They had better improve the audio quality for $12.95 a month, as well as the interface. I was able to listen to Sirius online for free last week, due to someone's F-up by allowing any username and password to access the online stream.

34k stream for music was pitiful and the player itself didn't have any volume, or tonal controls. Listening to XM via MS Media Player at least gives me the ability to control the volume, as well as mess with the 10-band EQ settings.

And besides the sound quality issue, which made it unbearable to listen to, the song selection on the channels I did check out, were repetitive. I also didn't like all the DJ chatter either.

Also, I tried to listen to Stern, but I just couldn't make it past several minutes. And Bubba? Ron and Fez are so much better it isn't even worth the comparison.

So, after checking it out for several days, I'm happy with XM and my portable Inno.

"They had better improve the audio quality for $12.95 a month, as well as the interface. I was able to listen to Sirius online for free last week, due to someone's F-up by allowing any username and password to access the online stream."

Dude, did you read the post? SIR (Sirius Intenet Radio) will be highly improved sound quality. That is what you are paying for- CD Qaulity. That is why they are even charging current subscribers $2.95 for SIR, who currently get what you listened to last week, for free.

What intrigues me is the possibility of the NFL on SIR. On their website for SIR, they have a picture of Tom Brady and a channel logan of a football, which is just titled, football channel. That would be great if they could pull that off.

Eh. Don't care. Stern sounds fine at low bandwidth and I have my Ipod if I want to listen to music. Besides, the page doesn't work in Safari (XM & Sirius seem to be competing for the title of "World's Shittiest Fucking Unusable Website In the History Of Shitty Websites") and I refuse to reward bad web design with a purchase.

The only thing that might get me to consider this is if they stream the NFL thru this offer... Do they? Does anyone know?

Yes, RJR, I read the post, hence my statement that for $12.95 the sound quality had better be more improved. But they should also improve the interface as well.

My question on the NFL aspect... How many people sit at their computers on Sunday with the intent on listening to NFL feeds instead of watching games on TV, especially if you are at home. Unless you are a Green Bay fan and are not in Green Bay, I don't see the benefit of wasting bandwidth on NFL games online.

Icepik, you cant listen to NFL using Sirius Online period. Same as the MLB on XM. My Inno is connected to a nice sound system. And since im not like Mike....... wow bro.... I use XM for all my music enjoyment.
Good luck with this offer Sirius, Howard should sound less tired?

icepick: The Stiletto will use Standard as well as Premium so if someone is not near a TV or computer and somewhere blocking the satellites, they can listen to the internet stream via Stiletto's WiFi.

Anyone who upgrades, please post a review. Quality of sound, stream (buffer issues), etc. I'm going to lose my office window next year, and thus my antenna :(

The normal stream is okay, but the bass produced by the Sybian is just not the same :)

Um, I dont get it.

As a subscriber I can upgrade my account for $3/mo or keep the limited account and get a second, high bandwith account for $7? Is that the deal? If so, why in the world would anyone want to do the $7 plan?

Secondly, how does this affect the Stiletto? Do you need to purchase one of these plans if you want all channels when listening over the internet on the Stiletto or will it somehow recognize that you are not using a computer and give you all the channels for free?

I wish I could get the freakin thing to work as a normal subscriber. I guess the folks over at Sirius didn't know there were other computers in the world other than Windows machines.

Most Mac users that I know can't use the new player at all.

I guess Sirius doesn't really beta test anything.

Morons

To Osama- You would buy the extra sub, at $6.99, if you had two people using the internet stream in your family, e.g. you and your wife both stream the Stern show from work on your computer.

Those that don't like the Sirius website player, try the Yahoo Widget, or, if you just want to stream Stern, his player, available from his website for free, works very well...

So, the Sound Qaulity is AMAZING!!! The difference is so huge, I can't believe it!

Plus, YES YOU CAN LISTEN TO NFL RADIO ONLINE!!!! That is perfect as well. Watch one game, listen to another, I love it!

For Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf:

I upgraded this afternoon and the sound quality is worth every penny. Below is a link to a pic of the player showing the kbps.

Along with all the music channels, SIR "currently" offers the folowing:

Talk: Howard 100, Howard 101, Sirius Stars, Maxim, Sirius OutQ, Sirius Patriot, Sirius Left

Comedy: Raw Dog, Blue Collar, Laugh Break

Kids: Kid Stuff

Sports: Football Radio (NFL Radio)

Entertainment: Cosmo, Martha Stewart, Playboy Radio

Screen shot: http://tinyurl.com/ms73r

People who have Sirius right now get to keep things as they are with the lower quality streams (34K for most stations and Stern channels slightly higher).

People who have a regular Sirius sub can pay 2.99 (per subscribed receiver) to upgrade their internet account to the new CD Quality service and will gain a few channels too.

People who pay 12.95 for SIR (the price without a Sirius radio) can add additional Internet accounts for 6.99.

I hope this clears this up. People who have Sirius and use Sirius Streaming lose nothing by staying where they are.

--D

Sirius broke Safari in the recent days/weeks it seems. You need www.flip4mac.com 's WM Components, but it usually works.

The website looks fine, but seems something they did (maybe DRM) made it so the online streaming no longer works.

Hopefully they fix that. I just tried it on my MBP.

--D

So, let me get this straight.

XM gives me 64kbps to begin with, which sounds great on any computer speakers or earbuds in existence, OR I can pay extra to get Sirius at 128kbps (btw SSG, that "b" is bits, NOT BYTES), but if I want Sirius at more than 32kbps I have to pay EXTRA?

