New Technology TV

The counterpart to digital satellite television, satellite radio is a subscription-only service offering hundreds of channels, a wide variety of programs, and crystal clear digital sound. For audio and video fanatics, satellite radio is a must-have. It’s commercial-free radio, available around the clock.Much like digital satellite television, satellite radio is cutting-edge, utilizing the latest technology to deliver superior, CD-quality sound. Satellite radio employs a direct broadcast satellite, and its signal is so strong that no dishes are required to pick it up on the receiving end. Thus, listeners can get satellite radio in their cars. Satellite radio is better than traditional radio because it uses a digital signal. Traditional radio is broadcast via the old-school AM/FM bands, which, to put it simply, deliver signals of lesser quality to radio than that provided by satellite. The broadcasting range of satellite TV is incredibly vast, covering millions of kilometers.

The two giants in the satellite radio business are XM and Sirius. Both offer an astonishing variety of shows, as well as exclusive programming. Sirius features more than 120 channels and has a slew of talk shows and music programs with popular celebrity hosts. DJs include Lance Armstrong, Eminem and Little Steven Van Zandt. Talk shows with Martha Stewart, Howard Stern and Bill Bradley are also offered on Sirius. Sirius features 60 stations devoted solely to music, and 12 news channels. Currently, Sirius has about 3 million subscribers.

XM Radio has 160 channels, with music stations devoted to every decade, beginning with the 1940s. Oprah Winfrey recently signed on with XM and will have a talk show called Oprah and Friends covering topics like current events, and health and fitness. Bob Dylan is set to DJ his own show next year on XM, and XM will soon feature extensive baseball coverage, broadcasting all the professional league games. Right now, XM has about 6 million subscribers.

Interestingly enough, the FCC does not regulate either satellite station, so just about anything goes on satellite radio. To compensate for this laxity, parental control locks are part of the satellite radio system. These locks allow parents to restrict channels they don’t want their kids to have access to.

In order to take advantage of satellite radio, listeners need a special receiver. Receivers can be connected to home stereos, to portable radios and car radios. Receiver prices vary, ranging from $70 to $300. Some additional costs may be incurred with installation of the receiver. In order to make satellite radio more accessible to customers, XM and Sirius now offer portable receivers for listeners.