Quality and content are two significant aspects that advocate satellite radio as a service that the majority of people would want to have in their automobiles or homes. This is something that most people would like to have. When we speak about the quality of anything, we are almost often referring to how clear the sound output is from satellite radio in comparison to broadcasts from terrestrial radio. The term "content," on the other hand, refers to the standard of the stuff that is being transported. Here is where the titans of the satellite radio business, Sirius and XM Radio, square off against one another. The quality of the receivers and the technologies that they both utilize are comparable; nevertheless, when it comes to unique content of a high quality, there is a significant difference between the two. Let's take a look at the qualities of both the material and the programming that is available on satellite radio:
the standard of broadcasting
When broken down into statistics, the broadcast quality for both of the digital radio service providers comes in at 128 kb/s at 44.1 khz. The quality here is comparable to that of a CD. The quality of the sound is what drew more customers to Sirius and XM Radio, despite the fact that the coverage of satellite radio is an essential component. The coverage of satellite radio is far better than what any terrestrial radio station is able to give. There are a lot of parallels to be drawn between how digital television operated and how cable television has over 80% of the population of the United States as customers, despite the fact that people may get free content by utilizing UHF and VHF antennas. The same is true with satellite radio; despite the fact that terrestrial radio may be received free of charge, satellite radio can be purchased for a reasonable fee and provides a broadcasting quality that is better to that of analog radio. Bear in mind, however, that unlike terrestrial radio, satellite radio does not include commercial breaks; this is a major draw for listeners.
Due to the excellent quality of the analog-to-digital conversion, there will be no sound interferences, hissing noises, or other audio problems that are typical of AM and FM broadcasts. When you are listening to music on your satellite radio system, this becomes very clear. The bass is far more powerful and precise, while the higher sound levels are very transparent. In addition to this, there is a greater mid range of sounds that you will believe to be more powerful and precise than what is produced by terrestrial radio. Although a person with an experienced ear will tell you that the audio quality is not precisely as excellent as CD quality, it is very near, and for the vast majority of users, this difference is not really discernible at all.
Content
Let's take a look at the efforts that broadcasters are doing to enhance the quality of the material that they supply now that we have a better understanding of how advanced the technology aspects of satellite radio truly are. The quest to secure exclusivity over certain broadcasts was one of the strategies that proved to be one of the most exciting. For instance, discussions have taken place between Major League Baseball and XM Radio in order for the satellite radio company to acquire the rights of exclusivity to broadcast all Major League Baseball games. In a conversation with the WSJ, Larry Rosin, President of Edison Media Research, expressed his belief that "The transition to a completely subscription-based business model for baseball radio broadcasts is definitely unavoidable... Because there is an excessive amount of money to be made, it is inevitable that it will take place." Currently, around 23% of XM customers are signed up to hear the MLB broadcasts, indicating that such an endeavor has significant untapped potential. Obviously, this would be a significant setback for terrestrial radio, and the two camps are now locked in battle as you read this. Naturally, the quality of the material may also be improved by having the most talented professionals in the field working for satellite radio. Both Sirius and XM Radio are aware that a customer who invests $300 in a receiver and an additional $10 to $12 per month for a radio service expects to have access to the highest quality programming available. Surprisingly, when it comes to music channels, the primary factor that determines the difference in the quality of content between satellite radio and terrestrial radio is advertisements (or rather, lack of commercials on satellite radio). It is important to keep in mind that the vast majority of programming on XM Radio and Sirius channels is produced internally, while just a tiny fraction is a rebroadcast of programming originally broadcast on terrestrial radio.