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Satellite radio is becoming more and more popular as an alternative to regular FM radio, and especially for travelers who want to listen to the same station throughout their trip. Basically, you get commercial-free radio for a small monthly fee(around $13/month) and the ability to listen to the same station wherever you go in the country.
So the question on everybody's mind is “What is the best satellite radio service?” Is it XM radio or Sirius radio? If you look at just subscribers, XM easily wins the battle with over 5 million subscribers compared to Sirius' 3 million subscribers. However, there are a lot more options to consider when choosing your satellite radio service.
Here are some things to consider when making your decision:
Receivers
XM has the strongest variety of satellite radio receivers with the two best plug-and-play models probably being the Delphi XM SkyFi2 - with a 30 minute recording buffer(cost: about $95) or the Delphi XM Roady XT(cost: about $80.) If you want a portable option, the best one is the Tao XM2go(5 hour recording feature) - it can play broadcasts through headphones or speakers that are included and doesn't require a docking station(cost: about $150.)
Sirius might not have the range that XM has in the hardware market, but they still have some nice equipment. The two best plug-and-play models for Sirius radio are probably the Sirius Starmate Replay - with a 44 minute recording buffer(cost: about $120) or the Sirius Sportster Replay - designed for NFL fans and it also has a 44 minute buffer(cost: about $95 after rebates.) Sirius doesn't have a true portable satellite radio device yet but they have the S50 model which will allow you to record 1 GB of satellite radio content while hooked to a docking station so you can play it later as a stand alone device. The Sirius S50 also doubles as an MP3 and WMA file player. (cost: about $330)
Programming
Sirius and XM both have about the same amount of music stations, covering Pop, Rock, Dance, R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, Christian, Jazz/Blues, Classical and Latin. Both services also share news channels such as CNN radio, CNBC radio and Bloomberg radio. The big difference comes down to sports coverage and some guy you might have heard of….Howard Stern. Sirius signed Howard Stern to a blockbuster deal that will be sure to boost subscriptions for them.
Sirius also has a stranglehold on sports radio with exclusive rights to NFL broadcasts, NHL, NBA and rights to NASCAR in 2007. XM currently has exclusive rights to MLB baseball and NASCAR until 2007, they also have a lot of college football broadcasts. If you're a sports fan at all, you're going to want Sirius for their wide coverage of sports.
Currently both Sirius and XM radio services cost approximately $13 a month. Other costs you have to consider is in the accessories that go with the satellite receiver you choose. Docking kits for the home or car(if not included) can add about $100-150. Headphones and external antennas are other accessories that should be considered.
You can only expect the costs to decrease as satellite radio becomes more and more popular. All in all, satellite radio is an inexpensive option to get commercial-free, static-free, uncensored radio that you can take with you anywhere in the country and listen to the same station.
The music area has the largest number of channels. Here are 68 music channels that you can enjoy and where you can listen to your favorite music whether is from the 60s, the 90s or it’s the new released music. There are music-by-the-decade channels that include the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s songs which are mostly pop/rock outlets, the Top 20 channel, Love Songs, Movie Soundtracks, Show Tunes, MTV, VH1, and a Global hits channel. For those you prefer new music there is the Unsigned channel and the XMU channel. The last one can be compared to a college station. If you are a jazz fan, XM offers you live music from the Blue Note club and the B.B. King Club in New York City.
There are entertainment shows on XM radio hosted by Tom Perry, Snoop Dog or Quincy Jones. Comedy shows may be found on the High Voltage channel where shock jocks Opie and Anthony do their job now uncensored. In totally, XM has three comedy channels including a family comedy channel. Beside these, there are more radio channels like Playboy Radio and Public Radio hosted by Bob Edwards which includes a line of NPR shows that you can enjoy whenever you like from .
If you are a sports fanatic you can choose from a good variety of channel dedicated to sports that are provided by XM radio. This includes college football and basketball, NASCAR and Major League Baseball. You can easily listen to the Bowl Championship Series to find out which team is going to the next level, the NCAA Division I football champion.
With a subscription from XM, you will have 38 channels of sports, news and talk channels. For example, ABC News & Talk, BBC World Service, CNBC, Court TV, C-Span, CNN, CNN Headline News, Discovery Channel, E Entertainment, two ESPN channels, Fox News, NASCAR Racing are a few talk station to which you can listen. Local weather and traffic channels are provided too and in totally, they are 22 channels.
Sound clearance depends on the subscription you have. If you have satellite radio from XM, the sound has more quality than the one from Sirius, but still you can’t say that is the same as a CD. You can say that the sound is somewhere between the sound of a CD and AM radio. Hopefully, in the years that will come, the sound quality will improve.
As this technology appeared so did a new line of hardware that can match people’s desires.
And XM has new things to offer like the Delphi XM MyFi which is a small receiver, actually the smallest in the world that can include up to five yours of XM content to which you can listen anywhere you like. Another is the Delphi SkyFi2 which has a TiVo-like 30-Minute Replay feature so, you can rewind, push the pause button or just play it forward to hear music, news or anything else you stored on the it. This equipments are also produced by Sony, Alpine, Pioneer and of course others.