home stereo: A new way to savor satellite sounds
May 11, 2006
By Terry Maxon / The Dallas Morning News
If there was a shortcoming in the original XM Satellite Radio service, it was that the equipment for home and cars didn't have the ability to save the music. You had to pretty much take the programming as it came, with no built-in way to record it.
Pioneer
Pioneer's Inno player serves up new ways to get XM Satellite Radio service.
XM Satellite Radio hasn't changed, but the recently released Pioneer Electronics Inc.'s Inno player serves up new ways to get one's XM.
The Inno, announced in January and now available, lets users record up to 50 hours off XM and also plays MP3 and WAV sound files. Users can also set timers to record programs.
It adds up to a lot of capability in a small package. How small? It's narrower, shorter and lighter than Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod, although the Inno is a little thicker.
Users can carry the Inno with them, plug it into a supplied dock for the home stereo or, with an optional kit, play it in a vehicle. The Inno can be tuned to transmit on FM frequencies from 88.1 to 107.9 to play through an FM radio.
Recording a song off the live XM radio is simple. At first, it seems counterintuitive; who would want to begin recording a song after it already has begun? However, the Inno has a built-in buffer that remembers the song from the beginning. Hit record, and the Inno captures all the song.
Setting the timer to record is simple. The setup screen lets the user quickly establish what day, hour and minute the recording is to start and stop — useful when there's a game, talk show or other bit of programming that you can't listen to live.
One feature we didn't try was the ability to move MP3 and WAV files from a personal computer onto the Inno or using the tie-in with Napster to buy songs for the computer and the Inno.
All this convenience comes at a price, of course. The basic Inno unit costs $399.99, which includes a wealth of accessories — a home dock, an external antenna, cords to hook it up to a home stereo, earphones and a remote control.
The car kit, with mounting equipment, power adapter, antenna, dock and remote, costs another $70. The car kit includes a cassette adapter, although the Inno does have the FM capability.
Optional headphones with built-in antenna can add another $39.99.
But for a true XM believer, it may be a small price to pay. The Inno offers the ultimate flexibility for ways to get that daily fix of music, talk, sports and other programming.
Pros: The Inno adds the ability to record and transfer music to XM's core service.
Cons: It's a pricey way to get one's XM dose.
Bottom line: A lot of features in a small package, for those with the bucks.
By Terry Maxon / The Dallas Morning News
If there was a shortcoming in the original XM Satellite Radio service, it was that the equipment for home and cars didn't have the ability to save the music. You had to pretty much take the programming as it came, with no built-in way to record it.
Pioneer
Pioneer's Inno player serves up new ways to get XM Satellite Radio service.
XM Satellite Radio hasn't changed, but the recently released Pioneer Electronics Inc.'s Inno player serves up new ways to get one's XM.
The Inno, announced in January and now available, lets users record up to 50 hours off XM and also plays MP3 and WAV sound files. Users can also set timers to record programs.
It adds up to a lot of capability in a small package. How small? It's narrower, shorter and lighter than Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod, although the Inno is a little thicker.
Users can carry the Inno with them, plug it into a supplied dock for the home stereo or, with an optional kit, play it in a vehicle. The Inno can be tuned to transmit on FM frequencies from 88.1 to 107.9 to play through an FM radio.
Recording a song off the live XM radio is simple. At first, it seems counterintuitive; who would want to begin recording a song after it already has begun? However, the Inno has a built-in buffer that remembers the song from the beginning. Hit record, and the Inno captures all the song.
Setting the timer to record is simple. The setup screen lets the user quickly establish what day, hour and minute the recording is to start and stop — useful when there's a game, talk show or other bit of programming that you can't listen to live.
One feature we didn't try was the ability to move MP3 and WAV files from a personal computer onto the Inno or using the tie-in with Napster to buy songs for the computer and the Inno.
All this convenience comes at a price, of course. The basic Inno unit costs $399.99, which includes a wealth of accessories — a home dock, an external antenna, cords to hook it up to a home stereo, earphones and a remote control.
The car kit, with mounting equipment, power adapter, antenna, dock and remote, costs another $70. The car kit includes a cassette adapter, although the Inno does have the FM capability.
Optional headphones with built-in antenna can add another $39.99.
But for a true XM believer, it may be a small price to pay. The Inno offers the ultimate flexibility for ways to get that daily fix of music, talk, sports and other programming.
Pros: The Inno adds the ability to record and transfer music to XM's core service.
Cons: It's a pricey way to get one's XM dose.
Bottom line: A lot of features in a small package, for those with the bucks.
