Americans are slowly changing the way that they listen to music. Instead of listening to limited radio stations that are sometimes filled with commercials, people are now getting their music through satellite radio.

Sirius and XM are the top suppliers of satellite radio. To listen to this amazing, commercial free programming all listeners will need a satellite radio player. If you are interested in making the switch from traditional radio programming to satellite radio then you have four options when it comes to selecting a player.

(1) Satellite Radio Players for the Car

When you are in your car, how often do you turn the radio on? Since the majority of Americans listen to music when they are in their vehicle, satellite radio players for the car are always in demand. Satellite radio players that are designed for cars often come in two varieties. There are some players that can be inserted where a traditional car radio goes. These players would require a mounting plate. Circle or other shaped players can be mounted on the dashboard or the ceiling of vehicle.

The average price for satellite radio players designed for the car is between $70 and $150.

(2) Portable Satellite Radio Players

In addition to satellite radio, other advancements in music include Ipods and MP3 players. These products are popular because they are portable. One thing that many individuals, maybe even yourself included, do not know about satellite radios is that some of them are also portable. These portable players are most commonly used when exercising or traveling on foot.

The average price for a portable satellite radio is between $200 and $350.

(3) Home-based Satellite Radio Players

Satellite radio players that are designed for home are similar to the above mentioned players; however, they are often stationary. Home-based satellite radios come in a wide variety of different designs. The different design options make it possible to match a player with a particular home dcor color or style. Due to the size of most home satellite radios, they are often unable to be used in vehicles or as portable players.

The average price for a home-based satellite radio player is between $100 and $400.

(4) AllinOne Satellite Radios

If you are music lover then it is likely that the above mentioned satellite radio players appealed to you, but what if all of them did? Purchasing a satellite radio player for the home, vehicle, and another one to take with wherever you go can get fairly expensive. All-in-one satellite radios are a solution to that potentially expensive problem. All-in-one satellite radios are small enough so they can be transported whenever you go and they can also be used in the home or in your car.

The average price of an all-in-one satellite player is between $150 and $350.

The features found on a satellite radio player will all depend on the manufacturer; however, there are some common product features. The majority of satellite radio players come with rechargeable batteries, full color displays, channel presents, a remote control, and song storage. Portable players are likely to come with headphones and a belt clip. Satellite radios that are designed for the vehicle are likely to come with stands, suction cups, and other dashboard accessories.

If you are interested in subscribing to a commercial-free satellite radio service then you will need at least one of the above mentioned satellite radio players. Of course, you have the final decision when it comes to selecting a particular player, but you should know that all-in-one satellite radio players are now the most popular. All-in-one satellite radios give you the ability to hook the player up to your car speakers, your speakers at home, or your headphones. To most Americans, the features are well worth the price.

About the Author:

Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio. http://www.satellite-radio-review.net

Written By: Matt Barstow

Sirius unveiled its new Portable Satellite Radio Digital Player Combo recently. Now you can record and use the playback function in your car! Weighing in at less than 4 ounces, the Starmate replay is only 5 inches by 1.9 inches and allows recording of up to 44 minutes of Sirius Satellite Radio Programming. The new product comes with a car mount and is available to consumers in October 2005 for a reasonable price of $129.99. In addition, an option home kit is available for $39.99 and allows users to record at their leisure in their own homes. Sirius One, the new car radio which was also unveiled recently is the same size of the Starmate, but weighs 5 ounces and costs considerably less, $79.99, what a steal in comparison! The busy holiday season for Sirius is crucial for the company; they are banking on increased customer base and increase sales of their receivers and accessories. “The Starmate Replay and Sirius One offer an easy and inexpensive way to get Sirius,” said Bob Law, senior vice president and general manager of Sirius’s Consumer Electronics Division.

Sirius reported to have 1.8 million subscribers and they are looking to increase this base dramatically. Its only real rival, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc reported 4.4 million subscrivers during the second quarter of this year. Both companies are strongly pushing advertising and are expected to take a huge advantage of the holiday season in order to increase sales and subscriber base.
About the Author

Scott Fish is the owner of Satellite Radio Sirius and XM satellite Radio Reviews | Search Engine Optimization Firm | Affiliate Program

Written By: Scott Fish

The advancement of technology has seen the introduction of many new and exciting gadgets and services over the years: video recorders have been replaced by DVDs; record players with CD players and MP3s; and terrestrial television channels have been expanded to include hundreds of satellite channels to suit all tastes and ages. And now consumers can enjoy the benefits of satellite radio as well. No longer do we have to put up with a limited choice of channels, distorted sound quality, and continual interruptions in service and quality. Satellite radio offers incredible choice, excellent quality, and an uninterrupted service that you can enjoy in your home or in your car.

