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82-467: The original software was created by Scott MacLean to time shift XM Satellite Radio programming using the $ 50 XM PCR PC-connected satellite radio—doing so by recording the audio to MP3 format, and saving songs as individual MP3 files, named and tagged with the artist and song name. Now, the TimeTrax technology "de-aggregates" any radio-like broadcast and then reassembles that content, customized for

164-585: A "Consolidated Application for Authority to Transfer Control" at the FCC. On July 24, XM announced that CEO Hugh Panero would leave the company in August, and that then-current President and COO Nate Davis would step in to serve as president and interim CEO. On March 24, 2008, the United States Department of Justice approved the merger of XM and Sirius Satellite Radio. On July 26, the FCC approved

246-519: A computer with a very simple adapter cable. Some people have dubbed the entire kit, with receiver, cable, and software, the Direct PCR. While the original PCR software does not control the XM Direct receiver, several community developers have continued to develop PCR replacement software. On February 19, 2007, XM announced a merger deal with competitor Sirius Satellite Radio . The merger combined

328-490: A contract for XM-5. XM-5 was to feature two large, unfurlable antennas. Sirius' Radiosat 5, also to be built by Loral, was slated to have a similar single large antenna. In American and Canadian metropolitan areas, XM and its Canadian licensee "Canadian Satellite Radio" (CSR) and operating as Sirius XM Canada , owned and operated a network of approximately 900 terrestrial repeater stations, meant to compensate for satellite signal blockage by buildings, tunnels, and bridges. In

410-571: A convertible bond to GM, issuing a warrant for shares to GM, and establishing a revolving credit facility with GM. The plan also included new funding coming from a placement of over US$ 300 million in 10% convertible bonds to a group of private investors. In 2004, General Motors sold Hughes Electronics to Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp. , and sold DirecTV's interest in XM Satellite Radio. On March 1, XM Radio launched Instant Traffic and Weather Channels for major metropolitan markets in

492-423: A forum they hosted for the company. After questioning the authenticity of the contact, the forum was restored a short time later to provide information to Time Trax customers as well as wait for an official confirmation from Time Trax. On July 15, 2006, SatelliteGuys.US posted details from an interview with Time Trax's Elliott Frutkin. Although he was unable to speak on details of the issue, he confirmed that TimeTrax

574-458: A lack of current information about the company. The TimeTrax software was made available for download until 2008 along with a hardware adapter for downloading and MP3 creation purposes. The servers upon which the TimeTrax software relied were shut down in 2013, at which point all operations ceased. XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. ( XM ) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS ) and online radio services in

656-414: A new product, TraxCatcher. Traxcatcher resembled a 'clock radio' and had a dock and portable MP3 player. It functioned much like the satellite radio product, but for use with FM radio and had a 'line in'. This demonstrated more depth to the company's claims about their technology because FM radio does not provide the data stream with song name and artist (which provides the timing for 'cuts'). According to

738-585: A report obtained in March 2011, The Better Business Bureau reported receiving over 4,500 complaints against Sirius XM in the preceding 36 months, around half of which regarded the company's billing and collection practices. In Missouri, some people registered on the state's do-not-call list had complained about receiving repeated calls from Sirius XM workers or agents after canceling their subscriptions. Some Florida customers had reported being billed for automatic renewals of accounts they had canceled. Further, Sirius XM

820-441: A satellite radio network, before being bought out by CD Radio in 1993 for $ 2 million. In November 1999, Margolese changed the name of CD Radio to Sirius Satellite Radio. In November 2001, Margolese stepped down as CEO, remaining as chairman until November 2003, with Sirius issuing a statement thanking him "for his great vision, leadership and dedication in creating both Sirius and the satellite radio industry." XM’s first satellite

902-401: A series of show swaps, most non-Clear Channel content was removed and programming control returned to XM Radio. Plans to introduce new regional based talk channels, which would have featured a regional 5 minute newscast for each area of the country, were canceled. Instead, Clear Channel chose to introduce other music and talk channels. Newer channels including ReachMD , America's Talk remain on

