Crave

That blurry thing under the display is the SR-H2000.

(Credit: Sirius XM)

I went to Sirius XM's New York City headquarters on Wednesday to see what's new. They showed a bunch of docking units and the like, but the only new product that got my juices flowing was a new home tuner, the sleek-looking SR-H2000.

You might think a brand new Sirius tuner (not a table radio) intended to be used with a stereo or home theater system would also offer access to all XM channels, but that's not the case. Sirius subscribers can add "The Best of XM" package for a small upcharge on their monthly bill.

The SR-H2000 includes a wired 12-volt IR input, a menu-selected RS232 control, and an F-type antenna connector. By adding a SIRIUSConnect Tuner or Home Dock, the SR-H2000 can play two different channels simultaneously in separate rooms.

The SR-H2000 features a video output that can be used to display the user interface and programming information on your TV. The included rackmount hardware allows the SR-H2000 to be mounted flush with the front of a rack. You can pause and replay up to 44 minutes of live satellite radio.

No one at Sirius mentioned sound quality, and why would they? It's pretty miserable and I doubt the SR-H2000 will improve my opinion of Sirius' sound.

The new SR-H2000 will be available in the fall primarily through custom installers and specialty retailers for a suggested retail price of $349.

(Credit: Sirius XM)

Like satellite radio, but don't want to deal with the kludge-y "dock and play" satellite radios that clutter up your car's dashboard? The XM SkyDock could be for you. It looks little different than your average iPod car charger, but the SkyDock has a satellite tuner built in. Pop in any iPhone or iPod Touch, run the free SkyDock control app, and the Apple handheld is transformed into a touch-screen control for the satellite radio service.

The app automatically adjusts to landscape (shown) or portrait mode, and the audio stream can be sent either via line-out or the company's "PowerConnect" system, which transmits the audio to most standard car radios via the car's electrical system. Because the SkyDock is plugged into the car's 12-volt power adapter, it also charges the iPhone/iPod Touch while it's in use. We got a brief hands-on demo of the SkyDock earlier today at a Sirius XM event, and it looked to be working smoothly, even with beta software.

Why invest in the SkyDock rather than just firing up the Sirius XM app on your iPhone? The app, as has been widely observed, omits much of "the good stuff." Rights issues preclude many of the service's keystone channels, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, Nascar Radio, and Howard Stern. By contrast, because it's a full-fledged over-the-air satellite radio, the SkyDock offers the entire Sirius XM catalog, including those stations.

The SkyDock app also enables iTunes tagging: hear a song you like on one of the music stations, and a touch of the screen will tag it for later download on iTunes. Naturally, the SkyDock will also play music stored on your iPhone/iPod. (Whether that includes audio from other iPhone apps--such as Pandora, Last.fm, and the like--wasn't specified.) (Note: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)

The XM SkyDock will be available this fall for $120. In addition to a compatible iPod Touch or iPhone (any model that runs iPhone OS 3.0 will work), you'll need a valid Sirius XM subscription.

(Credit: XM Sirius)

Many (but not all) of the XM Sirius satellite radio audio channels are also available online to subscribers, for a small additional fee. The browser-based service is great for listening in those places where you don't--or can't--have a satellite radio rig set up, such as an interior room of an office building (or any other room without a window). And now, XM Sirius is offering a dedicated device for listening to its online streams: the Sirius TTR1 Internet Radio.

The tabletop radio connects to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to access the satcaster's online audio service, which actually offers better quality than the over-the-air streams. The TTR1 also doubles as a dual alarm clock and has 10 presets for saving your favorite stations. The display shows the XM Sirius programming information (channel, artist, track, and so on), and it has a built-in light sensor that auto-dims the display to the room's ambient lighting, so it won't light up the room while you're trying to sleep. A standard credit card-size remote is thrown in as well.

Want to listen to something besides XM Sirius? If that's the case, the TTR1 isn't for you. It has a line-in jack for outside audio sources, but that's it--there's no support for the myriad other online audio services, including plain old Internet radio. If that interests you, we'd suggest a Grace Internet Radio (which streams free Pandora and thousands of standard Internet radio stations in addition to XM Sirius). Spend even more, and you can upgrade to the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, which handles all those services, plus Last.fm, Rhapsody, and several more services to boot.

Still, even with the TTR1's Sirius-only feature set, we can envision it being a hit for those who just want a dedicated device for listening to Howard Stern. His channels--along with nearly all of the commercial-free music stations--will be readily available on the TTR1. (Some key sports, talk, and entertainment channels are not available--consult the Sirius FAQ for more information.)

The Sirius TTR1 will cost $150 when it hit stores this fall.

