SiriusXM Readies 2.O Launch

Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 9/12/2011

CEDIA Expo Indianapolis - SiriusXM will launch satellite radio 2.0 service and two 2.0-capable transportable tuners in about a month, retail sales VP Mike Roberts said during the CEDIA Expo, here.

The company's first universal tuner, intended for in-vehicle installation and connection to multiple brands of satellite-ready head units, will not support 2.0 service, but a new version will be available with 2.0 compatibility next year, he said.

The service will add 30 channels of programming transmitted through XM satellites. Sirius satellites will not deliver the service to either aftermarket or automaker-installed Sirius tuners, but he said he expects automakers offering Sirius tuners to move to the XM satellite platform.

As previously announced, the transportable tuners will offer replay and time-shift functions, as some current satellite-radio tuners already do. The additional channels will also be available through the company's Internet-delivered service, which as previously announced will add on-demand music and talk programming early next year. Through the satellite-delivered service, however, on-demand programming -- other than recorded time-shifted content -- will not be available, he said.

 The satellite service will use "bandwidth cloning" technology to offer 30 additional channels without reducing sound quality, Roberts said.