Sirius is the company BMW has partnered with to offer sattelite radio in it's cars. Sirius offers over 100 channels of radio all commercial free. Since it is sattelite radio the stations work anywhere in North America not like your local radio stations which only work in your local area.
If you have any additions or comments please post them below for other forum members and web site visitors to read.
Originally Posted by Lomag' date='Aug 5 2004, 07:46 PM
What is Sirius?
Sirius is the company BMW has partnered with to offer sattelite radio in it's cars. Sirius offers over 100 channels of radio all commercial free. Since it is sattelite radio the stations work anywhere in North America not like your local radio stations which only work in your local area.
If you have any additions or comments please post them below for other forum members and web site visitors to read.
[snapback]21499[/snapback]
How do you know if you have Sat radio. Do you need the nav option?
__________________
545i Saphire Black, Auburn Interior, Sun Shades, Cold/Sport package, Front and Rear Sensors, and other stuff I may not know of.........
Originally Posted by Prodigal545i' date='Aug 31 2005, 12:52 PM
[quote name='Lomag' date='Aug 5 2004, 07:46 PM']What is Sirius?
Sirius is the company BMW has partnered with to offer sattelite radio in it's cars. Sirius offers over 100 channels of radio all commercial free. Since it is sattelite radio the stations work anywhere in North America not like your local radio stations which only work in your local area.
If you have any additions or comments please post them below for other forum members and web site visitors to read.
[snapback]21499[/snapback]
How do you know if you have Sat radio. Do you need the nav option?
[snapback]165665[/snapback]
[/quote]
You don't need Nav to have the Sat radio. Mine has Sat and no Nav. If available on your car it should appear in the Entertainment menu between radio and CD.
Originally Posted by V70Cat' post='696897' date='Oct 19 2008, 09:32 AM
I am getting a new 535 with Sirius, I understand that you get one year free and then have to pay, what is the cost?
Currently, it's $12.95/month but you can get a discount if you subscribe for a longer term and pay a lump sum up front.
With the merger of Sirius and XM, there are some new packages that offer programming from both providers (and currently costs $16.95/month) but as of now, the hardware in the BMW does not support these new packages...
__________________
2011 550i in Alpine White/Venetian Beige Dakota Leather/Light Wood Trim with: M-Sport Package, Sport Automatic Transmission, Active Ventilated Seat Package, Convenience Package, Cold Weather Package, Driver Assistance Package, Dynamic Handling Package, Premium Package 2, Integral Active Steering, Ski Bag, Split Fold-Down Rear Seats, 4-Zone Automatic Climate Control, Side and Top View Cameras, Head-up Display, Smartphone Integration, Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection, and Combox Controller. (In other words, I got everything except x-Drive and the Rear Seat Entertainment System...) Build completed October 6, 2010. Current software version = F010-10-09-522 (ISTA version 2.39.4)
2008 Alpine White 550i SAT & 2004 Alpine White 545i SMG -- gone but not forgotten! Miss you JDN!
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='696911' date='Oct 19 2008, 10:32 AM
Currently, it's $12.95/month but you can get a discount if you subscribe for a longer term and pay a lump sum up front.
With the merger of Sirius and XM, there are some new packages that offer programming from both providers (and currently costs $16.95/month) but as of now, the hardware in the BMW does not support these new packages...
I really enjoy the SAT radio option on my BMW. And I got the discounted price with a one-year subscription. You also, with your subscription, can access Sirius online and get a limited number of channels to listen on your PC.
Earlier this year at one of the car shows I saw a demo of Sirius' future "interactive" receiver. For travelers it will download local information and presented it in a graphical fashion. Some of the info will include gasoline prices and traffic data. I don't know if those receivers are out yet.
SAT radio on BMW's doesn't offer this utility. Newer BMW Nav includes traffic updates and I suppose those of us in the US will get more data pushed to our cars in the years ahead. I've not actually used Microsoft's solutions on new Ford products but their ads look pretty slick. Their voice interaction (once again based on their advertising) looks more intuitive than BMW's current solutions.
__________________ My opinions are free - you'll get exactly what you pay for!
Originally Posted by luigi524td' post='696913' date='Oct 19 2008, 10:39 AM
I saw a demo of Sirius' future "interactive" receiver at one of the car shows this year. For travelers it downloaded local information and presented it in a graphical manner. Some of the info included gasoline prices and traffic data.
SAT radio on BMW's doesn't offer this utility. Newer BMW Nav includes traffic updates and I suppose those of us in the US will get more data pushed to our cars in the years ahead. I've not actually used Microsoft's solutions on new Ford products but their ads look pretty slick. Their voice interaction (once again based on their advertising) looks more intuitive than BMW's current solutions.
The interactive stuff is called Sirius "Travel Link" http://www.sirius.com/travellink and, right now, is only offered on Ford products. The Travel Link offering is similar to the "Backseat TV" offering I have on my Chrysler. Eventually, I assume more and more car manufacturers will enable their hardware to support these and newer offerings...
__________________
2011 550i in Alpine White/Venetian Beige Dakota Leather/Light Wood Trim with: M-Sport Package, Sport Automatic Transmission, Active Ventilated Seat Package, Convenience Package, Cold Weather Package, Driver Assistance Package, Dynamic Handling Package, Premium Package 2, Integral Active Steering, Ski Bag, Split Fold-Down Rear Seats, 4-Zone Automatic Climate Control, Side and Top View Cameras, Head-up Display, Smartphone Integration, Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection, and Combox Controller. (In other words, I got everything except x-Drive and the Rear Seat Entertainment System...) Build completed October 6, 2010. Current software version = F010-10-09-522 (ISTA version 2.39.4)
2008 Alpine White 550i SAT & 2004 Alpine White 545i SMG -- gone but not forgotten! Miss you JDN!
I love the way a thread from 2004 can just "reappear" nearly 4 years later! 
Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, 
RPi GT Exhaust, 
M rear spoiler,
ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, 
Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, 
K&N Filter, 
Linear Mode
