3 ms·

> why doesn't XM have 10s buffer? It's odd because some of the first generation Sirius radios touted "DVR" like functionality, which makes it clear that buffer

> why doesn't XM have 10s buffer? It's odd because some of the first generation Sirius radios touted "DVR" like functionality, which makes it clear that buffering is possible. I would imagine they started to phase out that element of the hardware because of cost (especially since most are bundled with the vehicle) In the same line of thinking, my navigation apps (Google Maps and Waze) also glitch out when driving through extended length tunnels (under Boston for example). I find this odd given that the app knows my route, and these tunnels are used by millions each year.

joezydeco 8y ago
I worked on some of those XM radios with the DVR/buffering capability, before the merger. Really, it was just limited to the amount of storage you had. I think the one I did allowed up to 30 minutes but of course you lost it when you switched channels. The music is so insanely compressed (the best channels were 32 kbit AAC+) and RAM/Flash is so much cheaper now, it could really be anything you wanted these days. The satellite signal itself has a bit of time diversity in it (in case one of the birds disappears), like about 1500 mSec worth, as well as terrestrial backup transmitters in most cities (SXM's dirty little secret), so if you really have loss of signal you must be underground for a while.
- brewdad 8y ago
  I lose reception in the forests outside my metro area. Exactly the place I would most want to use it since I have more than a few enjoyable radio stations available to me in the city. When I lose reception on them, I also tend to lose reception on XM. At least enough to be annoying.
nullsmack 8y ago
Even if it did, that would just delay your signal loss by 10 seconds. It only receives a signal so there's no way it could catch up with what it missed. A modern service could broadcast music files to your radio and then just schedule those, rather than sending a stream like a FM radio. But that's not how Sirius works now.

joezydeco 8y ago

I worked on some of those XM radios with the DVR/buffering capability, before the merger. Really, it was just limited to the amount of storage you had. I think the one I did allowed up to 30 minutes but of course you lost it when you switched channels. The music is so insanely compressed (the best channels were 32 kbit AAC+) and RAM/Flash is so much cheaper now, it could really be anything you wanted these days. The satellite signal itself has a bit of time diversity in it (in case one of the birds disappears), like about 1500 mSec worth, as well as terrestrial backup transmitters in most cities (SXM's dirty little secret), so if you really have loss of signal you must be underground for a while.

brewdad 8y ago
I lose reception in the forests outside my metro area. Exactly the place I would most want to use it since I have more than a few enjoyable radio stations available to me in the city. When I lose reception on them, I also tend to lose reception on XM. At least enough to be annoying.

nullsmack 8y ago

Even if it did, that would just delay your signal loss by 10 seconds. It only receives a signal so there's no way it could catch up with what it missed. A modern service could broadcast music files to your radio and then just schedule those, rather than sending a stream like a FM radio. But that's not how Sirius works now.