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984-533: A service known as AcuraLink . XM NavTraffic, an optional service, transmitted coded traffic information directly to vehicle navigation systems using TMC technology. Audio channels on XM were digitally compressed using the CT-aacPlus (HE-AAC) codec from Coding Technologies for most channels. That said, some channels rely on the AMBE codec from Digital Voice Systems (e.g., for voice channels), including all of

1066-485: A steady signal ); however, XM is not yet licensed for reception by paid subscribers living in these areas. The original satellites, XM-1 ("Rock") and XM-2 ("Roll") suffered from a generic design fault on the Boeing 702 series satellite (fogging of the solar panels), which meant that their lifetimes were shortened to approximately six years instead of the design goal of 15 years. To compensate for this flaw, XM-3 ("Rhythm")

1148-761: A three-year partnership with the United States Tennis Association to broadcast the US Open tournament through 2007, as well as weekly reports from other US Open Series events. On September 12, XM announced a 10-year, US$ 100 million deal to carry National Hockey League broadcasts beginning with the 2005–06 season, initially sharing the coverage with SIRIUS but gaining satellite-radio exclusivity from 2007 onward. On November 29, XM launched service in Canada. In January 2006, XM began broadcasting Fox News Talk . On January 9, XM won top honors at

1230-502: A total of $ 83.1 million, which was the value of Clear Channel's stake in XM. The accreted value of the debt was $ 92.9 million, and the fair value of the collar was an asset of $ 6.0 million, which resulted in a net gain of $ 3.8 million for Clear Channel. At the heart of the TimeTrax controversy was the XM PCR : a computer-controlled XM Receiver. Unlike the other receivers, which could be used in

1312-652: A videotape. XM's portable devices allowed the consumer to record a portion of their broadcast similar to a VCR , DVR , or cassette player and play it back later. On January 19, 2007, a district judge ruled that the RIAA could proceed with the lawsuit, rejecting XM's defense that the conduct alleged in the complaint—if proved by the RIAA—would be immune under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1991. On July 24, 2006, Nate Davis, formerly of XO Communications ,

1394-652: A wider variety of programming options than terrestrial radio. Satellite radio technology was inducted into the Space Foundation Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2002. Satellite radio uses the 2.3 GHz S band in North America for nationwide digital radio broadcasting. In other parts of the world, satellite radio uses the 1.4 GHz L band allocated for DAB . The first satellite radio broadcasts occurred in Africa and

1476-530: Is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a broadcasting-satellite service . The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than terrestrial radio stations, and the service is primarily intended for the occupants of motor vehicles . It is available by subscription, mostly commercial free, and offers subscribers more stations and

1558-589: Is not known if the XM HD Surround technology is used on the service as of 2015. In 1998, Clear Channel Communications invested in XM. The companies entered into agreements which provided for certain programming and director designation arrangements as long as Clear Channel retained the full amount of its original investment in XM. One positive consequence of this was that XM had (and still has) exclusive programming rights to all Clear Channel content, including popular national shows like Coast to Coast AM , but

1640-412: Is the result of a partnership between XM and Neural Audio Corporation which provides content with six discrete channels of digital audio. The former XM Live channel also broadcast in this format for certain concerts and studio performances. XM manufacturing partners such as Denon , Onkyo , Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. , and Yamaha introduced home audio systems capable of playing XM HD Surround. It

1722-792: The Federal Communications Commission . In 1998, Hugh Panero President and CEO, joined XM Satellite Radio in the same role. In June 1999, Clear Channel Communications , DirecTV , General Motors , and a private investment group invested US$ 250 million in XM Satellite Radio convertible debt . On June 7, with GM's investment in XM, they entered into a 12-year "Distribution Agreement" between XM and GM subsidiary, OnStar Corporation. The agreement called for exclusive installation of XM Satellite Radio into GM vehicles from November 12, 2001, until November 2013. OnStar had to meet specific escalating installation rates each year, while XM needed to make extensive payments to OnStar for

