Grandfathered Vision users + Power Vision phone = Low bandwidth SIRIUS

[FloorMatt]

Well, since I am using Grandfathered Vision with a Power Vision phone......I thought I would give SIRIUS a try, on the phone. You get one sample station (SIRIUS Hits 1), and it sounds great and all! So, I went into the Content Catalog, and purchased SIRIUS.

I tried out the channels.....and I noticed something.......the sound.

And I finally figured it out; since I'm not on a Power Vision plan, I don't have access to the EV-DO version of SIRIUS in Content Catalog or elsewhere. The free station sounded great, because it is the EV-DO version of SIRIUS; the same station appears among the main channels....and is the non-EV-DO version of the free one. (It even says "EV-DO" in the free channel.)

So, perhaps this is a good sign that I have no Power Vision plan of any kind, on my line? Of course, I won't be able to get the food sounding SIRIUS, though. :(

[fatboy]

I used the EVDO Sirus channel 1 today, and the Ultimate sprintv in an EVDO area was very fluid and looked awsome

[FloorMatt]

I used the EVDO Sirus channel 1 today, and the Ultimate sprintv in an EVDO area was very fluid and looked awsome

Yeah, if only I could get the SIRIUS EV-DO version.......without changing to a Power Vision. I can accept this "punishment" if my plan stays the same.

[fatboy]

Id be happy having EVDO at home being im paying for it :(

[FloorMatt]

Id be happy having EVDO at home being im paying for it :(

Well, I was surprised.......but it seems that my whole area is covered with EV-DO; but it doesn't show that on the coverage map.

Hopefully, you'll have it soon. :)

[imtravis]

That's odd, I signed up for the Sirius, and I have an EV-DO phone, but never upgraded to PowerVision, and I got the EV-DO version. Sounds great. I've been using it when I want to listen to music and I'm not in my truck. Too bad it stops every so often and prompts you to continue (tried to use it for a radio at night).

[FloorMatt]

That's odd, I signed up for the Sirius, and I have an EV-DO phone, but never upgraded to PowerVision, and I got the EV-DO version. Sounds great. I've been using it when I want to listen to music and I'm not in my truck. Too bad it stops every so often and prompts you to continue (tried to use it for a radio at night).

How/Where did you order it from? I ordered #23 SIRIUS Music (I guess that's what it is called)

[phatguy471]

You sure you are in a power vision area? I have a grandfathered plan and ive gotten everything EV-D0 I dont think it would matter.

[FloorMatt]

You sure you are in a power vision area? I have a grandfathered plan and ive gotten everything EV-D0 I dont think it would matter.

Yup, I wasn't expecting I would be in a PV area YET (according to the current map, it seems I'm on the edge)......but, I am getting the Power Vision arrows wherever I go, in my area.

[imtravis]

Just checked.. it's Radio Channel 23, but the PV arrows are a flashing, so I'm guessing it's using PV. Sounds great.

[FloorMatt]

Well, when I accessed it......I was using Power Vision. However, none of the channels specifically said they were EV-DO stations. And the FREE SIRIUS Hits 1 says: "SIRIUS Hits 1 - EVDO"; the SIRIUS Hits 1 that comes with the SIRIUS package I got.....did NOT say EV-DO on it, and the sound was not the same quality. (All of this, still in the same Power Vision area)

:indiff: I really wanted them all to sound like the free one.

[imtravis]

When I tried it in a NON-PV area, it still sounded great. Mine sounds like the free one as long as I'm getting a good Sprint signal. I just don't listen to the freebie stuff any more.. Love to listen to my country muzak. Now, I hope they put Howard Stern on there next year.. that'd kick ass.

[a_c_s]

I've been using it on the 9000 and Sirius sounds pretty good to me...I am also on a grandfathered vision plan and bought the 23 channel package...none of my stations list EVDO next to them although I think the hits station does sound a little better than the rest...although I would venture to say top 20 digital music today will sound better than a lot of the classic digitally remastered stuff I listen to no matter what, so it is kind of apples to oranges if you follow me (ie on a tonal basis, 50 cent will sound better than Led Zeppelin remastered)...

I unsubscribed to Sirius yesterday and it will be out of my content mgr on the 5th of Dec...at that point, I will see if my free hits station changes from Sirius Hits 1 to Sirius Hits 1 - EVDO...I have to say that the Hits station I have now is really really crisp and I have been impressed with the quality...

[FloorMatt]

Yep, that's the thing right there. The free Hits station is the only EV-DO station I'm getting.........the "paid version" sounds totally different. I was obviously not getting the EV-DO versions of the stations.

