While speculation abounds about whether the upcoming Sirius Starmate 5 will have the capability to receive both Sirius and XM, there's one piece of the puzzle that was missed... the ability to receive A La Carte channels.

As a refresher: Sirius-XM have said that after merging, they would offer the first-ever a la carte packages in subscription media. These packages would allow subscribers to choose 50 channels for $6.99/month, or 100 channels from either Sirius or XM for $14.99/month. Additional channels would cost $0.25/each.

But a commenter on SiriusBuzz points to the Starmate 5's user manual, which gives a strong indication that this radio could indeed be the first A La Carte capable unit.

The section in question, Page 74 of the user manual (PDF), refers to the "My Channels" category, which "will show all of the channels contained in your SIRIUS subscription plan." The Starmate 5 user manual then goes on to describe that the "category heading bar will show the total number of channels your Starmate ST5 is subscribed to."

The manual also differentiates these subscribed channels from channels that are locked by the built-in Parental Control feature (which has been available on previous generations).

Below are select bullet points from the manual highlighting this:

• "If you try to tune to an unsubscribed channel the ST5 will display a 'Channel Unsubscribed' message."
• "The ST5 will not display channel information for any unsubscribed or locked channels."
• "The Memory and Song Seek functions... will only occur on subscribed channels."

Now, before we get all in a tizzy, it is also important to point out that the "My Channels" references in the Starmate 5's manual could be referencing the "select" packages and not true "a la carte" packages. As you can see in Sirius' post-merger channel lineup, there are  other programming packages that would limit the number of channels displayed on the unit, including a "Family Friendly" package, a "Mostly Music" package and a "News, Sports & Talk" package.

Even if that's the case, I still think this is an important development.

[via Orbitcast Forums]

The fan favorite Sirius Starmate 5 (ST5) satellite radio receiver has landed in the halls of the Federal Communications Commission, giving us a sneak peek into what's to come, albeit accompanied by some not-so-sexy FCC testing photos.

According to the FCC submissions, the Starmate 5 will feature:

• Sirius Replay: Pause/rewind/replay up to 44 minutes of live radio
• Memo function: Store up to 30 favorite songs and artists, plus a favorite sports team or NASCAR car, and be alerted whenever they're on.
• Wide-angle 5-line display
• Built-in wireless FM transmitter
• Remote control
• Universal dock
  

Reading through the product manual (PDF), it doesn't look like the Starmate 5 will feature the same multi-color display functionality that it's big brother the Sportster 5 enjoys. That's unfortunate, because I love the color-changing capability.

One interesting thing to note, though, is that there's some question as to whether this radio will be capable of receiving both Sirius and XM due to a comment made by the FCC in its correspondence with the testing firm. Judging from all the documents submitted to the FCC, there is no other mention of dual-mode/interoperable functionality, so I don't think this is the case.

But see for yourself. Check out another photo of the Starmate 5, and read the correspondence letter after the jump...

The DOJ's approval of the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. could bode well for some semiconductor suppliers, as well as allow for cheaper satellite radios, says some industry experts.

Suppliers like STMicroelectronics may fare well if the "new" Sirius decides to integrate its baseband and tuner on a single chip. ST would be able to do this with a minimal learning curve, according to Michael Kasparian, market development manager for the automotive business unit at the company. That's because ST is the sole provider of XM's baseband chipset and is one of two suppliers for Sirius' baseband chipsets, plus it also delivers tuners for both systems.

Kasparian says a redesign into a single baseband chip will require retooling, because the two basebands are currently completely different, adding that the new chip spec from Sirius could take up to a year after FCC approval.

"We'd be talking about a 65nm CMOS process for the baseband chip," said Kasparian. "If it takes longer to get the design, we may be to 45nm."

According to EE Times, the unified company could bring in economies of scale large enough to affect the entire industry. The chip's "real estate" alone delivers cost savings.

"You're buying by die size," Kasparian said. "The more you buy, the cheaper per die you can get away with, whether it's what we're charging or what you're willing to pay."

The market currently supports two distinct systems with distinct chipsets, but a single-chip solution serving both Sirius and XM would offer cost advantages.

"That would mean fewer part numbers shipping to larger volumes," said Kasparian. "That's always cheaper to do, and that kind of cost reduction would be passed on to the consumer."

[EE Times]

Continuing with the Black Friday watch, here's one from CompUSA. They're offering up a Sportster Replay for $49.99 - that's after a $40 savings and an addition $40 eRebate.

BFAds isn't sure, but you may need to activate the receiver at the store during purchase.

But... it's the old-school Sportster Replay. What gives? There's better deals than this for the newer generation Sportster 4. Oh right, it's CompUSA.

[via BFAds]

The Sportster 4 is going to be a popular one this holiday season, and Sirius is doing a package deal through RadioShack for those Black Friday savings.

If you purchase a Sportster 4 plus a $49.99 prepaid Sirius programming card, the Sportster 4 drops down to $39.99 (so yeah, the total cost is around $90). Not bad considering that's an instant savings of $110 off the original price.

Here you go bargain hunters, Circuit City will be offering up the Sirius Starmate 4 for $49.99. That's a whopping $70 off the original price.

Add to that, they're promoting the Sirius "card pack" which includes 3-months of Sirius service, activation, and a 30-day guarantee for $49.99. Not necessarily the best deal in town, but it does make including a Sirius subscription with your holiday gift pretty easy.

[via BfAds]

Uber-cheap receivers are always appreciated, and Sirius is putting their InV on the block for a mere $19.99 at Circuit City on the blackest of all Fridays.

That's a $20 savings off the regular price, and $10 cheaper than what Sirius is currently selling it for themselves. At that price, it could be a stocking stuffer.

Continuing the Black Friday Watch, here's a deal on the Sirius Sportster 4 for $74.99 after instant savings at Best Buy.

Even further, you can save an additional $30 when you buy a $49.99 Sirius subscription card. Smart idea.

[via BfAds]

Below is a video featuring a hands-on look at the upcoming Sirius Stiletto 2. As always, if you're viewing via Email or RSS Reader, you may need to click-through to view the video...

Yes, this was taken when I visited Sirius headquarters and featured some hands-on photos of the Stiletto 2. I just got around to editing the video now. Sorry for the uber-delay.

On the heals of the XpressRC hitting the streets, word comes in that the Sirius Sportster 5 is now shipping to retailers. The age of color radios is (finally) upon us.

So check your favorite local online reseller for availability...

UPDATE: It appears that there was some faulty info coming from the distributor and that the Sportster 5 is not shipping now. I apologize for the confusion...