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1804-635: The aacPlus codec, including spectral band replication (SBR). Audio was stored digitally in Dalet audio library systems using an industry-standard MPEG-1 Layer II at 384 kbit/s, sometimes known as MUSICAM . The audio is further processed by the Neural Audio processors on the way to broadcast. In the past, the Sirius XM Pops channel, which aired classical music, was broadcast in 5.1 surround sound . The technology, titled XM HD Surround ,

1886-461: The 115° WL location to complete the satellite replacement program. On December 15, 2006, XM-1 was finally powered down and then drifted back to its original location at 85° WL, where it remained as a backup to XM-3. XM-2 was similarly powered down and remained as a backup to XM-4. This makes the current active satellites as XM-3 "Rhythm" and XM-4 "Blues" with two in-orbit spares. On June 7, 2005, Space Systems/Loral announced that it had been awarded

1968-1047: The 1988 formation of the American Mobile Satellite Corporation (AMSC), a consortium of several organizations originally dedicated to satellite broadcasting of telephone, fax, and data signals. In 1992, AMSC established a unit called the American Mobile Radio Corporation dedicated to developing a satellite-based digital radio service; this was spun off as XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. in 1999. The satellite service officially launched on September 25, 2001. On July 29, 2008, XM and former competitor Sirius Satellite Radio formally completed their merger, following U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval, forming Sirius XM Radio, Inc. with XM Satellite Radio, Inc. as its subsidiary. On November 12, 2008, Sirius and XM began broadcasting with their new, combined channel lineups. On January 13, 2011, XM Satellite Radio, Inc.

2050-411: The 2.3 GHz S band in North America for nationwide digital radio broadcasting. MobaHO! operated at 2.6 GHz. In other parts of the world, satellite radio uses part of the 1.4 GHz L band allocated for DAB . Satellite radio subscribers purchase a receiver and pay a monthly subscription fee to listen to programming. They can listen through built-in or portable receivers in automobiles; in

2132-511: The 2006 Consumer Electronics Show . On February 9, XM announced a US$ 55 million, three-year deal with Oprah Winfrey 's Harpo Productions . In May 2006, XM Satellite Radio was sued by the RIAA over XM's new portable devices the Inno and Helix. The RIAA claimed these devices were equivalent to a downloading service, whereas XM contended the devices were protected because they recorded similarly to

2214-629: The Middle East in 1999. The first US broadcasts were in 2001 followed by Japan in 2004 and Canada in 2005. There have been three (not counting MobaHo! of Japan) major satellite radio companies: WorldSpace , Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio , all founded in the 1990s in the United States. WorldSpace operated in the Africa and Asia region, whereas Sirius and XM competed in the North American (USA and Canada) market. Of

2296-689: The Operational Assistance Agreement would remain in effect, including Clear Channel's right to receive a revenue share of commercial advertising on programming it provides to XM, but declined to enforce the Director Designation Agreement, which forced the Mays family members off the board of directors. Per the original agreement, Clear Channel had the right to program 409.6 kbit/s (or 10%) of XM bandwidth, requiring XM to include commercial advertising on

2378-599: The RIAA, Again?" Time Trax was also involved in the Grokster Supreme Court case, insofar as they filed an 'amicus curiae' brief. By July 7, 2006, the address of the TimeTrax home page was redirecting to the XM Radio corporate site. This created significant confusion and speculation that TimeTrax may have either been acquired by XM Radio or forced to shut down. At the same time, an alleged representative from Time Trax asked SatelliteGuys.US to shut down

2460-585: The Republic of Korea and whose services began on October 20, 2004, and ended on March 31, 2009. XM satellite radio was launched in Canada on November 29, 2005. Sirius followed two days later on December 1, 2005. Sirius Canada and XM Radio Canada announced their merger into Sirius XM Canada on November 24, 2010. It was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on April 12, 2011. Satellite radio uses

