SIRIUS partnered with DISH Network, so you just knew that XM would hitch with DIRECTV, right? It's the real deal now as DIRECTV has
added 25 additional music channels courtesy of XM. The new channels for DIRECTV subscribers are in the 801 - 879 range
on your DIRECTV channel guide. I never thought this would come in handy, but I keep tuning in to SIRIUS on my DISH
set-top boxes; besides, free content is never a bad thing now, is it?XM on DIRECTV
SIRIUS partnered with DISH Network, so you just knew that XM would hitch with DIRECTV, right? It's the real deal now as DIRECTV has
added 25 additional music channels courtesy of XM. The new channels for DIRECTV subscribers are in the 801 - 879 range
on your DIRECTV channel guide. I never thought this would come in handy, but I keep tuning in to SIRIUS on my DISH
set-top boxes; besides, free content is never a bad thing now, is it?XM and Sirius to provide Emergency Alerts
While lawmakers consider using analog TV spectrum for Emergency
Services communications after the DTV transition in 2009, it appears that satellite radio might actually get there
first. According to an FCC filing last week, XM is commenting on the usage
of satellite radio for the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Volunteering to transmit national emergency messages on all
channels, XM also suggests it can send state and local emergency messages on their Instant Traffic & Weather
channels.By the end of 2006, XM and SIRIUS will be required to transmit the national messages and the gist of XM's FCC filing is to suggest different methods of coordinating state and local broadcasts as well. Is this a good idea if it doesn't cost the consumer any additional subscription fees or do we just need national emergency messages on satellite radio?
Read the PDF (thanks Dave!)
iTunes U launches from Apple: no diploma required
Linksys Wireless-G Music Bridge moves your music
Linksys is teaming up with Yahoo! on the new Wireless-G Music Bridge, which will set you back a C-note. The
802.11g device streams your digital music from a computer on your network directly to a home stereo component via WiFi,
although if your WiFi is spotty, you can hardwire this baby with some CAT-5 cable as well. Linksys claims it will work
with any application meaning you can stream the audio of PC games as well. We love listening to our satellite radio over broadband on a Windows Media
Center PC, so it would be sweet if this handy device could help us there. The $99 device is eligible for a $20
rebate if you marry it with a one-year Yahoo Music Engine subscription.
XM brings Carville and Russert's son in for sports?
What's
up with XM? They're really scrapin' the bottom o' the barrel to get
some hosts these days. [For the record: our schedules are open if you need new talent.] While we wait for XM to call
us, we can say that they've already called James Carville and Luke Russert, son of NBC political analyst, Tim Russert.
If you don't remember Carville, just think back on the loud, opinionated (but extremely intelligent) fellow from the
Bill Clinton era. We have no doubt these guys know their sports; after all, most guys do. Aren't they better suited to
politics than Sports Talk on XM? Russert's still in school at Boston College, so he can't stay out too late; gotta
watch the grades. Hey, was that our phone ringing? Is that XM? Nah, just another telemarketer.By the way, XM also signed up Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for a weekly show on the United States political landscape. We're just kiddin' on that one; Little E.'s show is on NASCAR. Go figure.
Read
Podcasts and TiVo aren't mixing well
Details are sketchy on who will be in the coveted "Featured" folder as well; some reports indicate some stringent requirements that most podcasts can't meet. No we don't mean fun and entertaining, we mean short and kid-safe. TiVo might want to rewind a little on this strategy.
If we were Microsoft, here's how we would enter the PMP space
The market is
all abuzz with thoughts that Microsoft has had about enough of Apple and its iPod. Not typically known for hardware, you
can't argue with Microsoft's success on the Xbox brand, but MSN Music is flea on the dog we know as iTunes. Microsoft
wouldn't bring YAPMP (yet another Portable Media Player) to market unless is was multi-functional; a device that plays
games as well was digital audio and video for example. If we were Microsoft, here's what we'd do:- Add Podcasting support in MSN Music. It's RSS for cryin' out loud; you just put RSS support in IE7, so you know what we're talkin' about!
- Get on the horn with XM and integrate their new Passport receiver into your device. Portability with satellite radio with gaming = fun.
- Work with the Windows Mobile OEM's (you remember them, right?) and get some killer VGA screens. We don't want any of that QVGA junk; 640 x 480 is the lowest res we should have to accept.
- Build in some WiFi support or better yet, piggyback some 3G cellular data connectivity so we can buy digital music whenever we want.
- Add Podcasting support to MSN Music. Oops. Did we already mention that?
