New Web Page and Media Player

[Big Dawg 23]

Currently I am only an online subscriber and found today they have dated the website. Sirius and XM now both direct to siriusxm.com.

The big change is the media player. It is a new look. You have two ways to select a channel either via typing the channel number or using slide scale.

One nice thing gone is the need for the security code to sign in. It is now just User Name and Password.

 

[Steve Mehs]

Nice find! I hardly ever go to the website anymore. Good to see they have one website now and they have a new logo. Finally! It’s only been what, two years now. Now all they need is a more unified channel line up and billing and it would be great. I’ve had both XM and Sirius the early days and had the same username and passwords for both companies online account management. When I log in now under the combined system it asks me to choose if I want to manage my XM account or my Sirius account. It would be nice to migrate that over to one billing system. I pay $21.38 for XM Everything W/The Best Of Sirius and internet streaming and $18.39 for Sirius Everything W/The Best Of XM that’s $39.77. I should be paying $34.38. Not that I really care about the five bucks, but it the principle of the thing. And IMO, if you have some sort of additional plan beyond paying $12.95, they should throw in the online listening for free.

I’m not a big fan of the new online media player. I haven’t used Sirius’ in years, but I liked the XM Radio Online interface and even better was the ability to stream via Windows Media Player and be able to use the EQ. But I hardly ever listen online on the computer, usually I stream on my phone.

This whole XM Sirius merger, which I was always and still am 110% against, has to go down as the most F’d up merger of all time. We’ll probably never see a unified line up unless XM Canada and Sirius Canada decide to merge..

 

[DodgerKing]

I don't know what idiot decided to screw up on-line site, but they sure managed to do so. This new site simply sucks. There are no other words to describe it except, it sucks.

 

[DodgerKing]

And the new site does not let you save your password. I now have to log in every single time. Talk about the pain in the friggen arse. This will probably be the final straw that will push me into canceling my XM account, particualarly now that I am subscribing to MLB.TV. No need to use my XM radio to listen to baseball

 

[navychop]

....This whole XM Sirius merger, which I was always and still am 110% against, has to go down as the most F’d up merger of all time. .....

Oh no, that award has to go the the Sprint/Nextel "merger."

 

[DodgerKing]

Even worse, it does not have a nice list of your favorite channels on one nice page with what is currently being played, like the old layout. Now it is some lame scroll tool where you have to move your mouse over these little segments that are only 1/16 of an inch by 1/2 inch just to see what is playing. Who ever thought to change this should be immediately fired.

 

[DodgerKing]

Currently I am only an online subscriber and found today they have dated the website. Sirius and XM now both direct to siriusxm.com.

The big change is the media player. It is a new look. You have two ways to select a channel either via typing the channel number or using slide scale.

The dumbest idea ever created. A list of channels which showed what was currently playing without having to move your mouse over that lame scale was better

One nice thing gone is the need for the security code to sign in. It is now just User Name and Password.

Now it doesn't let you save your password so you have to reenter it every single time. A royal pain.

 

[Steve Mehs]

Oh no, that award has to go the the Sprint/Nextel "merger."

Actually I used to agree with you, but as a Nextel subscriber since 2002, I'm enjoying my Sprint service. I have two phones, one Nextel, one Sprint. I love the rate plans and the fact I can share just about unlimited everything between my two phones. Each phone serves a distinct purpose and it's nice to deal with one company. While I’m not a fan of the way Sprint treats iDEN, I do enjoy having both services combined.

 

[DodgerKing]

Just e-mailed them a complaint about the new layout, requesting that they at least change it to allow us to see a list of channels and what is currently playing for easy click and tune, particularly with our favorites. Hopefully I wont get some automated response

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I like it as it now lets me use the Official Sirius Radio App on my Logitech Squeezebox. Before this I needed to runa Squeezebox server on my network so I can load in 3rd party apps such as the XM app... but now that they are combine the Official Sirius App works great on it.

 

[DodgerKing]

I like it as it now lets me use the Official Sirius Radio App on my Logitech Squeezebox. Before this I needed to runa Squeezebox server on my network so I can load in 3rd party apps such as the XM app... but now that they are combine the Official Sirius App works great on it.

They can still change it to accommodate your squeezebox AND still keep the UI similar to the way it was before without that lame scroll bar. They can still allow a list of channels on the page or a list of favorites that shows what is currently playing and easy click to tune. Now when you click your favorite list it is just a simple list, with no direct tune ability and no list of what is being played.

The phone APP layout is better. You have a nice list of all of your favorites and what is currently being played on each one on one nice page. Simply click that station to tune directly to that song, this is the way the old UI on their website used to be

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No UI has no effect on the Squeezebox. The thing that they changed is now XM and SIRIUS customers listen on the same site so my XM login now appears to be a sirius login, this is why the official Sirius app on the Squeezebox now works.

I don't like the new player on the website with all the little hash marks for the channels. They are trying to be cute but cute is not functional.

 

[DodgerKing]

The old layout was like this (taken from an on-line image). Notice it listed the channels on a page and what is currently playing? You can see what is playing on all channels at one time and quickly tune to that channel.



The only way to see what is playing in the new layout is to move your mouse over the corresponding bar and you can only see one channel at time. I attached an image of the current UI. In order to tune to your favorites or even see what is currently playing you have to move your mouse over those tiny little bars on the top (see attachment #2).





Or they can make the UI similar to that of the phone APP. That too allows you to see what is playing on more than one channel at a time and allows you to quickly tune to those channels

 

[DodgerKing]

No UI has no effect on the Squeezebox. The thing that they changed is now XM and SIRIUS customers listen on the same site so my XM login now appears to be a sirius login, this is why the official Sirius app on the Squeezebox now works.

I don't like the new player on the website with all the little hash marks for the channels. They are trying to be cute but cute is not functional.

Exactly. It is that which my complaint is about

 

[sethwell]

My iPhone app is horrible. Constant buffering and today it would not play but would play using another app I had. Strange

 

[navychop]

Actually I used to agree with you, but as a Nextel subscriber since 2002, I'm enjoying my Sprint service. I have two phones, one Nextel, one Sprint. I love the rate plans and the fact I can share just about unlimited everything between my two phones. Each phone serves a distinct purpose and it's nice to deal with one company. While I’m not a fan of the way Sprint treats iDEN, I do enjoy having both services combined.

I was alluding to it not seeming to be as good a deal for Sprint as Sprint expected. They got a small, even tiny, number of subscribers and some technology which has turned out to be of little or no use to them. Subs aren't losing in the merger, but Sprint seems to have just thrown money down a rat hole.