be broadcasting the new daily radio program hosted by Tony Kornheiser, the Washington Post columnist and co-host of the highly rated ESPN program Pardon the Interruption. Kornheiser's new show will begin airing in February 2005. XM is the only national broadcaster to offer Kornheiser's radio program.
XM Satellite Radio just announced that Dr. Laura Schlessinger and G. Gordon Liddy will be joining XM's talk lineup in February.
Dr. Laura's show is one of the highest rated programs on local radio, with more than 12 million listeners. The always-outspoken political talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy will host a 3-hour show that will begin airing on XM in February 2005.
The XM Connect-and-Play antenna is similar in size and form factor to the current XM home antenna currently shipping with all of XM's "plug and play" and XM2go products. The antenna plugs directly into an XM-Ready product (explained below), such as a home stereo receiver, for listening to XM Satellite Radio, with no other accessories needed.
Utilizing XM's industry-leading chipset technology as well as a new proprietary chip and signaling protocol, the XM Connect-and-Play antenna is capable of receiving XM's satellite and terrestrial signals as well as channel tuning, decoding and audio transmission. It will be the only accessory needed to get XM through an XM-Ready audio system.
XM plans to launch the XM Connect-and-Play antenna in March 2005.
The centerpieces of the XM Connect-and-Play technology are XM's "Connect-and-Play" chip and data-port, a low-cost, mini-serial bus connector (Mitsumi part CAM-C16). For a low cost, manufacturers of popular consumer electronics products, such as stereo and home theater receivers, DVD players, table top radios and portable media players, can now add the XM "Connect-and-Play" chip and data-port, making their device instantly "XM-Ready."
Through this new technology consumers simply plug an XM Connect-and-Play home antenna (MSRP: $49.99) into an XM-Ready audio product and activate the service to receive XM's 130-plus digital radio channels. No additional accessories or installation are required.
The first compatible XM-Ready products are planned to be available at retail March 2005 as well. Additional XM-Ready products will be introduced throughout the year.
Unveiled at CES today, the Pioneer SIR-PNR1 is a new tuner for SIRIUS that is compatible with satellite-ready head units and most IP-Bus head units from Pioneer.
The new SIR-PNR1 tuner will come equipped with all installation hardware, including the SIRIUS antenna, for the MSRP price of $120.
The Pioneer SIR-PNR1 will be available at retail stores beginning this month.
The Pioneer XM2go satellite radio is a portable, hand-held unit for listening and recording/time-shifting XM Satellite Radio's 130-plus digital radio channels virtually anywhere.
This, and the Tao XM2go, are part of the expanding line-up of XM's new XM2go Portable Handhelds set arrive at retail stores in spring 2005.
All the units in the XM2go product line have two listening modes: a live mode and a memory mode for storing and playing back XM programming. The live mode enables users to listen live to XM's content. The time-shifting memory mode (called "My XM") allows users to store five hours or more of content with the press of a button, even when the unit is not in use.
Shopping for the Pioneer AirWare XM2go? Go here (awesome price).
The new Tao XM2go personal, portable satellite radio for XM Satellite Radio was just announced today. The Tao XM2go (www.taolife.com) is perfect for active lifestyle listener, whether jogging, mountain climbing, or taking down wild bore in the desert, the Tao XM2go is great for someone on-the-go. It not only allows you listen to XM satellite radio anywhere, but it also lets you record up to 5 hours worth of music.
This unit, like the Pioneer XM2go unit, is part of the XM2go product line. All XM2go units sport live portable satellite radio listening, as well as recording/time-shifting capabilities. The difference between the units currently seem to be mostly form-factor changes.
Sirius Satellite Radio unveiled today at the Consumer Electronics Show its smallest satellite radio yet, called the Star Mate.
Star Mate (which is about the size of a deck of cards) is a transportable ?Plug & Play? unit that can be used in vehicles, boats and homes. Featuring a three-line full display, the six-ounce Sirius Starmate has 30 presets and a built-in wireless FM transmitter with 100 frequencies.
Star Mate, including both home and vehicle adapter kits, is available for just $129.95 - upgrade your current Plug-and-Play Sirius unit to the sleak Star Mate today.