2542-680: The SiriusXM mobile app . XM also provided data services such as weather information for pilots and weather spotters through its Sirius XM Weather & Emergency datacasting service. This information could be displayed in the cockpit of an aircraft equipped with a satellite weather receiver. In 2004, JetBlue announced that XM Satellite Radio service would be available in its Embraer regional jets beginning in 2005. Also in 2005, AirTran Airways began putting XM Satellite Radio on their aircraft. United Airlines started carrying XM programming in March 2006. Zipcar , an urban car-sharing service in

TimeTrax - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-540: The Traffic and Weather channels. The XM radio signal was broadcast on 6 separate radio carriers within the 12.5 MHz allocation. The entire content of the radio service, including both data and audio content, was represented by only two carriers. The other 4 carriers carried duplicates of the same content to achieve redundancy through signal diversity . The data on each carrier is encoded using time-delayed and error-correction schemes to enhance availability. Effectively,

2706-453: The United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings . It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its service included 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional traffic and weather channels, and 23 play-by-play sports channels. XM channels were identified by Arbitron with the label "XM" (e.g., "XM32" for " The Bridge "). The company had its origins in

2788-545: The United States began providing background music to hotels, retail chains, restaurants, airlines and other businesses. On April 30, 2013, SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer stated that the company would be pursuing opportunities over the next few years to provide in-car services through their existing satellites, including telematics (automated security and safety, such as stolen vehicle tracking and roadside assistance) and entertainment (such as weather and gas prices). As of December 2020 , SiriusXM had 34.7 million subscribers. This

2870-425: The United States, XM owned and operated approximately 800 repeater sites, covering 60 markets; in Canada, CSR was installing approximately 80 to 100 repeaters that were planned to be owned and operated by CSR in the 16 largest Canadian cities. The actual number of repeater sites varies as the signal is regularly tested and monitored for optimal performance. The actual number of sites in the United States has dropped from

2952-550: The United States, initially installed XM receivers in all of their vehicles, but later announced they would be removed from its fleet in the following months due to uncertainty in the market. In contrast to its high-quality broadcasts, Sirius/XM's customer service has drawn fire from some state governments. In October 2010, Richard Cordray, Ohio's Attorney General, began investigating complaints regarding Sirius XM's policies on billing, customer solicitation, and subscription renewals and cancellations. The company informed shareholders of

3034-475: The United States. Also in 2004, the company partnered with automakers General Motors , Honda , Isuzu , Nissan , Toyota , Volkswagen , and SAAB to offer in-dash XM receivers on an OEM basis. The Acura TL is the first luxury automobile to offer XM radio as "standard" in every vehicle. On October 4, 2004, "shock jocks" Opie and Anthony begin broadcasting on a premium XM Satellite Radio station. Also, former National Public Radio host Bob Edwards broadcast

3116-567: The XM PCR was a previously planned product end-of-life, however several sources from within XM later confirmed that the withdrawal of the product was due to mounting pressure from the RIAA due to the emergence of TimeTrax. After the withdrawal of the XM PCR and because of the popularity of TimeTrax, used XM PCR radios started selling online for as much as $ 300. Acquired by Time Trax Technologies Corporation (a Delaware Corporation) in September 2004,

3198-490: The XM-Sirius merger and on July 29, Sirius and XM officially merged as Sirius XM Radio . XM Canada and Sirius Canada, subsidiaries of the parent companies, remained separate until April 2011. In early 2009, Sirius XM prepared to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had a $ 1 billion debt obligation in 2009 and $ 175 million immediate obligation due February 17, 2009. On November 12, Gary Parsons resigned as chairman and

3280-436: The air. The Pink Channel, National Lampoon Comedy Radio , WSIX-FM , WLW , and Rock@Random were launched and later removed, and replaced by channels like Bollywood & Beyond , The Music Summit, and Sixx Sense , all of which are on the air today. Seen as a blow to XM's 100% commercial-free music channel status, XM Executive Vice President of Programming Eric Logan released a programming announcement to XM subscribers on

3362-527: The car or home stereo, the XM PCR required a computer to run. A software application on the computer acted as the radio's controls and display, which led to a flurry of third-party developers who wanted to make a PCR replacement. Many of them received Cease and Desist letters from the XM company . Once the PCR was discontinued, for the reasons listed above, people found that the XM Direct, a receiver intended to be used in satellite-ready car stereos, can be connected to

