Satellite Radio Vs. Other Formats
Satellite radio differs from AM or FM radio and digital television radio (or DTR) in the following ways. The table applies primarily to the United States.
| Radio format | Satellite radio | AM/FM | Digital television radio (DTR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fees | US$12.95 and up | Free | Free for terrestrial. Very low for cable TV or satellite — DTR represents a small portion of the total monthly television fee. |
| Portability | Available | Prominent | None — a typical set consists of a stereo attached to a television set-top box (the primary function of the set top-box is normally designed for viewing digital television on an analogue set). |
| Listening availability | Very high — a satellite signal's footprint covers millions of square kilometres. | Low to moderate — implementation of FM service requires moderate to high population densities and is thus not practical in rural and/or remote locales; AM travels great distances at night. | Very high |
| Sound quality | Varies² | AM: Usually very low, but can be the highest FM: Usually Moderate, but can be very high |
Varies² |
| Variety and depth of programming | Highest | Variable — highly dependent upon economic/demographic factors | Variable - dependent on location and the television provider - for cable and satellite, dependent on the various packages they provide and on the user's subscription. |
| Frequency of programming interruptions (by DJs or commercial advertising)³ | None to high - mostly dependent on the channels, some of which have DJs; most channels are advertisement-free because of the paid subscription model of satellite radio. | Highest4 | None to low - dependent on the provider; however, it is common that some stations will have DJs. Usually no advertisements on subscription services (DirecTV and Dish Network both claim to provide advertisement-free content). |
| Governmental regulation | Yes5 | Yes — significant governmental regulations regarding content6 | Yes for terrestrial. For cable and satellite, low to none 5 |
² The sound quality with both satellite radio providers and DTR providers varies with each channel. Some channels have near CD-quality audio, and others use low-bandwidth audio suitable only for speech. Since only a certain amount of bandwidth is available within the licenses available, adding more channels means that the quality on some channels must be reduced. Both the frequency response and the dynamic range of satellite channels can be superior to most, but not all AM or FM radio stations, as most AM and FM stations clip the audio peaks to sound louder; even the worst channels are still superior to most AM radios, but a very few AM tuners are equal to or better than the best FM or satellite broadcasts when tuned to a local station, even if not capable of stereo. AM does not suffer from multipath distortion or flutter in a moving vehicle like FM, nor does it become silent as you go behind a big hill like satellite radio.
³ Some satellite radio services and DTR services act as in situ repeaters for local AM/FM stations and thus feature a high frequency of interruption.
4 Nonprofit stations and public radio networks such as CBC/Radio-Canada, NPR, and PRI-affiliated stations and the BBC are commercial-free. In the US, all stations are required to have periodic station identifications and public service announcements.
5 In the United States, the FCC regulates technical broadcast spectrum only. Program content is unregulated. However, the FCC has tried in the past to expand its reach to regulate content to satellite radio and cable television, and its options are still open to attempt such in the future. The FCC does issue licenses to both satellite radio providers (XM and Sirius) and controls who holds these licenses to broadcast.
6 Degree of content regulation varies by country; however, the majority of industrialized nations have regulations regarding obscene and/or objectionable content.
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