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If the new satellite radio products are any indication, the format has a bright future. During the first week of September, Kenwood and Antex Electronics announced new Sirius satellite receivers, and XM Radio has already dropped the price on its recently introduced "XM PCR," a controller that lets you listen to XM via your computer.

On September 3, Kenwood USA announced the impending arrival of its DT-7000S, the industry's first "dedicated home satellite radio receiver." Unveiled at the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis, the $300 DT-7000S will arrive at electronics dealers in October. Like Kenwood's "Here2Anywhere" Sirius tuner that doubles as a mobile or home audio device, the remote-controllable DT-7000S delivers 60 streams of commercial-free music, with an onscreen scrolling display of artist and song title. The receiver's "song seek" feature lets users check what's playing on other streams without cutting off their current selection. A "memo" feature bookmarks artist and song title for later retrieval.

The DT-7000S also delivers Sirius' 40 streams of talk, news, and entertainment. An RS-232C port on the back allows custom installers or home audio enthusiasts to "take full control, accessing our streams from a remote location," according to Larry Pesce, vice president of product management at Sirius. "This is a terrific feature for those looking to network their home audio components." A Sirius subscription is $12.95 per month, plus, of course, the purchase of a receiver or tuner and accessories. Subscribers can expand to more than one receiver or tuner for $6.99/unit.

Just two days after Kenwood's announcement, and right in time for the CEDIA Expo, Antex Electronics unveiled its three-zone Sirius receiver, the SRX-3 TriplePlay, described as the "world's first satellite radio specifically designed for use in multi-room, multi-zone audio systems." The SRX-3 combines multiple tuners in a single component, allowing listeners in different rooms to play different Sirius streams simultaneously over a single distributed audio system.

Controllable via IR or RS-232, the SRX-3 is claimed to "integrate easily with popular entertainment control systems from Crestron, AMX, Sonance, Niles, Elan, Kenwood, and other companies." The three-zone Antex receiver has a backlit 160 x 240 alphanumeric display. Also suitable for commercial use—Sirius takes care of BMI/ASCAP royalties—the SRX-3 will be available in November. A non-commercial subscription to Sirius for those using the SRX-3 will be $26.85/month, according to the announcement. The receiver's suggested retail price is $1695.

At the other end of the pricing spectrum is a new digital satellite radio controller for use with personal computers. Now only $49.95, XM Radio's "XM PCR" lets you control your XM receiver from your computer, with a full screen of song titles and stream options. All of XM's offerings across the service's 100 channels can be displayed, if you wish. The XM PCR also lets you save song titles and artists' names.

Unlike streaming media over the Internet, XM PCR is no "bandwidth hog" because its signal comes from a satellite, not from over the Internet. It also doesn't need to compete with computer sound effects, because its audio output can be fed to an external amplifier. In effect, the XM PCR lets you use your computer as a controller for an entire XM-based audio system. Included with the XM PCR is a small antenna (with about 20' of cable), which needs to be placed in a south-facing window. In addition to the purchase price, the XM PCR requires a $9.95/month XM subscription (an additional $6.99/month and a second receiver expands the service to XM's "Family Plan").