TimeTrax - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-582: The company expanded the product offering to include hardware that functioned with the XM Direct radio, as well as the Sirius Connect radio. They also included functionality to operate with the XM Online streaming audio system. The company registered numerous patents, although there has been much debate about the validity of the patent of their system, due to its simplicity. At the 2006 CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Time Trax announced and demonstrated

3526-466: The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2008. In March 2010, the company announced it would be de-commissioning its two satellites (one served Asia , the other served Africa). Liberty Media , which owns 50% of Sirius XM Radio, had considered purchasing WorldSpace’s assets, but talks between the companies collapsed. The satellites are now transmitting educational data and operate under

3608-461: The company's website that reiterated XM's commitment to commercial-free music while noting that XM still had the most commercial-free music and that more commercial-free music channels will be added in the near future to ensure that XM will still have more commercial-free music than competitor Sirius Satellite Radio . On April 17, 2006, XM launched US Country (XM17), Flight 26 (XM26), XM Hitlist (XM30) and Escape (XM78) to provide commercial free music in

3690-690: The company. In 1992, the American Mobile Satellite Corporation created a new division known as American Mobile Radio Corp. Later that year, American Mobile brought in WorldSpace as an investor. On May 16, 1997, American Mobile Satellite and WorldSpace officially changed the name of American Mobile Radio to XM Satellite Radio. Later that month, Lon Levin became president, a position he would hold until 1998. In October 1997, XM Satellite Radio obtained one of only two satellite digital audio radio service licenses offered by

3772-501: The deal, XM created a 24/7 MLB channel called " Home Plate ". The deal started with the 2005 baseball season and ran through 2012, including a 3-year option that MLB could have picked up. On May 28, 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported that XM had awarded the contract for the XM 5 spacecraft to Space Systems/Loral . On June 7, XM partnered with Audible.com to offer downloadable audio show archives of The Opie and Anthony Show, as well as The Bob Edwards Show. On August 1, XM announced

3854-567: The equator: XM Rhythm at 85° west longitude and XM Blues at 115° west longitude in addition to a network of ground-based repeaters. The combination of two satellites and a ground-based repeater network was designed to provide gap-free coverage anywhere within the contiguous U.S., the southern tip of Alaska, and in the southern part of Canada. The signal could also be received in the Caribbean Islands and most of Mexico (reports have stated that areas north of Acapulco were able to receive

3936-584: The existing Nashville! , KISS , Mix , and Sunny (now The Music Summit). The amount of advertising on the music channels amounts up to 4 minutes per hour, similar to the amount of advertising XM included before going commercial free. Exceptions include syndicated music shows which carry network spots. Clear Channel advertising on XM is handled by its subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks . Clear Channel also provided existing talk channel programming ( Fox Sports Radio , Extreme XM , Talk Radio ). Clear Channel also controlled America Right (formerly Buzz XM), but through

4018-531: The first Bob Edwards Show on XM Public Radio on channel 133. On October 20, XM announced an 11-year, US$ 650 million deal with Major League Baseball to broadcast games live nationwide and to become the Official Satellite Radio provider of Major League Baseball. The agreement granted XM the rights to use the MLB silhouetted batter logo and the collective marks of all major league clubs. As part of

4100-645: The formats of the Clear Channel programmed music channels which were going to begin airing commercials. In response, Sirius has advertised that they are the only satellite radio provider that has 100% commercial-free music channels. Both XM and Sirius air commercials on their news, talk, and sports channels. The Clear Channel forward sales agreement with Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc was terminated on August 2, 2006. The termination resulted in Clear Channel Investments, Inc. paying Bear Stearns

4182-538: The goal of making satellite radio programming available to the developing world. On June 22, 1991, the FCC gave WorldSpace permission to launch a satellite to provide digital programming to Africa and the Middle East . WorldSpace first began broadcasting satellite radio on October 1, 1999, in Africa. India would ultimately account for over 90% of WorldSpace’s subscriber base. In 2008, WorldSpace announced plans to enter Europe , but those plans were set aside when

