And so here we are off on brave new directions once again. In 2009 we killed our cable television service for an internet connection and free over-the-air HD TV for local channels. And we’re perfectly fine with it. Now, most of our content, as a family, comes via the internet. And not just Netflix.
About 5 years ago I wanted to listen to MLB games in our car. So we signed on with XM Radio. It was brilliant. The cumbersome dashboard connection with the brick-like receiver worked like a charm. And inside the house I used a boom box to broadcast music and sports in my office.
But for the past two years, every time my quarterly bill comes due, I get an email from Sirius/XM stating that they can’t process payment and that I need to call them. Each time I tell them that this is an ongoing issue and I hope they remedy it. They assure me they have, each time. But not before making me sprint through a gauntlet of telemarketing upsell first. I received my quarterly email from them yesterday. And I’m done.
Ever since my wife and I got the iPhone, I’ve wanted to play music from our phone’s iPod function in the car. But we’ve always had the dashboard mount for the XM receiver and I couldn’t justify change. But after yesterday’s reminder email – I’m done with XM, and am ready to explore the full functionality of the internet for all my audio needs.
Maybe you can help me out. Here is what I’m looking to do:
1) Install an audio component for our phones in the car. Yes, I know that you can get a lighter plug-in and stream music from our iTunes library via radio waves, but I really want total control with the iPhone in the car. Including streaming music (Pandora) and baseball from the MLB app among other audio available on the internet.
2) See if there’s something out there other than Pandora. I like Pandora, but am pretty lazy and don’t get out much to vet things. If there is another service, and does it have an iPhone/iPad app?
3) Replace the boom box in my office. The one I have is proprietary to XM, so it’s basically trash now. Rather than have to use my laptop to steam audio, what other types of hardware do you use to stream music from the internet? Is it contingent on having a device plugged into it, or can it stream via wifi? I don’t think those satellite speakers that you control from iTunes would work, because I’d then be limited to my library again – and I’d rather have full internet audio access.
Hey, thanks for your time.
I included this album cover because, A) I love this song, B) I discovered Against Me via satellite radio, C) the experts say you *have* to have an image in every post and D) the cat head (only) is my next tattoo. Left shoulder. Reversed out in black.
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Jason Fox
Jun 12, 2011
Jim,
You don’t say if your current stereo has bluetooth. I recently added a fairly cheap (under $200) Clarion to my car because it had both bluetooth and built-in iPod controls. I plugged in an old 5th-gen iPod and use the bluetooth for phone use and streaming. It’s been working very well in the six months I’ve had it. I don’t use Pandora that much, but you definitely can with this setup. Pretty much anything that outputs audio can be streamed over the bluetooth.
And if you’re wondering why I bother with the old iPod, the controls for it are much more robust that via BT. I get easier control over playlists, etc., and also get track/artist info which I miss over BT.
We, too, ditched satellite TV for OTA/Tivo/Netflix/AppleTV over two years ago. I miss some sports, news and the History channel, but not the $80/month bill.
Jim Mitchem
Jun 12, 2011
Our car stereo? Yeah, it doesn’t. It’s a 2005 model Chrysler and doesn’t even have a headphone jack (if it did, I reckon that would solve the problem).
On losing cable – we missed it at first. But suddenly our daughters don’t talk back to us like Miley talked back to Billy Ray. There are no coincidences.
Jason Fox
Jun 12, 2011
What model Chrysler?
Jim Mitchem
Jun 13, 2011
Pacifica
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Jeff Davis
Jun 25, 2011
Jim:
1) your blog rocks, always has, always will
2) 2005 Pacifica, I always knew you were a Ladies’ Man
For the car, unless you are up for wiring a mini RCA Jack into your car audio system, FM is your best bet.
For home, check into a Logitech SqueezeBox. I love mine. Streams audio plus Pandora, etc.
Oh yeah, I am waiting for your Rush tracks on turntable.fm. 2112!!!
Jim Mitchem
Jun 25, 2011
Note, the Pacifica is my wife’s car. I have an FM jack for my truck (1993 Range Rover). I’ll check into the Squeezebox. Thanks Jeff.
Remember, Range Rover. Manly. Bad gas mileage and everything.
Tim
May 25, 2012
did you ever get the tattoo? upload a photo.
Jim Mitchem
May 26, 2012
I did not. Not yet. Thanks for the reminder.
Reta
Jun 4, 2017
Satellite radio will die soon anyway, but Apple will accidentally perform a mercy killing of Sirius XM Radio this summer.
My novel – Minor King
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