No Commercials – The Biggest Plus Point In Satellite Radio

All of satellite radio’s income is from subscriptions to the service and there are hundreds of channels being offered with a variety of programming by the major players in the industry. You can expect to listen to any kind of music without exception on satellite radio with a choice to fit any taste. There are channels exclusively for certain music groups and music genres. With broadcast radio, the income is from advertising while the service is free to its listeners.

Subscriptions And Equipment

Subscriptions to satellite radio signals can cost anything from $9 – 13 per month. Next comes the cost of activating the service with the provider. Different discounted plans are available for different types of users.

You need a special satellite receiver to be able to receive satellite radio programming and this must be the same brand as the provider. These tuners and receivers are portable compact units that you can switch between your car, home and office since they are ready to plug and play.

Sound Quality

When it comes to satellite radio, reception is digital quality. There is absolutely no static. With broadcast radio, the sound quality is dependant on many criteria. If there are large buildings in the way, quality of reception decreases.

On satellite radio, you can view the song information on your receiver for as long as the song plays. This is especially nice rather than wait for the announcer to tell you and not know at all if you did miss the announcement.

Content

A major difference between broadcast radio and satellite radio is the content censorship. There is uncensored content on satellite radio while one cannot expect the same with broadcast radio. 

Satellite radio can be heard over the Internet on any PC and you can get up to date information about the broadcasting schedules on the company websites with details of what is coming up soon. This is not available with broadcast radio.

Video programming is shortly expected on satellite radio by the major services in the industry. Broadcast radio has no such plans.

Thanks to its convenience and excellent sound quality and programming content, satellite radio is extremely popular when compared to broadcast radio.

Sirius Car Radios are widely used by everyone who enjoys satellite car radio and there are several models available in the market today to suit different preferences. In fact, Sirius car radios are preinstalled in many cars and trucks with prior agreement. For example, Ford, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Jaguar, Mazda, Infiniti, Audio, and many others all come fitted with Sirius radios.             

Sirius car radios have the flexibility to be installed in your car or you could even go in for a portable plug and play system that can be carried from your car to office to home. Sirius has several satellite car radio models it makes like the Sirius SV2-TK1 InV Satellite Radio with Car Kit, the Sirius Sportster 4, etc. The Sirius car antenna can also be individually purchased.

Sirius Car Radio – Basic Model 

The Sirius Starmate receiver is the basic model for Sirius radios and comes with a pause and rewind feature for live radio. It allows roughly five hours of recording, which you can playback later at leisure. These Sirius car radio receivers come with an FM modulator with which you can link to FM stereo at home or in your car wirelessly. The Sirius car kit is a sleek unit that is very user friendly and comes with a remote control.

The advantage with satellite car radios is the uninterrupted reception that is consistent in quality, zero commercials and the variety in programming that is available. The Sirius car radio model S50 comes with a comprehensive car kit. You could also opt for a home kit at an extra charge. It is capable of recording with a one-touch button facility, which is convenient in the sense that even if you are half way through the song, you can still record the entire song.

Audiovox makes a portable Sirius radio, which comes with a radio tuner, a docking kit for the car and one to use at home so that you can listen to satellite programming both in your car as well as your home and at work. Installing the Sirius radio is simple enough since you can fix the tuner to your dashboard with the sticky backing. The Sirius radio antenna which is weather proof can be fixed on the car roof or the inside back window of your car. The docking kit for the car has a power cable letting you plug in the unit.

This Sirius radio tuner comes with a six-line display to show you the details of the stream and song info of whatever you are listening to. Parental lock is included, and so is a wireless remote control. The signal strength of Sirius car radios is amazingly strong no matter where you travel.

The Sirius Stiletto portable satellite radio receiver has been well received in the market ever since they were launched. There are many websites carrying reviews of the Sirius stiletto talking about its features and its pros and cons. Here is a quick summary of the Sirius Stiletto:

Right out of the box, the Sirius Stilleto radio comes with earbuds, antenna integrated headphones, standard and lightweight batteries, PC Cable, AC adapter and software.