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4264-691: The home and office with a portable or tabletop receiver equipped to connect the receiver to a stereo system; or on the Internet. Reception is activated by obtaining the radio's unique ID and giving this to the service provider. Ground stations transmit signals to the satellites which are 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the Equator in geostationary orbits . The satellites send the signals back down to radio receivers in cars and homes. This signal contains scrambled broadcasts, along with meta data about each specific broadcast. The signals are unscrambled by

4346-689: The industry," the FCC also sold a license to the American Mobile Radio Corporation, which changed its name to XM Satellite Radio in October 1998. XM was founded by Lon Levin and Gary Parsons, who served as chairman until November 2009. CD Radio purchased their license for $ 83.3 million, and American Mobile Radio Corporation bought theirs for $ 89.9 million. Digital Satellite Broadcasting Corporation and Primosphere were unsuccessful in their bids for licenses. Sky Highway Radio Corporation had also expressed interest in creating

4428-468: The installation and sale of XM in their vehicles, while sharing revenue earned from these radios with OnStar, as well as payments on the exclusivity agreement. At the same time as the investment, American Mobile Satellite, still XM's parent company, reacquired the stake WorldSpace held in the company. In October 1999, XM Satellite Radio issued 10,241,000 shares of Class A common stock at an IPO price of US$ 12.00 per share. American Mobile Satellite remained

4510-485: The interest already held by their subsidiary, DirecTV. On November 12, 2001, XM Satellite Radio officially launched its nationwide service. In January 2003, the company underwent a re-capitalization plan, involving XM exchanging US$ 300 million in old debt for new debt, while deferring interest for 3-years on the notes. They also restructured payment obligations on the General Motors installation agreement, issuing

4592-591: The majority holder of the public company. In April 2000, American Mobile Satellite Corp. changed its name to Motient. In July, American Honda joined several private investors in a US$ 235 million preferred stock investment in the company. On September 25, 2001, XM Satellite Radio launched in San Diego and Dallas–Fort Worth , with nationwide expansion plans set for November. The initial lineup included 100 channels consisting of sports, talk, children's programming, entertainment and news. In October 2001, Motient

4674-411: The media that got to use the product, it seemed to function as the company claimed (today, despite a commitment from the company, it appears that the product has not been made available for sale). While receiving extensive press and media attention for the very visible consumer software and hardware products, the company also developed an OEM business as well as an international partnership which included

4756-561: The name of Yazmi USA, LLC. Ondas Media was a Spanish company which had proposed to launch a subscription-based satellite radio system to serve Spain and much of Western Europe, but failed to acquire licenses throughout Europe. Onde Numérique was a French company which had proposed to launch a subscription-based satellite radio system to serve France and several other countries in Western Europe but has suspended its plans indefinitely, effective December, 2016. Sirius Satellite Radio

4838-445: The original 1,000 installed when the service first launched in 2001. The repeaters transmit in the same frequency band as the satellites. A typical city contains 20 or more terrestrial stations. Typically, the receiver owner is unaware when a terrestrial station is being used, unless he or she checks antenna information from the receiver being used. Due to a FCC filing in October 2006, the latest list of XM's US terrestrial repeater network

4920-474: The probe shortly thereafter. According to news reports, Arizona, Connecticut, Tennessee, Vermont, and the District of Columbia had expressed interest in participating in the inquiry. According to Reuters , "The investigations come as Sirius XM , home to programs by Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey, has found its footing and distanced itself from years of huge losses and questions about its business model." In

5002-537: The radio receiver modules, which display the broadcast information. In urban areas, ground repeaters enable signals to be available even if the satellite signal is blocked. The technology allows for nationwide broadcasting, so that, for instance US listeners can hear the same stations anywhere in the country. Satellite radio in the US offers commercial-free music stations, as well as news, sports, and talk, some of which include commercials. In 2004, satellite radio companies in