Good size, 3-line display, competitive price - nice.
UPDATE: We just got a nice big photo of the Star Mate. Check it out here.
Wanna hear the Sirius Press Conference from CES 2005? Well, tune in at 4PM PT (thats 7PM for the East Side) to Sirius Channel 131 for a live broadcast of the event, with a rebroadcast available an hour after the end. The press conference will replay for a full week if you find it exceptionally exciting.
You'll also be able to listen to the webcast here.
Russound announced at CES today a major addition to their ST2 Smart Tuner family. Not to be confused with the ST2-XM (although it's easy to be), the new ST2-XM2 now delivers XM Satellite Radio in a dual tuner format. When used in a Multi-Room system, the convenience, extensive choice of programming and near CD quality sound of XM can now be enjoyed by multiple users from anywhere in the home, all at the touch of a button.
The ST2-XM2 key features are that it has six banks of six presets (allowing different users personal choice), and a multi-user interface that allows more than one person can enjoy their favorite XM stations.
All ST2 tuners use the powerful RNET technology, Russound?s proprietary communications platform that allows Russound smart components to communicate with one another. When used in an RNET system, the ST2 tuners allow for full informational support on the company?s UNO keypads.
View full details and specs here.
The ST2-XM2 will be available in the first quarter of 2005.
(geez, CES is keeping me busy today)
Delphi announced today that it is expanding its satellite radio product line-up with the introduction of the Delphi XM Signal Repeater the first system that wirelessly rebroadcasts the XM satellite signal throughout most homes and smaller offices.
The repeater system includes both a transmitter and receive module. The transmitter down-converts the XM signal through the XM home or audio system antenna and rebroadcasts it through interior walls and floors at an expected distance between 75 and 100 feet.
While in range, one or more receive modules can acquire and up-convert the signal back to the natural XM frequency (passing it through just like a regular XM antenna). The end result is continued XM programming wirelessly throughout an indoor environment.
Great idea, it's about time.
UPDATE: XM411 got some great pictures of this device.
Sirius Satellite Radio today announced at CES that it has selected Windows Media Video 9 for use in Sirius' mobile video platform (which was briefly mentioned during their NAVTEQ partnership announcement), and has reached an agreement with Microsoft to collaborate in the further development of video applications.
Sirius plans to offer a video service in the second half of 2006, and expects to devote 2-3 channels of premium video content designed primarily for children. With the explosive growth of DVD sales, video capabilities in automobiles are quickly becoming a prime feature for families and travelers. The automobile industry is increasingly interested in offering entertainment features to their new car buyers. According to Sirius, its automotive partners are eager proponents of the service, given the strong demand for rear seat video entertainment.
XACT Communications announced today that it has unveiled the ReGo, a portable Sirius Satellite Radio receiver that records satellite radio and plays MP3 files through a compact flash card.
Here's the only photo we have of it right now.
With the XACT ReGo, you'll be able to record up to 4 hours of live programming and play it back anytime. You can also store up to 1GB of music on flash cards that can be edited on a home computer then plugged into the ReGo's flash card slot or by simply hooking the ReGo up to your PC via the built in USB port.
No word as to how the unit will be powered considering the size of the current XACT Xtr1 'portable' battery pack. Also no mention as to whether this will debut the 3rd Generation of Sirius chipset. The current 2.5 Gen chipset is manufactured by Agere Systems.
UPDATE:
More information on the ReGo has been released - check it out here.
Yesterday we heard that Time Trax Technologies will announce support for recording/time-shifting Sirius satellite radio at CES today, but with no other details on it, we didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
Well, now we know more.
First, TimeTrax will be unveiling two new Sirius supported products - TimeTrax Connect Sirius and TimeTrax Complete Sirius (pictured). While the XM version of TimeTrax connects to the XM Direct unit (and previously the XM PCR if you got one before they were discontinued), the Sirius version connects to the Kenwood KTC-SR903.
For $169.99 the TimeTrax Complete Sirius unit isn't a 'cheap' option, but considering that you get everything you need to time-shift Sirius satellite radio broadcasts, it's not a bad deal.
See a bigger photo of TimeTrax Complete Sirius.