How does satellite radio work?

When you subscribe to satellite radio you will get an extra band on your home or car radio, for which you will be charged a monthly fee. A special antenna receives the signals from the satellites, much in the same way as a satellite dish receives signals for satellite television viewing. You will then enjoy access to a range of channels, giving you incredible choice over what you listen to whether you are in the home or travelling in your car.

What are the benefits of satellite radio?

There are a number of benefits to subscribing to satellite radio. You can enjoy far more choice for a start, with a range of channels to select from including commercial-free channels. You can enjoy much better reception whilst driving, and you wont have to put up with poor quality and static as with AM/FM radio. And you can enjoy these benefits at a low monthly fee, enabling you to enjoy a revolutionized radio experience without breaking the bank.

Satellite radio providers: Sirius VS XM

The competition has already started in the world of satellite radio, and the two main players in the field at the moment are Sirius and XM. Both of these providers work in the same way, offering over one hundred satellite radio stations for one monthly subscription fee. Both offer the necessary equipment to enable listeners to enjoy a unique, high quality digital radio experience, and both offer affordable packages.

XM has been around for longer than Sirius, and started broadcasting in September 2001. With over two million subscribers and rising, XM enjoys backing from big names such as General Motors and Honda. Located in Washington DC, the XM network boasts two geosynchronous satellites along with repeaters in major metro areas.

Sirius is a relatively new player when it comes to satellite radio. Sirius started broadcasting in July 2002, and currently has a customer base of under one million. Located at the Rockefeller Center in New York, Sirius has three elliptical-orbit satellites, and does not have a many repeaters as XM radio. Other than this you can enjoy the same digital quality and excellent choice with Sirius as you can with XM.

How do you choose between Sirius and XM satellite radio?

The services, packages, and quality of satellite radio from Sirius and XM is very similar, so it can be difficult to choose. The best way to decide on which service will best suit your needs is to look at the various satellite radio ratings and make satellite radio comparisons.

Both Sirius and XM will enable you to enjoy high quality digital radio, with a wide choice, some commercial-free channels, parental blocks where necessary, talk radio, news channels, and accessibility within the continental United States. You will find some slight differences in programming, so you may want to take this into consideration, and also read up on a satellite radio review or two before you make your decision.

If you are looking to buy a new vehicle, many now come with satellite radio already installed, so you wont have to make the choice as either Sirius or XM will already be available. It is those with older vehicles or those that want to enjoy satellite radio within the home that need to decide between XM or Sirius radio.

Satellite radio comparisons

The difference between the two satellite radio providers is minimal, so you could have your work cut out when trying to decide which provider you want to go with. Here are a few of the aspects you can look at:

Established and popular: XM satellite radio has been around a little longer than Sirius. It also has a higher subscriber base of over two million compares to Sirius, which has under one million.

Quality and clarity: There really isnt much in it when it comes to quality and clarity of sound. Because XM and Sirius are both satellite radio providers, listeners can enjoy crystal clear sound and uninterrupted entertainment with either of these services. With both services available across the Continental United States you can enjoy widespread digital entertainment wherever you are in the country.

Choice: Again, there is not much in it when it comes to choice. Both XM radio and Sirius can offer over one hundred channels of music, entertainment, news and even commercial-free entertainment. Because of the choice available with both of these providers, there is likely to be something to suit every taste with both XM and Sirius satellite radio. However, there are some differences in programming choice although both do offer plenty of choice. It may be worth looking at the actual programs themselves to see which service will offer the most channels that suit your tastes and needs.

Cost of service: There is a slight difference in price when it comes to monthly subscription fees. With XM radio you can enjoy a monthly subscription fee of $9.99. With Sirius, the monthly subscription fee is $12.95. However, Sirius also offers a range of block subscription options, and these can help to dramatically reduce the cost of subscribing to its satellite radio service.

Activation fees: You can activate your service with XM radio for $9.99 via the website, and if you wish to activate by phone it will cost you $14.99. To activate Sirius via the website will cost you $5.00 and to activate via phone will cost $15.00.

Cancellation procedures: You can cancel both Sirius and XM at anytime. If you cancel Sirius prior to the expiration of a prepaid subscription you may receive a refund of any unused subscription fee. If you cancel XM before the expiration of a prepaid subscription you will also receive a refund of unused subscription, but you may be charged a cancellation fee of $75.00.