The Sirius Stiletto brings you online content via wi fi and has the ability to record live. You can also use it as an MP3 and WMA player depending on your subscription. In fact, live streams can also be paused. The radio is well designed and user-friendly and is equipped with batteries.

Some people feel that the Sirius Stiletto is bulkier than it should be at 4.3 pounds. But the radio itself comes feature-packed and is quite sleek. The Sirius radio has a built in antenna that lets you receive the Sirius signal clearly. You don’t need an external docking station. You can store as much as hundred hour’s worth of music and you can even mix your own music using the MP3s and the Sirius radio streaming content.

The headphones have the transmitter built into them. Two batteries are provided along with an indoor a/c adapter that helps you charge the batteries.

In this Sirius Stilletoo review special mention must be made of the neat 2.2 inch TFT screen with QVGA resolution. There is a six way navigation control via which you can easily get through to all its features. There is 800 MB worth of storage for all your personal MP3s. You will find that this Sirius radio will be compatible with several music subscription services online.

Other than the above, you have the following features:

• 30 preset channels
• Ability to pause, rewind and replay an hour of live programming
• If you have favorite games, you will be alerted when they are on
• The Sirius Stiletto has a color screen where you can see your current song information displayed.
• You can save around ten hours of music from live programs with a single button
• You can set up recordings in advance and this can be up to 6 hours duration.

In addition to the above, there are the parental controls and facility to lock channels. In terms of software, you get Yahoo Music jukebox so that you can bookmark your favorite songs and then later access it via your computer.

The next thing in the Sirius Stilletoo review is the battery. You can expect up to four hours of satellite radio with the standard battery. It supports around 12 hours of Internet radio, 24 hours of radio replays and 24 hours of playback with your own audio files. The slim weight battery is ideal for when you are moving around.

What You Can Expect From Sirius Radio Channels And Stations:

No matter what your musical preference, you can find it in the Sirius lineup. Sirius channels play streaming pop, rock, dance, hip-hop, R&B, country, religious music, jazz, classical music, and more. For men, Maxim radio, of Maxim magazine is a Sirius channel that talks about girls, music, sports and humor.

If you are a sports fan, you can listen to all the minute details of every sport you are interested in. The focus is on NFL, NBA, hockey, tennis, and plenty of college sports. There is continuous lime commentary from horse racing.   

The news channels from Sirius keep you abreast of what is happening globally including finance, weather and traffic. In addition to this, the Sirius lineup has dedicated programming for women, kids, and family as well.

Sirius has signed up with some major entertainers like Martha Stewart, the E Street Band (owned by music artist Bruce Springsteen), Eminem, etc. to create branded channels. One of Sirius’ biggest attractions is the irreverent Howard Stern who joined them in early 2006 with his famous radio show. Sirius has exclusive rights to Howard Stern’s radio show today, as well as the rights to two of the three channels on Sirius.

Most of the Sirius line up consists of original programming produced by itself with several shows hosted by eminent personalities from sports, music, deejays, veejays, hiphop superstars, well known dance artists, political commentators, comedians, etc.

There are Sirius radio channels and stations that broadcast exclusive sports material. Right now, Sirius holds the sole satellite radio broadcasting rights to the NFL, CFL and NBA games. Sirius also covers NASCAR with a show hosted by Tony Stewart. Along with this, the Sirius lineup also holds the exclusive rights to many college sports teams with channels dedicated to college football.   

So whether you are looking for your favorite music, sports or exciting interviews with hot personalities or live performances in the studio, you can look forward to listening to it via cd quality digital sound anywhere across the US and Canada with Sirius satellite radio – all hundred per cent commercial free.

