Wow.........

http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/19/sir...ml&partner=rss

 

Saw that....really wondering what'll happen in a combined channel lineup.

I have both, like the Sirius music selection better but talk selection better on XM. Sound quality isn't great on either one, but is better on XM.

 

i hate this merger.

it will:

* cost more for customers
* require new hardware
* more government sticking their nose into it...

oh, and dopie & aintfunny sucks... and BABA BOOEY TO Y'ALL...

 

I think I may need to load up on 600 shares....

 

Same here. What I'd like to know is how each tuner will be compatible with the other.

 

it's not.

both operate on diff frequency. granted the 2 are so close to each other.

i even heard people using xm antennas on their sirius tuner...


only way to make it work is if both combine their services and STILL broadcast to both set of satellites...


but i know that will never happen...

only thing to do is create a dual tuner receiver. capable of simultaneous reception.

 

I am using an aftermarket Sirius tuner with the OEM XM antenna in my GMC pickup, so I know that part works

My guess : they will continue on both sets of satellites post merger, but it'll be the same channel lineup on both sets. The lineup will be about the same number of channels as now on either one (i.e. some channels, especially redundant ones, will go away).

I'll be surprised if the price stays the same

I also hope that XM keeps their ground repeaters alive. I have found that XM reception is better than Sirius here in the Bay Area primarily for that reason (i.e. you are on ground repeaters and NOT satellite most of the time around here).

 

IIRC, sirius has more ground repeaters on the bay area than xm. it's due to characteristics of the bird's flight path.

i just happen to be on the fringe on both services... argggg...

thank goodness for the both's yahoo widgets though.

 

wonder if the antitrust peeps will step in on this one...it pretty much means there's no other competitors right?

 

+1 for us folks that havent decided which one to buy yet.

 

Sirius has ground repeaters now? Didn't used to...

guess I learned something today

Looks like my decision on pulling Sirius out of the truck and selling it (Alpine's implementation of Sirius sucks, in that it DISables some other AI-Net devices like the Bluetooth phone deal thru the head unit if you have Sirius in there) just got easier...

 

http://www.dogstarradio.com/sirius_m...e=37.68&zoom=9

 

Pretty much. I've been following the XM forums today. Here's an excerpt from a Q&A session:

There's been a flood of emotions over this merger, and along with them comes a few misconceptions about what's to happen next. So I think that it's best to lay out exactly how this impacts you, the subscriber.

First thing's first, understand that for the immediate interim period - that is the period until Sirius and XM work to receive regulatory approval - nothing will change. I actually spoke incorrectly this morning when I thought that significant resources would be dedicated to the transition period. Due to anti-trust regulations, XM and Sirius will continue to operate independently of each other during this interim period.

So for the next year or so, absolutely nothing will change. Perhaps the boys at Interoperable Technologies will be working a bit harder than normal, but as it seems right now - it's "business as usual."

What about my current receiver?
Don't go selling your receiver just yet, because it's so far off before a new one will be needed (if ever?) that there's no need to freak out about it yet. Remember, you have at least a year before any transitions even begin, and beyond that XM and Sirius plan to maintain your current service for an indefinite period of time. Do you think they want to lose customers right now? Of course, not!

I'm thinking of buying a receiver, should I wait?
Absolutely not. For the same reason as above. There's so much time (and so many "ifs") that there's just no need for a knee jerk reaction. Go ahead and buy that new receiver and just enjoy yourself.

Are they going to kill my favorite channels?
NO! Again, predicting the death of channels on your presets right now is a little too crazy. Will there eventually be some dropping of channels as "synergies" are discovered? Of course, but again - that's such a LONG ways away that it just shouldn't even be in your vocabulary of concerns.

Great, now they're going to raise rates right?
For the next year? No. For the future after that? Doubtful. Mel Karmazin, who historically has seemed very much in favor of increasing rates, definitely seemed to soften on the subject this morning. Why? Because both Karmazin and Parsons see satellite radio as competing against a great marketplace - a marketplace that just happens to be dominated by free services. It's hard enough for consumers to grasp the concept of "pay radio" - so raising rates is probably not high up on their priority list. Staying in business is their highest priority.

Yeah well, "big bad Mel" is going to put commercials on my music channels, right?
Satellite radio's biggest draw is commercial-free music. As popular as Howard Stern is, it's the core offering of 100% commercial-free music that is the true basis behind satellite radio. While it's true that Karmazin is very well known for being an advertising guru, he's not about to **** on the core offering of this service. Your music channels - and their commercial-free status - are completely safe.

But wait, aren't you against the merger?
Deep in my bones I generally hate mergers because I believe in the beauty of competition. But I also realize that business is business. I don't think they would be attempting this merger if there wasn't a need for it. And from my view as a consumer, if my experience doesn't change - or is improved - and my costs don't go up, then I'm a happy man. This is a different landscape than that of the cable industry (they're competing against other pay services - satellite radio is competing against free services), so that makes it unique in that sense.

Rarely do you hear of a merger that actually opens up choices for the consumer. So in that sense, this very well might be a good thing. That said, I'll be the first one to go absolutely nuts if I detect that this infringes upon consumer rights.

But for now, the bottom line is: calm down. We've got a long road ahead of us...

 

i love the fungus.