Podcasting about....radio?
Isn't podcasting supposed to be the final nail in the radio industry's coffin? Corey Dietz doesn't
exactly think so and he's going where no podcast has gone: a podcast devoted to radio. "The Radio Radio Show" was the best best
he could come up with, but we're thinking the "The Radio Podcast" was just too too confusing. Dietz will
focus on all aspects of radio, and not just the traditional kind. Dietz's first guest is Steve Karr, who works for
HitzRadio.com; an Internet Radio station.
Kiptronic brings ads to your podcast
If you're weary from trying to garner
sponsorship for your podcast, you might want to check Kiptronic
out. Kiptronic recently went live with their Podcast Marketplace, a virtual market that matches up podcasters and
advertisers. While it sounds like a Web 2.0 dating service, it's actually an efficient method for podcasters to have
geo-targeted ads automatically inserted into audio files on the fly. We like that because
we're tired of hearing about boring services that aren't available in our little corner of the world, aren't you?The Podcast Marketplace is free to use; you just create a profile of your show, your listeners and upload some clips of your media masterpieces. Kiptronic does the rest by making that information available to advertisers. Libsyn has partnered with Kiptronic, so your shows are hosted by Libsyn, click the Kiptronic logo in your account page to get your sponsors listening to you.
Stern crucifying Rolling Stone over Kanye West cover
We
haven't swung by the local convenience store for the latest Rolling Stone mag, and after hearing Howard Stern's rant today, we're not sure if we will.
The whole Kanye as Jesus thing (complete with a crown of
thorns) might be a major put-off to any Christian readers, which is ironic since Stern is Jewish. So what's his
Howardness's beef? Apparently Mr. Private Parts was shot in the exact same way for Rolling Stone some
ten-odd years back when he wasn't the $500
million dollar man. 
So why didn't we ever see Howard as Jesus? Rolling Stone head-honchos figured that the cover shot would be too
controversial for the mag; like that never happens, right?What's the deal? Kanye plays Jesus as an African-American but Stern can't play the part as a white Jewish-American? Maybe it's just us, but Rolling Stone makes it clear that what was controversial ten years ago sells magazines today.
HD Radio coming to Albuquerque on Feb. 3, 2006
RIAA pledges broadcast flag for HD Radio
Is this the same story as last year with different
players? Now the NAB is going at it with the RIAA over HD Radio. The National Association of Broadcasters apparently
gained a conscience overnight and accused the RIAA of scuttling "the progress made to date and turn[ing] back the
clock on the digital radio revolution." The RIAA is firing back with the whole piracy issue even though we know
that in a past life they had dual cassette tape dubbing capabilities (but they'll never admit it).After all this, the "b" word was used in vain as RIAA chief Mitch Bainwol pledged to help "implement a broadcast flag solution for digital over-the-air radio." At this point, are we the only ones ready to re-up our old ham radio licenses and just say to hell with all of this silliness?
XM Passport debuts at CES
Quick, what's about the size of a postage stamp, costs almost 100 times more and tunes in satellite radio from
26,000 miles away? If you said the XM Passport receiver, then you'd be correct. (I'll take portable sat radio for $100,
Alex). The XM
Passport is a pint-sized portable XM tuner in a package just 1.3-inches wide, 1.65-inches long and under a
half-inch thick. The Passport plugs into a special dock or in a port that we'll see on XM-capable receivers from a
number of manufacturers.The new tuner will set you back $30 when it arrives in the spring, but you'll have to match that with another $30 for a dock. You can save a few bucks if you grab a new Samsung NEXUS XM/MP3 player, since the Passport tuner is included.
5.1 audio coming to XM
First
the good news: XM will offer two
channels in 5.1 Surround in March. "Fine Tuning" and "XM Pops" will surround us on channels 76
and 113. Now the bad news: you'll definitely need some new hardware for this, which explains why there
were tons of next-to-free XM radio deals this
holiday season. Even worse news is that the new hardware appears to be focused on your home
entertainment room, not your car. Worst news of all: who listens to the channels that will be the
first in 5.1 anyway?Read [via Zatz Not Funny]
XM redefines "hot pants"
That's right: if you've been
carrying one of those portable XM players in your pocket, that warm sensation just might be the battery. All three of
the XM portable players are susceptible to overheating batteries, so get that thing out of your pants and check with XM
for a new power supply. The voluntary recall affects the Delphi MyFi, Pioneer AirWare, and the Tao XM2GO, which we're now dubbing the "XM2HoT."Read [via Engadget]