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5084-532: The satellites, and for various other business expenses. Stating that it was the only way satellite radio could survive, Sirius and XM announced their merger on February 19, 2007, becoming Sirius XM. The FCC approved the merger on July 25, 2008, concluding that it was not a monopoly, primarily due to Internet audio-streaming competition. MobaHo! was a mobile satellite digital audio/video broadcasting service based in Japan which offered different services to Japan and

5166-570: The sharing of technologies with a company in Sweden called PopCatcher . After stories featuring MacLean and TimeTrax appeared in the New York Times , USA Today , and in syndicated AP articles, TimeTrax became the de facto standard in time shifting of satellite radio. Time Trax's Elliott Frutkin was a very visible critic of the entertainment industry and provoked the RIAA with press release titles such as "Will Time Trax Product Launch Rattle

5248-570: The shows could only be broadcast inside the bandwidth controlled by Clear Channel. In June 2003, Clear Channel entered into a forward sales agreement relating to its ownership of XM. During the third quarter of 2005, Clear Channel and XM arbitrated the impact of this agreement on the Operational Assistance Agreement and the Director Designation Agreement . The Arbitration Panel decided that

5330-416: The software as either freeware or open source. Since then, the TimeTrax website has been restored to its original operation, and hosts previous versions of the TimeTrax software. No further information has been made available regarding the viability of the company, and there has been no confirmation whether they are still in operation. On November 1, 2006, SatelliteGuys.US closed their Time Trax forum due to

5412-517: The three companies, WorldSpace went bankrupt in 2009 and Sirius and XM merged in 2008 to form Sirius XM . The merger was done to avoid bankruptcy. The new company had financial problems and was within days of bankruptcy in 2009, but was able to find investors. The company did not go bankrupt and Sirius XM Satellite radio continues (as of 2024 ) to operate. WorldSpace was founded by Ethiopia-born lawyer Noah Samara in Washington, D.C. , in 1990, with

5494-578: The total radio spectrum used for content is a little over 4 MHz. Each two-carrier group broadcast 100 8-kilobit-per-second streams in approximately 4 MHz of radio spectrum. These streams were combined using a patented process to form a variable number of channels using a variety of bitrates. Bandwidth is separated into segments of 4-kilobit-per-second virtual "streams" which are combined to form audio and data "channels" of varying bitrates from 4 to 64 kilobits-per-second. XM preprocessed audio content using Neural Audio processors that are optimized for

5576-422: The two radio services and created a single satellite radio network in the United States and Canada. The United States Department of Justice announced on March 24, 2008, that it had closed its investigation of the merger because it "concluded that the evidence does not demonstrate that the proposed merger of XM and Sirius was likely to substantially lessen competition." Satellite radio Satellite radio

5658-534: The use of the S-band frequencies that the FCC subsequently decided to allocate to digital audio broadcasting. The National Association of Broadcasters contended that satellite radio would harm local radio stations. In April 1992, Rothblatt resigned as CEO of Satellite CD Radio; Briskman, who designed the company's satellite technology, was then appointed chairman and CEO. Six months later, Rogers Wireless co-founder Margolese, who had provided financial backing for

5740-421: The user. In other words, it records individual songs from the radio, saves each song as individual MP3 files and allows the user to build a music library. Although XM initially encouraged third-party application development for the XM PCR radio, publishing links to third-party applications on its website, XM discontinued the XM PCR radio after the release of TimeTrax. XM publicly stated that the discontinuation of

5822-492: The venture, acquired control of the company and succeeded Briskman. Margolese renamed the company CD Radio, and spent the next five years lobbying the FCC to allow satellite radio to be deployed, and the following five years raising $ 1.6 billion, which was used to build and launch three satellites into elliptical orbit from Kazakhstan in July 2000. In 1997, after Margolese had obtained regulatory clearance and "effectively created