As the second largest in the world, Sirius satellite radio is gaining fast ground with its commercial-free programming and unique content. The broadcast is via three satellites owned by Sirius and available in the continental US and Canada. This guarantees its listeners digital quality sound with uninterrupted reception. The Sirius service is available through a monthly subscription that will be based on what plan they select. Users will also need to buy a Sirius satellite radio receiver to listen to their favorite Sirius radio channels.

All satellite radio fans know the Sirius brand very well by now and there are several car companies that sell their cars with pre-installed Sirius satellite radio receivers. All the customer needs to do is activate the service and start enjoying their programs. As far as receivers are concerned, Sirius makes a range of them that can be purchased both for home and vehicle use.

Sirius Satellite Radio – Subscription Cost

Sirius’s pricing and content are both competitive. The Sirius satellite radio receiver is in the range of $200 with installation costs ranging from $ 50 to about $100. You can choose to install it yourself and save. To access the Sirius satellite radio service, it would cost you approximately $0.50 per day. You will have access to hundreds of channels covering music, sports, news, talk and entertainment shows, etc.

The reception over Sirius radio is always crystal clear no matter where you go and that’s one of the greatest advantages. This is particularly nice for those who spend a lot of time traveling in their car. There is the choice of tuning into any of the hundreds of Sirius radio stations being broadcast.  Whether you are in the US or in Canada you have access to the entire range of Sirius satellite radio channels.  As you enjoy your favorite music genre – from country to hip hop to rap to R&B to jazz to rock to pop – you can see the song information on your Sirius satellite radio receiver just as your song starts up. There is plenty of comedy for those who enjoy these shows.

Original Content

Sirius has tied up exclusively for various shows with major names. To name a few – Howard Stern called the ‘King of all media’, Martha Stewart, E Street Radio, Tony Stewart, etc. Music, news/talk, sports, and talk/entertainment – it’s all there on Sirius radio - bringing you the latest updates. Sirius NASCAR radio keeps you in tune with every race airing live coverage of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series, NASCAR Busch series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series races, which are the most prominent NASCAR events. NFL on Sirius keeps football fans up to date with every game.

 So lets take a look at each service in detail.

XM vs. Sirius – Satellites

While XM has two satellites called Rock and Roll, Sirius owns three satellites over the US. Sirius radio is based out of New York, while XM radio comes from Washington DC. XM radio was launched in 2001 while Sirius radio was launched in 1989. If you compare Sirius vs. XM in terms of number of channels, XM radio offers 170 channels as compared to Sirius’ 130 channels.

Equipment And Pricing

To access satellite radio programming, you need equipment in the way of receivers. Looking at XM vs. Sirius here, XM scores as it has a unit that allows you to link it to your pc, to your car unit or to your regular home unit. XM also has the portable and user-friendly Delphi SkyFi with plenty of features for its users. Sirius also offers portability with its receivers. Both have units that can be used in the car, at home, or even on your boat. The standard receivers of both brand names cost almost the same. The higher end models cost more depending on the extra features available.

With pricing of subscriptions, comparing Sirius vs. XM, Sirius radio is slightly more expensive than XM radio but users claim that the programming variety and the signal quality are worth paying for, which brings us to programming in the XM vs. Sirius comparison.

Programming

Both XM radio and Sirius radio have a loyal fan following with XM having more subscribers than Sirius and both have a healthy competition over content. With Sirius offering 130 channels and XM satellite radio offering 170 channels, preferences depend on the users and what they are looking for.  Sirius satellite radio has tied up with National Public Radio and Public Radio International. When it comes to sports, Sirius has an edge with exclusivity to NBA and NFL games, NASCAR and NHL. XM radio scores in great comedy, music stations and special talk channels. They also broadcast audio books and radio dramas. Finally XM users can opt for the only-online listening over the Internet at a plan that costs less than the regular plans.

