To those who have seen both XM and Sirius in operation on a Z1, are there interface differences between the two that would sell you one way or another if the programming were equal?

I know they both have the programming selling points and I have the option of XM Traffic service but I'm avoiding including that in my buying decision.

Pioneer clearly supports XM in a more preffered fashion in that they make their own XM modules and with Sirius, I end up with more than likey one of the Directed units.

Thanks in advance!!

XM screen is better but I use Sirus I like the programming better.. but thats just me...

I posted on the Sirius interface a while back...do a search for my name and you'll find it.

I am VERY dissappointed with the Sirius add-on to the D2. I like the programming on Sirius much better than XM's but the interface is absolutely worthless. There are basically 4 buttons you can use on the Sirius screen...present, band, seek up, and seek down...THAT'S IT! You can't pull up a screen of the categories to choose - you have to actually scroll through each one. You can't even type in a channel number...that's probably the thing that annoys me the most. So if you're listening to a program and they say "tune into Sirius 159 for more info" there is no way to do it unless you find the exact name of the station and the category beforehand in a program guide.

I still like the programming and the fact that I can listen to it non-stop on an 1100 mile road trip. I just can't believe a company as big as Pioneer allowed something this pathetic in their product line.

Technically it's not in pioneer's product line. The sirius tuner is made by directed electronics. You caan thank pioneer though for not allowing a more intuitive interface.

I also like the programming on Sirius more than I like XM. But the interface on the Z1 is not as bad as the one on the D2.

True, the XM one is "prettier". But they are almost identical. On the Z1 the main button layout, controls and all are identical between XM and Sirius.

What the XM interface gives you over Sirius on the Z1 is that the channel logos are displayed. No logos for Sirius. And XM has an option if you want traffic. If you get Sirius you can't have traffic.

They are very similar. My best recommendation is to look at the programming on both and go with what service you like. The interface operation on the Z1 is so similar that you wouldn't want to chose over that. The XM is prettier, but I wouldn't make my decision based on that fact. I have Sirius and it's totally usable.

Could it have a few things done better? Sure, but I'm not going to choose XM because of it. I believe that XM's interface is not any better when it comes to my gripes. They are more Z1 to Sat radio interface issues. Like they have this huge screen and there is a few lines of text data sent down from the Sat radio company... why do I have to hit a button to see each section and scroll through the items, can't you display all the data at once? Maybe instead of showing us the stupid sirius dog picture?

I have both. XMs interface is definitely better but I have gotten used to the Sirius one so it doesn't bother me as much as when I first got it. I like the programming on Sirius much better so if I had to choose one, thats the route I would go. You might take a listen online to see which music stations are better for the type of music you prefer. My vote is hands down Sirius though, boring interface and all

Besides everyone else here, I have to say XM is my choice. It is all personal choice. It's a shame that Sirius no longer offers a free trial of their online player, so you could compare the two yourself. But sign up for XM's free three day trial and see how you like the channels. I actually prefer XM more, because Sirius does play alot more popular music, but I like more underground and obscure songs (in dance, hiphop, etc).

http://xmro.xmradio.com/xstream/api/show_trial_form.jsp

Also, Sirius tends to use DJs a bit more than XM, and honestly I dont like listening to DJs anymore. I used to be a big FM radio Morning Zoo listener, now I just like to hear the music I want and thats it LOL
Also as a plus, with the 10MT tuner, you can subscribe to XM NavTraffic to complement your GPS with live traffic feeds (as long as you are in one of the 44 available markets).

http://www.xmradio.com/xmnavtraffic/market_coverage.jsp

dwhitley0381 said:

... Once you get it you will not go back to FM....

Either way you choose, I DEFINITELY agree with this statement! I cannot stand FM radio anymore!

I also have the XM Traffic but I use the Sirius side... I think XM Traffic is awesome and it works very well in Houston, Tx.... saves my A&* in the morning for sure... Music wise that is your choice... just a little different look but the memory buttons are the same... Once you get it you will not go back to FM....

PaisanNYC said:

... It's a shame that Sirius no longer offers a free trial ...

Sirius still offers a free 3 day online trial...

Sirius USA link...
http://www.sirius.com/sirius/servlet/Me ... on?stream=

Sirius Canada link...
http://mp.siriuscanada.ca/sirius/ca/ser ... on?stream=

MitchellStang said:

Sirius still offers a free 3 day online trial...

Nice catch! That is awesome. Now people who are on the fence can listen to both for free before deciding!

I dont know why I can't find the link you did from Sirius' homepage. I click on Internet Radio Streaming, and this comes up, saying streaming radio for $12/month!

http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentSe ... 8082415620

When I clicked the next button to start the signup, still nothing mentioned about the free trial.

Thanks for the good news!

PaisanNYC said:

I dont know why I can't find the link you did from Sirius' homepage.

from the main page (sirius.com) select Listen Online at the top, opens a new window, and in the top right of the pop-up page, in small print is the three day free link.

PaisanNYC said:

Also, Sirius tends to use DJs a bit more than XM, and honestly I dont like listening to DJs anymore.

I have to agree with you there. I really wish the DJ's would just shut up and play the music. If I'm listening to a music channel I want to hear music, not talk.

They are REALLY bad about it on the hip hop stations. Sometimes they go on for minutes at a time.

I think the DJ's think of it more as an entertainment channel but I just want them to shut the fuck up and play the music.

That being said Sirius is the only choice for Stern fans.

Totally a personal choice based on whose programming you prefer.

I've got Sirius and couldn't be happier. Big Stern junkie (been listening since 1987 growing up in NYC and missed him the last year. It's great to find out that the show is the same show, but more free in how they express themselves. Was afraid it would devolve into a childish show with the freedom Sirius offered, but happily I was proven wrong.

That and NPR is great. I'm a talk radio junkie and have 10gigs of harddrive loaded with music on my Z1 so haven't gotten into the Sirius music channels yet.

So I have a question now. When the hell did xm start running commercials on their music stations. This sucks. Theonly reason I'm keeping this thing is because I got it for free. once the subscription is up it's back to sirius for me.

They were in a legal battle with ClearChannel for years over the rights to put commercials on certain stations because ClearChannel claimed it was part of the deal to invest in XM before it launched. ClearChannel won so we got commercials. I agree on the Sirius recommendation, have barely listened to XM since I got Sirius, but the traffic is nice to have

cntrylvr79 said:

So I have a question now. When the hell did xm start running commercials on their music stations. This sucks. Theonly reason I'm keeping this thing is because I got it for free. once the subscription is up it's back to sirius for me.

Did not know that. Thanks for the info.

cntrylvr79 said:

So I have a question now. When the hell did xm start running commercials on their music stations. This sucks. Theonly reason I'm keeping this thing is because I got it for free. once the subscription is up it's back to sirius for me.

Only the 5 channels (maybe its 6) out of the 175 channels run actual commercials on it. Ironically these channels are owned by Clear Channel, and are identified with a lower-case "cm" after the channel name on the screen. When XM first launched, it had a contract with Clear Channel to help promote its service, and in return Clear Channel had rights to program these channels for x amount of years (i think it is up next year). For the first few years, Clear Channel agreed not to air commercials on these channels, but that part of the agreement has since expired, and they have been playing commercials for about 2 months now. Let me know if you have any other questions on XM. I try to keep up with whats going on with them :)

and the sad part is I listen to most of them.

Wow, whtcrxghst, I am so sorry! I didnt see that you made a post before I did last night on this!! I guess I didnt see that there was a second page on this thread. Sorry buddy!!