Listening online: You can listen online with both Sirius and XM. With Sirius this service is already included as part of the monthly subscription cost, With XM you have to pay an additional $3.99 per month for this service.

Additional radios: You can get these with both Sirius and XM. You can get 2-4 additional radios with Sirius at $6.99 per month, and 2-5 with XM for the same cost of $6.00 per month.

Subscription costs: The subscription costs and formats differ slightly between Sirius and XM. The structure is as follows:

Sirius

$12.95 per month
$142.45 per year
$271.95 per two years
$499.99 for a lifetime

XM
$9.99 per month
$199 per two years
$289 per three years
$369 per four years
$449 per five years

Conclusion

Based on the service, choice, and quality it is very difficult to determine whether one service is better than the other. Clearly Sirius offers more cost effect subscription options, and on the other hand XM is the longest standing and most popular of the two services. The service providers you select will be largely based on your needs and your budget.

The best way to ascertain which is going to be the best satellite radio service provider for your needs is to make comparisons, which can be easily done online. Compare the reviews from other users, compare the cost of receivers and other equipment, and compare the programming choice available from each of these providers.

Whether you select Sirius or whether you go for XM you will still be able to enjoy high definition satellite radio, crystal clear sound, over one hundred channels of pure entertainment, and widespread accessibility. Making some comparisons will enable you to determine whether one satellite radio providers offers anything over and above the other that will meets your specific needs or provide a more cost effective option for you.

About the Author

Reno Charlton is an experienced freelance copywriter and an award-winning childrens author from the United Kingdom. You can read more of her informative articles on satellite radio at http://www.car-satellite-radio.com.

Written By: Reno Charlton

Millions of radio listeners in the United States and all over the world have become so much happier with the introduction of satellite radio. Now, people can listen to literally hundreds of stations that offer music, news, radio talk shows and more in virtually real-time and at a much higher audio quality than that which FM or AM radio provides.

With conventional radio, land-based stations broadcast their signals to your boom box, computer, or car radio via the earth’s airwaves. With satellite radio however, providers transmit encrypted signals to satellites they launched in outer space; these satellites in turn beam the signals to customers’ listening devices. But you can’t use just any radio; you need a special receiver (which is available at electronics retailers) and a satellite radio set. You can also listen to satellite radio broadcasts in your car since many new cars rolling of the assembly lines have satellite-ready equipment already installed. All you would need to do is pay for your monthly subscription.

In the United States, service is offered by XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Sirius, a company based in New York City, has over 125 channels from which to choose, 67 of them dedicated to commercial-free music and the rest to various other content. XM, on the other hand, offers more than 160 channels, which offer content that is as diverse as that which Sirius extends to its customers. The services are available coast-to-coast, so geographical availability of programs is not an issue. A customer in Los Angeles, for example, can listen to the same talk show that another customer in say, Boston, is listening to at the same time, and with no degradation in audio quality. Remember that satellite radio also means digital radio — sound is crystal-clear. There’s none of the static or hissing you would sometimes hear on FM or AM radio. Non-US residents can also take advantage of the benefits of satellite radio; XM and Sirius offer their services in Canada, while WorldSpace broadcasts its service across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Australia has several providers of its own also.

Factors that attract people to sign up for satellite radio subscriptions are numerous. For one thing, there’s the pleasure of listening to commercial-free music. Since the providers make their money from subscriptions, there is still no pressing need for advertising revenue. Another attractive feature that this service offers is that information about the song being played at the moment is displayed on your radio set — a small convenience for those people who have to know about who is singing what song right-now. The fact that satellite radio programming is completely uncensored at the moment is also a draw for many people. Noteworthy personalities, such as shock jock Howard Stern (who was kicked out of network radio programming) has made satellite radio his new broadcasting home. Whether you want to listen to hip-hop music, stand-up comedy shows, or news programs, satellite radio offers them — all completely uncensored.

Because Sirius, XM, and other providers are the ones who set the channel selections, some people might find it a bit inconvenient that they won’t be able to listen to their local radio stations and get information on local goings-on. However, Sirius and XM do provide traffic and weather data for major cities, so that should be a bit of a relief for city residents. And if you think about it, not getting access to one local radio station wouldn’t seem to be such a bad deal if you compare it to the ability to listen to hundreds of channels of commercial-free music and unregulated non-regulated shows.