Music

When it comes to music, XM radio channels are incomparable in their variety – offering jazz, pop, blues, rock, country, classical and many more genres. There are 69 channels dedicated to music with select live concerts. The content is original for its special sports, talk, comedy, kids and entertainment shows. There are 21 channels that air traffic and weather news. In fact, big names like Honda, General Motors, Toyota, Suzuki, Porsche, Hyundai and many more will all feature XM radio channels this year.

For choice, the XM stations have programs for the family, kids, and exclusive content for men and women. The XM schedule can be had by looking at their website.

Exclusive Content

The XM stations feature three exclusive channels - High Voltage, XM Radio Online and Playboy Radio. There are several ‘only on XM’ original shows and special music series. The XM lineup includes amazing variety with completely innovative programming. No matter which genre of music you are addicted to, you can find it in one of the XM stations.  If you enjoy jazz, you will find various types of jazz music through many XM radio channels. There are channels dedicated to music by decade – for example on channel 4 you will find music of the forties, on channel 9, music of the nineties and so on.

Live Concerts

One of the best things about the XM lineup is the broadcast of live concerts through XM Live channel. Throughout the day, there are many live concerts of great musicians like Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa, etc. Live concerts are broadcasted from musicians all over the world.

There are XM radio channels to satisfy the leanings of people with a variety of political views with America Left for the liberals, America Right for the conservatives, etc.

Since most XM radio channels have their own websites you can easily get the XM schedule for that XM station. Requests are also entertained on the website so that if you ask for a particular song, you will be emailed back with a response telling you when you can expect to hear it.

XM Radio has channels dedicated to local weather condition broadcasts. For the sports fans, there are many major league baseball channels and NASCAR channels. For the news buffs, there is USA Today, BBC World service, PBS’s news hour, CNN news, Fox news, etc.

If your idea of bliss is zero commercial radio programming with variety, then satellite radio is for you. Add CD-quality sound, absolutely no static interference and uninterrupted transmission wherever you travel. The major players in the market are WorldSpace, XM and Sirius satellite radio. While the service originally started with cars being factory fitted with satellite radios, now anyone can experience satellite radio.

With XM, WorldSpace and Sirius satellite radio, one has access to several radio stations and can listen to different genres of music, enjoy sports, news and other entertaining programs – all completely free of commercials. What’s more, with Sirius satellite radio, no matter where you live in the US, you can listen to the same programming by tuning into around 130 channels. This can be heard in cars, your RVs, boat, truck, office, home and just about anywhere you wish to, using the plug and play satellite radio.

Costs Involved With A Satellite Radio

First comes the cost of the receivers and the mounting hardware. Cost of receiver will vary depending on whether you want just the satellite radio or whether you want to play CDs on it as well. Next comes installing your satellite radio, followed by the monthly subscription to the service provider, which could be XM, WorldSpace or Sirius satellite radio. In some cases, the service provider also offers free activation.

Sirius Satellite Radio

Based out of New York, US, and available across the US and Canada, Sirius satellite radio owns three satellites and offers digital quality sound and some of the best programming, amply proved by its content, where you can hear world-famous names like Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, CNBC, BBC World Service, Radio Disney and lots more like that. One of Sirius satellite radio’s major specialties is its focus on sports radio. You can listen to the commentary of hundreds of games from the NASCAR, NBA, Wimbledon Championships, NFL, ESPN Radio etc.

What Do You Need To Enjoy Sirius Satellite Radio

Several manufacturers make satellite radio receivers specific to the service provider. There are many Sirius-ready radios available, identified by the Sirius logo on the radio. Activation at a small fee is required however, and may need a Sirius tuner sometimes. It is possible to password protect certain channels on your satellite radio. You also get a traffic navigation service with the Sirius service.

Big names in cars such as the Audi, Lexus, Jaguar, BMW, Chrysler, Toyota, Porsche etc. all come with Sirius radios. Even Hertz rent-a-car offers Sirius ready rental cars.

