Friday, 15 April 2011

Satellite Radio Technology

Satellite radio technology is the equivalent of cable or satellite television and it is definitely here to stay. There are several reasons for this: the quality of the broadcasts is higher, the quality of the apparatus's reception is higher and the general coverage of the channel, that is to say the so-called satellite's footprint is far greater as well.

This has the effect that if you travel long distances, you will be able to stay with the same channel without having to look for a new one every forty or fifty miles as you have to do with AM or FM radio stations.

In order to reach this quality, the recording and playback speed needs to be around the 384 kbps level. The music tracks are catalogued in a comparable way to the MP3 system, which uses names called ID3 tags.

Each station on satellite radio attempts to create its own identity. A music station may try this by playing music only of one type or from only one era or decade. This means that you may get a satellite radio station called 1970's Punk music or Twentieth Century Classical Music.

On some channels, the music controller or disc jockey will choose, say, fifty minutes worth of music, will listen to it in order to determine that the quality and the order are correct and then let the computer play it over the airwaves. This allows ten minutes every hour for the news and then the sequence can be repeated automatically.

Satellite transmission uses digital recordings and each station is encoded on a different frequency. Similarly, each decoder, say, in your car or your home needs to recognize and decode each channel separately too. This coding and decoding is done extremely quickly, in fact in what is called 'real time'.

The resulting binary or digital code is then translated into analogue signals so that your speakers can replay it. This process produces sound which is just about of CD quality.

The transmitting satellites are in a geo-static orbit at 23,000 miles above the equator and have a large footprint which is the name given to the area of ground that is capable of receiving their broadcasts.

In America, for instance, the two areas concentrated on at first were the densely populated east and west coasts in order to maximize possible income. One satellite would be incapable of covering the entirety of the United States in that orbit.

In order to receive satellite transmissions, you will have to use a special antenna on your decoder. This antenna must be capable of receiving L-band broadcasts for it to be of use.

These new antennas are a huge improvement on the parabolic dishes (similar to those used for satellite television) that one used to have to have in order to take advantage of satellite radio technology.

Thursday, 14 April 2011

Info on the Latest Stats For Internet Radio

Internet radio is audio broadcasting that's transmitted via the internet. There are several internet radio stations that are associated with traditional radio stations or networks, as well as a number of internet-only radio stations.

According to an article in the tech section of the Wall Street Journal in November of 2009, the distinction between online and traditional radio stations is beginning to melt away. This has led to increasing competition in online radio and the emergence of more innovative forms of radio. Furthermore, wireless internet radio devices and smart phone applications are encouraging more people to listen to online radio.

Internet radio is particularly popular with expatriates and those who don't have access to local stations that suit their interests. Internet stations are accessible from just about anywhere in the world, and services offered include a variety of musical genres, sports, news, talk, and any other radio format heard on traditional stations.

According to a 2008 survey, 13% of Americans listen to internet radio, and that percentage continues to increase. Unlike traditional radio stations, radio stations offer more than just a passive listening experience. For example, on crowd-sourced online radio stations, listeners can vote songs up or down to shape play lists.

Advertising Opportunities

Internet radio provides businesses with an abundance of advertising opportunities because it attracts a higher income audience and listeners of various ages from around the world. Furthermore, according to statistics, internet radio listeners are highly loyal. The majority of them visit their favorite online stations at least once a week. In order to make your sales messages stand out in the minds of frequent listeners, it's recommended to hire a professional voice talent who can create convincing, memorable voiceovers that reinforce your company's brand image.

The Importance of Compelling Station Imaging

In order to attract listeners to your online radio station in the first place, it's essential to have radio imaging that makes a lasting impression. The choice between a female radio voice and a male radio voice for your station imaging will largely depend on your target audience and the type of content your station primarily delivers.

Hire a professional voice talent to deliver promotions, station IDs, and other kinds of radio imaging to set your station apart from the competition. Internet radio is saturated, so it will take some innovation, creativity, and exceptional voice over talent to get your station noticed.

Satellite Radio - The SIRIUS XM Entertainment Lineup

Those people who subscribe to Sirius XM Radio don't want to do without it, so the majority considers the merger a good thing. The FCC looked at this merger carefully due to its smacking of a monopoly, but without this merger both companies may have slowly circled the drain forever, operating in the red and reducing their program before disappearing into the bankruptcy courts and having to deal with unhappy customers.

