One of the promises of the merger between former satellite radio rivals Sirius and XM was that fanatical listeners would one day be able to tune in every channel offered by both services on a single device. The cleverly named Sirius XM MiRGE, the newly formed company's first interoperable receiver, will deliver on it when the portable device becomes available in early spring of 2009 for $249.99.
Now you won't need two sat radio receivers to enjoy the Sirius Everything plus XM Everything package that will be available for $19.99 a month.
The MiRGE will come with a vehicle dock, interoperable vehicle antenna, vehicle power adapter, cassette adapter, aux-in cable, remote control and vent and adhesive mounts. It measures 4.5" x 2.5" x .78" and weighs 4.7 ounces, and it can be moved from car to the home using accessories such as the MiRGE Home Kit.
The company says the MiRGE will switch between the two services at the touch of a button, display channel info on a large and customizable color screen, display a real-time programming guide, alert users to favorite songs playing on other channels and allow pausing, rewinding and replaying up to 60 minutes of real-time Sirius or XM programming.
We'd also like to see interoperable receivers offered by automakers before Sirius XM goes out of business.
jkp1187 says:
05:05 PM, 01/29/09
Thing is...XM and Sirius just did a lot of channel consolidation in December. A LOT. There are very few differences in their respective lineups anymore. Minor differences, like SIRIUS has two NPR channels (NPR NOW and NPR TALK) + XM PUblic Radio available thru the BEST OF XM package...while XM has XM Public Radio and NPR NOW, but not the "Talk" station.
I don't see the point in springing for new hardware if you're already a subscriber.
Compare:
Sirius list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sirius_Satellite_Radio_stations
XM List: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_XM_Satellite_Radio_channels
(Note that the channel number may differ.)