There are plenty of websites dedicated to offering Sirius and XM radio coupons and deals. You will find a lot of special offers on the company website as well. While Sirius radio deals cover packages like the NFL Bundle Offer, Subscriber Offer, Installation Offer, Fall offer and Free shipping coupons, the XM Radio deals can be had in the form of free activation and free trial for three months, special pricing on radio models, special pricing from DirecTV and offers that are exclusive to XM friends and family along with XM coupons offering a variety of rebates. If you intend to get XM satellite radio for the holidays, you can avail deep discounts with the help of XM coupons. For those interested, a really worthwhile XM radio deal is the free two-week subscription to XM Radio Online instead of the usual three-day trial, when you use your special XM coupon code. 

Many sites list a series of promotion codes, coupons and deals. Sirius coupon codes are available on websites that offer 15% off on Sirius satellite radio orders. There are free shipping coupons on orders based on order value. Hot deals are advertised each week with cash back on Sirius radio deals. You can even use the exclusive rebates that give you access to the ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ offers with free ground shipping and the various free trial offers.

Some of the coupon and radio deal websites will list only the most current and officially authorized Sirius coupons and XM coupons with the coupon codes and promotional offers. This could cover the equipment or the service component of these satellite radio companies. With certain Sirius coupon websites, you can enjoy some really great offers. For example, if you order the Stiletto portable unit, you can get an exclusive $60 mail in rebate on the $140 price. There are substantial price offs on other satellite radio models. Current Sirius subscribers can look forward to receiving 50 % off on the Sportster 4 or Stratus when they get their radios activated and keeps the existing and new subscriptions going for at least six months after buying them. On top of this they can also save an extra 42 % off Starmate 4 and 20 % off on the Stiletto 100 Sirius radio.

If you subscribe to these coupon and promotion websites, they will keep you updated with daily newsletters listing the latest XM coupons and Sirius coupons so that you can avail these offers at the right time.

XM Satellite radio took the world by storm when it pioneered the satellite radio service in the early nineties as the American Mobile Radio Corporation. When XM was launched in 2001 across America, bringing with it digital quality sound, little did people think that satellite radio would become such an integral part of life today. Today, in spite of competition, XM Satellite radio, owned by XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. is still the leader with its innovative content and competitive costs.

Though XM initially focused on the automobile market, today XM radios can be found in a majority of cars and trucks. Some of the biggest auto manufacturers today offer various car models with built in XM satellite radios as part of the deal. XM satellite radios are available in a variety of sleek space saving designs and these can fit anywhere.  Users can enjoy looking at the song information displayed when their favorite song is on air. This information includes the name of the channel, the name of the artist and the song title. XM has access to the biggest play list compared to any other service and its lineup in music includes a variety of genres covering country, rock, pop, classical, R&B, jazz and Christian music.

Today there are 170 XM satellite radio channels that are a hundred per cent free of commercials, enhancing the listening pleasure of its subscribers. Of the 170, over 69 are music channels with 39 or so bringing you news, talk, entertainment, and sports. XM radio also features around 21 channels that bring traffic and weather information. Around 23 XM radio channels are dedicated to sports, with play-by-play broadcasts. There are also three premier channels that are made available to the users at an additional fee.

The XM Satellite Radio Satellites

XM has two geo stationary satellites that it uses to broadcast its programming and these are named Rock and Roll, interestingly, and these are supported by hundreds of ground repeaters spread across the United States. These repeaters are responsible for uninterrupted clarity in reception in any area no matter how many constructions come in the way. To users, this means that when they are traveling from one end of the nation to the other, they can continue listening to the same station with the same digital sound quality.

XM satellite radio has exclusive airing rights to many programs. It uses several well-known celebrities to host its shows – for example, Bob Dylan, Bob Edwards, Oprah Winfrey etc. In addition to listening to XM radio via a satellite receiver, you also have the option to pay less and opt for the online broadcast.