Does the TTR1 interest you? Or would you prefer a more full-featured Internet radio product that also offers other Internet audio options? Share your opinion below.

Update 6/18, 9 AM EST: Sirius XM indeed launched its iPhone app early this morning. Alas, Howard Stern, MLB and NFL aren't available as part of the package but you can listen to 120 channels on an iPhone over 3G and Wi-Fi (and on an iPod Touch). We'll have full commentary up shortly but needless to say, some folks are already expressing their disappointment.

Rumors of the impending arrival of an Sirius XM iPhone/iPod Touch app have been circulating for several months, but there's now some hard evidence that the app will be arriving as soon as tomorrow, June 18.

TUAW, the "unofficial Apple Weblog," is citing a customer service e-mail that has gone out to Sirius subscribers who've inquired about an app:

Thank you for contacting SIRIUS regarding whether or not there is a SIRIUS iPhone application available. We are here to help! We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us in regards to this matter! We are happy to inform you that beginning June 18 a SIRIUS Internet Radio application will be available at the Apple iTunes App-Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch! All Premium SIRIUS Internet Radio subscribers will be able to download the application from the Apple iTunes App-Store for free on their device and access the service at no additional cost! Subscribers who are listening to the Basic Online Service for free must first upgrade to the Premium Online Service for $2.99 per month to access the application on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

We assume XM subscribers will be offered a similar package, but we're in touch with the Sirius XM PR folks to get all the details, including what channels will be available, as soon as the company is willing to release them. The obvious appeal of all this is the ability to get XM Sirius on the go--or bring it to your home audio system via your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Anybody excited to get their hands on this app?

Additional reading: Sirius XM tuning in to iPhone application.

(Source: TUAW via Engadget)

Offbeat, melodic, and pretty, Clem Snide stays in heavy rotation at my house.

In the 1960s, I heard new music on the radio.

The best DJs turned me on to new stuff all the time. Next best source was friends--I'd go over to their house to check out their new LPs. Record reviews in Rolling Stone and The Village Voice flagged intriguing up-and-comers. I used to find new music in record stores, but that rarely happens anymore.

Nowadays it's Sirius satellite radio and Pitchfork. And just snooping around the Internet, including artists' Web sites, I luck onto new music. My latest find: a quirky little band by the name of Clem Snide. Their new album "Hungry Bird" is sweet and melodic, and their odd tunes have real staying power. Sounds pretty decent too.

So how do you find new music? Vote in the poll. And if I missed any options, let me know in the TalkBack section below.

Correction: The Microsoft Zune HD will not be available outside of the United States. The Zune Video Marketplace for Xbox, however, will be available for select countries beyond the U.S., including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Donald and Jasmine give the newly official Zune HD its deserved time in the spotlight as they both gush about the player's design and HD features as well as speculate about pricing and other possible Wi-Fi-related additions. Also this week, the Insiders discuss rumblings about a potential Sirius XM App for the iPhone. Then, Jasmine brings up some of the tiniest MP3 players to ever be reviewed by CNET, while Donald goes off on a tangent about audiobooks. And we musn't forget to give props to the entity that gave this whole digital music thing a violent shove into the mainstream consciousness: Napster, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this week.

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In Episode 23 of the Digital City, we discuss high-tech plans, but a low-tech budget at the MTA; the release of Resident Evil 5; Linux on Netbooks; and the Sirius/iPhone connection.

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Sony's XDR-F1HD HD Radio has developed a real buzz among my audiophile pals; on second thought maybe buzz isn't the right word. It's the quietest, noise-free radio I've ever used.

These guys can be real snobs and only listen to ultra-high-end components, and some wouldn't be caught dead using mainstream gear with their hi-fis, and yet they're all going ga-ga over the Sony. We're all thinking it's too good to be true.

I originally heard about the Sony from Steven Stone, a writer friend, and then from an engineer at an American high-end audio company known for making awesome tuners that sell for thousands of dollars. The engineer was positively gushing about how good the XDR-F1HD is; not just that it sounded great, but also because it pulls in tough-to-receive analog stations with lower noise and distortion than tuners that sell for big bucks. You can read my full CNET review here.

I rushed right out and bought an XDR-F1HD from Amazon, and sure nuff, it's true, the little Sony is no baloney. Analog FM stations came in like gangbusters, clean as a whistle, and HD stations, like my favorite jazz station WBGO had "CD quality" sound. That phrase is tossed around a lot, but this time it's for real. I listened to WBGO with the Sony over my high-end system with Magnepan 3.6/R speakers, and the sound was amazing. It's day and night better than what I get from Sirius Satellite Radio, which is almost unlistenable over those speakers.