5904-648: Was dissolved as a separate entity and merged into Sirius XM Radio, Inc. While the satellite receiver radio service was its primary product, XM also operated audio, data and advertising services. XM's primary business was satellite radio entertainment. XM carried music, news (both simulcast and syndicated programming), sports, talk radio, comedy (both stand-up and radio shows), and radio drama. In addition, XM broadcast local weather and traffic conditions in its larger markets. XM Radio Online (XMRO), XM's Internet radio product, offered many of XM's music stations and could be accessed from any Internet connected computer, or via

5986-560: Was founded by Martine Rothblatt , who served as the new company's Chairman of the Board. Co-founder David Margolese served as Chief Executive Officer with former NASA engineer Robert Briskman serving as President and Chief Operating Officer. In June 1990, Rothblatt's shell company, Satellite CD Radio, Inc., petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assign new frequencies for satellites to broadcast digital sound to homes and cars. The company identified and argued in favor of

6068-546: Was heading into bankruptcy and spun off their non-XM satellite division into a joint operation with TMI Communications and Company, L.P., a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc. of Canada. The new venture was known as the Mobile Satellite Ventures. In November, Motient was in bankruptcy, and sold off their controlling interest in XM to Hughes Electronics , SingTel and Baron Capital Partners. Hughes Electronics would go on to combine this new interest in with

6150-469: Was launched ahead of its planned schedule on February 28, 2005, and moved into XM-1's previous location of 85° WL. XM-1 was then moved to be co-located with XM-2 at 115° WL, where each satellite operated only one transponder (thus broadcasting half the bandwidth each) to conserve energy and cut the power consumption in half while XM-4 ("Blues") was readied for launch. Subsequently, XM launched ground-spare XM-4 ("Blues") ahead of schedule on October 30, 2006, into

6232-413: Was launched on March 18, 2001 and its second on May 8, 2001. Its first broadcast occurred on September 25, 2001, nearly four months before Sirius. Sirius launched the initial phase of its service in four cities on February 14, 2002, expanding to the rest of the contiguous United States on July 1, 2002. The two companies spent over $ 3 billion combined to develop satellite radio technology, build and launch

6314-403: Was made available to the public. The XM signal used 12.5 MHz of the S band : 2332.5 to 2345.0 MHz. XM provided 128 kilobits per second of its bandwidth to OnStar Corporation for use with XM-enabled GM vehicles, regardless of whether their owners are XM subscribers. American Honda also retained the right to some of the company's bandwidth to transmit messages to Acura vehicles via

6396-495: Was made the president and chief operating officer. In October, the XM-4 " Blues " satellite was launched atop a Zenit 3SL rocket. On January 18, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that licensing regulations would prohibit a possible merger of XM and Sirius Satellite Radio . On February 19, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio announced they would merge . On March 20, 2007, XM and Sirius filed

6478-421: Was no longer on the consumer market, although there were no current plans to disable the technology infrastructure to allow continued use by individual consumers. Mr. Frutkin hinted at several possibilities the company was considering for their software, some of which included turning the registration servers over to a third party, releasing a patch that would stop TimeTrax from looking for the server, or distribute

6560-451: Was primarily due to the company’s partnerships with automakers and car dealers. Roughly 60% of new cars sold come equipped with SiriusXM, and just under half of those units gain paid subscriptions. The company has long-term deals with General Motors , Ford , Toyota , Kia , Bentley , BMW , Volkswagen , Nissan , Hyundai and Mitsubishi . The presence of Howard Stern , whose show attracts over 12 million listeners per week, has also been

6642-489: Was replaced by Eddy W. Hartenstein, as the new non-executive chairman. On November 24, 2010, XM Canada and Sirius Canada announced plans to merge. On April 11, 2011, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the merger of the Canadian companies, Sirius and XM, into Sirius XM Canada . XM provided digital programming directly from two high-powered satellites in geostationary orbit above

6724-401: Was sued in federal court by a customer accusing it of deceptively raising prices. The report also stated that "Sirius, in a statement, said it was cooperating with the investigations and that it believed its 'consumer-related practices comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.'" The American Mobile Satellite Corporation was founded in 1988. In 1991, Lon Levin joined

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