Sirius and XM plan to add even more features and functions to offer to their subscribers. Sirius, in particular, is readying the launch of a Windows Media Video 9 service and the company plans to offer several channels dedicated to children. That’s one more thing to keep the kids occupied and not distract their parents on long road trips. XM plans to release a similar video service. The two companies are anticipating that this will add to the number of their subscribers — Sirius has over one million, trailing after XM which has more than three million.

If you’re an avid radio listener and you’re finding yourself becoming fed up with the constant barrage of commercials on regular music stations or if you’re looking for more no-holds-barred commentaries or radio talk shows, you probably wouldn’t mind forking over the $12.95 monthly subscription for satellite radio service charged by Sirius and XM. And with the increases that the two companies see in their subscriber numbers, it’s evident that a lot of people feel the same way.

About The Author

Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio. http://www.satellite-radio-review.net.

Written By: Matt Barstow

Imagine you are traveling across country. You have already epleted your CD supply and the battery on you ipod has long since died. Being in the middle of Nowhere, USA, you cannot even find a decent radio station. What can you do in this situation? Will you be victim to utter boredom on this long, dusty road?

Thanks to satellite radio, you can enjoy your favorite music stations, commercial free, with perfect clarity from California to Connecticut and every long, dusty road in between. Normal radio stations have an average range of a 30 40 mile radius from their source. Satellite radio is able to broadcast its signal over 2200 miles away with no static interference and little to no advertisements. It also comes in many forms including at-home devices and portable players much like Apple’s ipod. The most popular being a radio which installs right into your car.

Satellite radio works through a control station sending a transmission to an orbiting satellite. The satellite then bounces the signal back down to radio receivers on earth, such as portable device or a car radio. What’s different about satellite radio from your ordinary ground stations is that you get up to 100 channels with digital sound as well as information on the screen indicating the song, artist and genre.

Satellite radio usually charges monthly payments for its service. Only a couple of companies actually provide satellite radio service so this will make shopping for the right package much easier. Various packages are available to fit your needs as well as your budget.

Briana is an original content writer for http://www.youseekit.com which features original articles on a variety of topics.
To see the original article, go to http://www.youseekit.com/satellite_radio/htm.

Copyright Briana Liebmann – http://www.youseekit.com

Written By: Briana Liebmann

(ARA) – With over 100 channels of music, news, sports, and entertainment, satellite radio is shaping up to be one of the hottest gifts.

Best Buy, the nations largest electronics retail chain, recently declared that the XM satellite radio was one of the most wanted mobile electronics gifts. Business Week magazine named the Roady satellite radio one of the best products of the year alongside the new $20 bill and the AIDS medicine Fuzeon.

Satellite radio aims to offer programming to satisfy most every taste, from classical music to hip hop, bluegrass to blues, underground rock to contemporary hits. Non-music channels include Fox News, BBC Radio, ESPN Radio, and audio books.

Unlike typical FM and AM radio stations, satellite radio channels play few or no commercials. Listeners can tune into a favorite station in one city and keep listening as they travel from coast to coast without interruption. The sound is static-free and sharper than traditional radio. Satellite radios also have a display screen that shows the name of the artist and song playing on each channel.

XM, the leading provider of satellite radio, can be played on a car radio, home stereo, or computer. It offers a portable boombox that can be carried most places, indoors or outdoors. Listeners pay a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 a month.

When satellite radio was first introduced in 2001, there were plenty of skeptics. Many questioned whether a subscription radio service could compete with free radio.

But with over 1 million subscribers in less than two years of business, XM says the service has struck a chord with the public. Hugh Panero, the company president and CEO, says the primary appeal to shoppers is the variety of programming. Satellite radio has something that appeals to most anyone, whether you like jazz, stand-up comedy, or NASCAR racing, said Panero.

Some of the more unique channels offer childrens music and storytelling, old-time radio shows like The Shadow and The Lone Ranger, and music that gets scant airplay on FM and AM, such as reggae, tejano, and folk music.

There are several kinds of satellite radios at prices ranging from $50 to $300. The newest model for the car and home is the Delphi Roady. It comes with a radio receiver, micro antenna, and car adapters for $119.99.

Another option is the portable SKYFI audio system, which retails for $229.99.

Satellite radios are available at most retail stores that sell consumer electronics. You can also get it as a feature in several models of new cars.

For more information about XM Radio, you can visit its Web site at www.xmradio.com. Fans of XM have their own, independent Web site at www.xmfan.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content