Get Serious About A Great Listening Experience…Get Sirius Radio!DVD recorders, iPods, HDTV, PSP, Blu-ray—there have been astonishing advances in the technological world as of late. In fact, there’s so much new technology coming out these days, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and decide it’s more trouble than it’s worth. But maybe you’ve heard of a fairly new technology known as satellite radio and some odd-sounding terms like Sirius and XM. Perhaps it peaked your interest, but that fear of feeling overwhelmed crept up and you decided to look into it some other time. If that’s where you are, then this is for you!
Let’s start with the basics: Sirius Satellite Radio is a pay-for-service North American technology providing 24-hour audio entertainment to subscribers through streaming satellite signals. This entertainment includes music, news, sports, and more. Sirius currently offers 134 channels. To get the service, you purchase a kit at your local store or online. The kit comes with a receiver, and accessories for mounting the device inside your car. Now, why is this different from regular radio?
First, no commercials! In a commercially-driven society, it’s refreshing to know that you can listen to uninterrupted entertainment once in a while. Second, it’s digital. While traditional AM/FM radio has recently began to challenge the satellite market by providing its own digital service, it is still quite expensive. You’ll pay nearly $500 for high-definition radio. The good news is that’s it’s a one-time fee. The bad news is that it’s a pricey one-time fee. Meanwhile, Sirius radio systems involve a monthly subscription (roughly $13/mo.) along with buying the equipment. Receivers can run anywhere from under $100 to over $1,000, depending on the quality you want. You’ll spend less in the short run, but more in the long run. Finally, most Sirius devices will show you the name of the song and artist. With normal AM/FM, you have to pay close attention to catch the information. What are people saying about Sirius radio? People who get it seem to like it. The service is pretty straight forward—the real difference is the features between various receivers. Some allow you to hook up your iPod—some don’t. Some have easier to handle navigation controls than others. You’ll just have to look around and compare the features for yourself. The more popular name-brand models include Starmate, JVC, Audiovox, and Clarion. Technology has come a long way—catch the wave with Sirius radio!
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