See a bigger photo of the TimeTrax Connect Sirius (err.. it actually looks the same as the XM version).
Ford Motor Company and Sirius Satellite Radio announced that Ford will begin offering Sirius as a factory installed option this summer. Ford is targeting the Sirius factory installed option for up to 21 vehicle lines.
Ford expects to generate up to one million Sirius subscribers over the 2006 and 2007 model year periods.
Each Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicle sold with factory equipped Sirius will include a six-month or longer subscription.
Starting with the 2006 model year, Ford plans to offer factory installed Sirius on the F-150, Explorer, Lincoln Mark LT and Mercury Mountaineer vehicle lines.
Beginning February 1st, Mark Patrick will be featured on XM Radio's new Major League Baseball channel.
Patrick, whose contract wasn't renewed by Fox Sports Radio, will broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. The former WISH-TV (Channel 8) sports director and "Hoosier Millionaire" host wasn't part of the Fox Sports Radio team when the company unveiled its revamped roster Monday.
The syndicated network, heard locally on WNDE-AM (1260), didn't renew the contract for Patrick's three-hour, early-morning show that reached 150 affiliates.
He expects to be paired with a former ballplayer on XM.
Time Trax Technologies will unveil at the CES 2005 Show a docking station that will enable PC users to schedule the recording of broadcasts and to save tracks, including the artist and title information, directly to Apple Computer's iPod.
Currently a Mac version is not in development.
To discourage recorded songs from being posted on peer-to-peer networks, the TimeTrax software embeds the serial number of the receiver into the track information, making it easy to trace the source.
Version 4.0 of the TimeTrax software, which will be available at the end of January, will enable listeners to scan satellite radio channels and record only songs by specific artists.
Well, that answers that question. XM Satellite Radio just announced that a press conference will be held in the XM Satellite Radio booth (CES
Booth # 4606) in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at 12:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, January 5, 2005.
Press conference highlights will include new product and partnership
announcements, new technology advancements, and current subscriber numbers (sure to exceed expectations just as Sirius' did).
SIRIUS Satellite Radio just announced that it ended 2004 with 1,143,258 million subscribers, exceeding its end-of-year target of 1 million subscribers.
Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS said,
"This strong finish underscores the momentum that we continue to see for our service... We believe that this enthusiasm will continue, and we expect to double our subscribers during 2005."
Impressive, that's a bold statement from Mel, but considering their rapid growth in subscriber base in the past few months, it may not be too far off. Our guess is that XM will either counter this announcement immediately with their exact year end number (of course, exceeding expectations) or they'll hold off until CES before releasing the exact amount.
The frenzy before this year's CES Show is starting to build up with both terrestrial and satellite broadcasters vying for headlines and attendee attention.
Terrestrial Radio's big gun is supposed to be high-definition radio with a press conference being held on Wednesday to reveal a nationwide HD Radio conversion plan. Championed by iBiquity, big boys like Bonneville, Clear Channel, Cox, Entercom and Radio One are all supposed to be on board.
Our opinion? Who cares. I'm not looking to pay for a new HD Radio receiver just so I can hear 20 minutes of crystal-clear commercials. The commercialization of terrestrial radio has turned it into a useless medium - no matter how clear the signal is.
Now both XM and Sirius are going to be revealing their own slew of new devices, bigger partners, more content, and plans for the future. Wish we knew more about what's to come, but both Sirius and XM have kept their lips tightly sealed.
Media International Concepts announced today that it has changed its direction to specialize in creating and developing content for radio talk show segments for the growing satellite radio industry which includes such operators as XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.
This change shows there is a realization that the radio talk show market is rapidly growing and Media Concepts (MEIC) believes this presents a giant opportunity. Radio Talk shows combine many areas such as sports, news, reality talk shows, and many others to make up this growing market.
Media Concepts realizes this new market should be an excellent area because there are currently two major competitors in the entertainment industry relating to radio. By working with Sirius and XM Satellite Radio and not competing against them, Media Concepts should realize shareholder growth by cornering a sizable piece of this huge and growing market by supplying satellite radio stations with content to meet the needs of the industry.
(or just friend me)