Instead, they combined forces under the old "united we stand" mantra and many don't think the programming has suffered. Yes, you may have to find your favorites again, as many genres changed station locations, but all in all, the lineup is still comprehensive and has something for everyone. Here is the lineup under the 'entertainment' category, which includes shock radio, adult radio and comedy.

ENTERTAINMENT:

99-Playboy Radio Smart & Sexy Adult Radio100-Howard 100 Shock Radio-Hear the Revolution101-Howard 101 Shock Radio-Hear the Revolution102-SIRIUS XM Stars Celebrity Hosts & Lifestyle Shows103-Blue Collar Radio Comedy-Blue Collar Radio104-Raw Dog Comedy Comedy Uncensored105-Laugh U.S.A. Family Comedy106-The Foxxhole Comedy & More with Jamie Fox hosting108-SIRIUS XM Stars Too Great Talk Radio for Guys109-OutQ Gay Radio Gay & Lesbian Radio111-Cosmo Radio Fun, Fearless, Female112-Martha Stewart Living How-To For Living114-Doctor Radio Real Doctors Helping Real People115-Radio Disney Music Destination for Kids & Family116-Kids Place Live All Fun for Kids117-SIRIUS XM Book Radio Books & Drama118-Radio Classics Classic Radio Shows147-Road Dog Trucking Just for Truckers195-Oprah Radio Oprah Winfrey197-The VIRUS The Opie & Anthony Show-XL

It's up to you to make the decision on whether to subscribe or not. The above stations are just one part of the SIRIUS Everything Plus the Best of XM Package. You can opt for lower priced packages, but this is the premier. There are also great programming options under Music, Sports and Talk and Family Friendly programming. You can also listen to any station online and even download the SIRIUS online radio from the site.

In addition, you can purchase any number of variable equipment options, from portable radios that can move from your house to your car, to radios that allow you to pause, rewind and replay up to 60 minutes of live radio. Some systems allow you to set alerts for specific artists or to switch between SIRIUS and XM programs with the push of a button if you are subscribed to the older system. Also watch for Free Shipping and Free trail downloads. Sirius.com even has installation tips and online support for your car and home and a clearance section where you can buy discontinued gear and accessories, as well as reconditioned radios and radio packages.

I believe that you'll agree that you really get your money's worth with SIRIUS XM and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than commercial-free watching on premium channels with cable or satellite systems. Check it out!

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Why Satellite Radio Is So Popular

The current entertainment world is awash with ways of and goods for using up our free time and at the same time filling our brains with mindless trivia and advertising junk messages. In between the programmes and the music, the message is 'buy, buy, buy; from me, me, me'. This is one of the reasons why satellite radio has become so popular, but I will expand on that later.

One of the main reasons why people like satellite radio is because if you travel quite long distances, you do not keep going out of range of the station it took you ten minutes to find and search for another one.

Satellite radio stations have a tendency to have a large to very large footprint. In other words, you ought to be able to keep listening to the same station if you want without constantly retuning.

Not only that, but satellite radio is invariably digital in nature which means that the signal will be better and the resulting sound quality will be far better too. This means that the background noise that we have been conventionally used to has practically disappeared.

The sound from a good piece of digital stereo apparatus is second to none. In reality an AF /FM radio cannot hold a candle to a satellite broadcasting station.

The cost of satellite broadcasting gear has dropped dramatically, which has increased its public awareness and uptake, which in turn has increased sales and allowed the price to plummet further. Nowadays, a satellite radio receiver is as cheap as chips.

Not only that, but in the early days, in the Seventies and Eighties, parabolic dishes had to be extremely focused. They had to be focused on the satellite as a satellite TV dish still has to be now, but a radio system does not need to be so accurate anymore, which permits them to be used in cars and boats.

If you get tired of the adverts that constantly drone out of terrestrial radio at you, it can be a good idea to find a satellite broadcasting channel that suits you and subscribe to it. For $10-12 a month, you will get the type of programming that you like without all the ads!. Isn't that wonderful?

As with all forms of entertainment, at the end of the day it is up to the end user to choose whether the cost of satellite radio is justified, but one thing is for sure, satellite radio increases one's choices.

If you are fed up with the present range of radio stations in your area then the thousands of extra, frequently world-wide stations available to you on satellite radio may be just the thing that you are looking for, especially if you are looking for a station in a foreign language that is not covered in your neighbourhood.