[DulacLancelot]

When I tried it in a NON-PV area, it still sounded great. Mine sounds like the free one as long as I'm getting a good Sprint signal. I just don't listen to the freebie stuff any more.. Love to listen to my country muzak. Now, I hope they put Howard Stern on there next year.. that'd kick ass.

if, to you, it sounds the same between PV and NON-PV areas, either you don't discern the difference, or you are getting the lower-grade performance in both areas. perhaps your bitrate somehow gets bottlenecked to below 1xRTT rates at a point before it hits the airwaves, and if that is the situation, i'm not sure that we can use your experiences as a test case. as for myself, i agree with FloorMatt; the sound quality difference is very noticeable. of course, that is, if i'm listening with the earbuds or have it hooked up to speakers or something... you're not gonna really be able to tell much by the phone speakers probably.

the sound quality is noticeable to me in two different test cases. first, i listen to the free Siruis Hits channel (marked EVDO), in an EVDO area. then, i switch the phone over to 1xRTT only mode, and listen again to that same music channel, and the same song is playing, and it sounds decidedly less clear. the second case is that of FloorMatt's original complaint. i actually bought the Siruis Music package, and then i listen to the Siruis Hits channel (not marked EVDO) from within the package that i just bought. didn't sound so good. then i go and listen to the free Siruis Hits channel again, and it sounds great.


i think what is really missing from this thread is the experiences of someone who DOES have a bonafide Powervision plan AND subscribes to Siruis music. for such a person, the following tests would be much appreciated:

1) Listen to the free Siruis Hits station in an EVDO area. then, go into 1xRTT mode only and listen to the station again. if you can easily hear a difference then great! if not, i guess this experiment is not going to work for you and your location. switch back to Hybrid mode after you are done checking this, of course.

2) Listen to both the Siruis Hits station that you've subscribed to (SIRIUS MUSIC -> Pop -> Sirius Hits 1) and then free one (SIRIUS Hits -> Siruis Hits 1) and see if you can tell a difference. if you cannot now, then you must be subscribed to the EVDO version of the Siruis Stations. if you still can, i guess only the free station is of the higher quality, and all Siruis subscriptions, whether with or without true Powervision plans, are of the same lower-than-the-free-one quality.


thanks to anyone who tries this test out for us! it would be good to know, so as to gauge whether one should upgrade to a real Powervision plan or not.

[phil2cool]

I know that the Bit rate on Sirius Hits 1- EVDO is way better than the standard stations. I pisses me off that I found that station. I have not been able to find any high bit rate channels yet. Now that I know there is something better I don't want to listen to the lower quality channels.

[DulacLancelot]

ok, so now i officially do have a Powervision code on my account.

and Sirius sound quality (except for the free station) is still bad. please, don't just reply, "nuh uh, it's great." not being able to tell a difference only proves that the precision of your measurement tools (your ears in this case) is less than the amount of difference in quality there is between Sirius and MSpot. it does not prove that the quality is the same. on the other hand, the many people on here that claim that Sirius quality is subpar does points towards a difference.

MSpot (or Sprint Radio now) sounds great, even when i switch to 1xRTT. but i get 136kbps even when i'm in 1xRTT so that should be plenty good regardless.

i would have to agree that it must be the codec used which hurts paid Sirius. i hear that even Sirius feeds to their satelite radios are 64kbps max, most being around 32kbps, and they still sound good.

anyway, the main point of this post is that there is still no evidence that an application or media server can check your account for some this-guy-has-EVDO flag and decide a bitrate or something accordingly.

[obendega@gmail.]

2) Listen to both the Siruis Hits station that you've subscribed to (SIRIUS MUSIC -> Pop -> Sirius Hits 1) and then free one (SIRIUS Hits -> Siruis Hits 1) and see if you can tell a difference. if you cannot now, then you must be subscribed to the EVDO version of the Siruis Stations. if you still can, i guess only the free station is of the higher quality, and all Siruis subscriptions, whether with or without true Powervision plans, are of the same lower-than-the-free-one quality.

I can say for sure that when I go to SIRIUS Hits -> Siruis Hits 1 it is crystal clear and when I go to SIRIUS MUSIC -> Pop -> Sirius Hits 1 it sounds terrible. I baught the Sirius channels based on the fantastic sound of the free one so this sucks.

[cmart4]

i have a fusic and have subscribed to both sirius ad sprint music and was not impressed with either one (unsubscribed from both this week). while the sound basically kinda sucked on both, the real deal-breaker was the constant buffering of both, even when i had over 3 to max bars of signal. money not well spent, at least not for me.