I thought they were about not charging extra? Is the massive 1.2 Billion loss they're creating for this year starting to weigh on Mel a bit?

Next, they'll be wanting to charge extra if you get the artist names & song titles. Just another $2/month.

Frontmed -

Sirius offers more channels AND better quality for those who buy SIR (either via 2.99 upgrade or 12.95 for those without Sirius). It is likely some of this fee is going to the syndicates as carriage for the web streams.

Remember, people with Sirius that use streaming today are not LOSING anything by not paying the 2.99 a month. They get the same 34kbit service (mid-40s for Stern channels) that they offered all this time, certainly not to be confused with (kB, or KiB). I used big K above in error (slip of the keyboard here), luckily people who read Orbitcast do know what I meant. You'll find many software products make this error too and I appreciate the clarification.

Mel said flat out that there would be 'No Sirius Lite'. This explains why the pricing structure is the way it is for non-subscribers.

As for your remarks regarding SSG, I'm not SSG nor have ever been. Seeing as you are on the phone with him at times, I certainly know you are well aware who he his.

I do, however, on occasion, provide some contributions to the blog (as that individual is a good friend of mine) as well as provide the hosting for some assets.

If you have problems with the blog or contributors there, feel free to contact them directly. The e-mail address is at the top of their page.

--D

Sirius is 128kbps for music and 34 for the talk channels.. get your facts straight.

Frontmed said:

"XM gives me 64kbps to begin with, which sounds great on any computer speakers or earbuds in existence"

I say Sirius now sounds at least twice as good as XM online.

For Droo:

I submitted a trouble ticket for streaming issues related to Mac. Unacceptable. Sirius' choice of WMP is bad.

I'm happy. They finally put NFL radio on the net. For Free. I'm happy now.

NFL radio is like MLB home plate right, just NFL talk?

Its basically NFL Talk Radio. All week they talk to coaches, players, ex players, refs, etc etc etc.

"I submitted a trouble ticket for streaming issues related to Mac. Unacceptable. Sirius' choice of WMP is bad."

I did the same thing. WMP sucks Bill Gates wrinkled little member.

Sirius needs to get their act together.

M said "Sirius is 128kbps for music and 34 for the talk channels.. get your facts straight."

Actually M, SIRIUS talk is at 48kbps.

Flip4mac does WMP playback fine on the Mac. However, it doesn't support Microsoft DRM. That's probably where the snag is that wasn't there before.

This is certainly something that should be fixed, one way or another. Apple is still ~4% of the world PC market.

--D

This premium service rocks!!! It plays at 128Kbps!!! You have to click on the premium button to enjoy it, it defaults to standard. It also displays the group and song you are listening to. Nice!!!!

Mac playback apparently now works on the streaming sites.. I tried SIR tonight using a friends account and the software lets you switch between standard and premium streams. It's definitely a much nicer stream over on premium.

--D

Mac users should go over to www.flip4mac.com and download the WMV Player. It has a plugin needed to play Sirius streams. It is free, and supports Intel Mac as well.

"Mac users should go over to www.flip4mac.com and download the WMV Player. It has a plugin needed to play Sirius streams. It is free, and supports Intel Mac as well."
Actually, I had to uncheck the "Use Flip4Mac WMV Internet Plug-in" in the Flip4Mac Pref Pane. Apparently, the stream only likes the awful Windows Media Player Plug-in. Eccch.

And they do now stream the NFL channel for all users. Hooray!

Interesting.. I'm using OS X 10.4 and it didn't work until I installed Flip4Mac. WMP isn't available for Intel Macs.

Same applies to my Powerbook G4, also running 10.4 and flip4mac.

--D

I have 6 Sirus subscriptions, 3 for our autos and 3 "lifetime" subscriptions I bought for my Antex Triple Tuner at home. For the amount I have, and will fork out in the future, I should get the upgrade gratus.

As far as I can tell you can't listen to NFL games on Sirius internet radio.

Can anyone confirm or deny?

For Intel Mac users who are having trouble, this is a very succint explanation: http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/mac911/2006/08/streamingintel/index.php

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

StarPlayr
New Breed of Sirius Player for the Mac™

Sirius Radio on your Mac! Powered by Mplayer, LAME & Flip4Mac WMV, only for Mac OS X.

This version includes mplayer build in playback, recording, and introduction some new iTunes Playlist features with StarMP3.

StarMP3, as recordings are finished (the user presses record a 2nd time in the UI), it is added to an iTunes playlist and also exported to MP3 format. Users can take their recordings with them on the Road via the iPod/iPhone or any other PMP device that supports MP3s.

StarMP3s are created in the background using LAME after the recording is finished when the user presses the record button a 2nd time to conclude the recording.

SimoCasting: the user can record one station and listen to another at the same time. 32/sec. recordings are recommended for SimoCasting. You can also play and record at separate bit rates. For instance if you recording a talk radio show, you can record it at 32k/sec.

If you are playing or recording a quality music station, you can set that to 128k/sec. 32/128k setting can be changed on the fly prior to playing or recording. 128k/sec requires a Premium Sirius SIR Acct. from www.Sirius.com.

Requirements:

· Sirius Satellite subscription or Sirius Radio account

elll ohhh elll @ dipshit spamming posts that are little more than a year old.

Would someone please remove the duplicate posts? I think this was unintentional.