Electronics : SIRIUS Sportster 5 Satellite Radio Receiver with Vehicle Kit |
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 The Sportster 5 features a large, easy-to-read 6-line display, and a gun-metal grey finish. View larger. |
 Move your music effortlessly between car, home, or office. |
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Rating:  - * I am in LOVE. ... After much consideration I finally broke down and bought into satellite ratio. I ended up purchasing the Sportster 5 because you can get the best of XM added to your Sirius package. So far the radio is great! I can't believe how much I like. It looks really nice and is very easy to use. Reception is very good. I ended up having it professionally installed for a cleaner look and added the FM direct connection. Rating:  - * Frequent Problems ... Perhaps I just got a bad receiver, but I've had problems with this receiver since about a month after purchase. It's never remembered my presets. It frequently gets stuck/hung up while updating channels, which was usually fixed by Sirius sending a reset signal to my receiver; however, this fix failed most recently, and the radio has been unusable for about a month now. It also started taking 15-30 seconds to start playing audio after start up saying it was "Acquiring Signal". Finally, very weak FM signal unless you have the direct connect or whatever its called. I've heard Sirius sent out a product notice about this issue and perhaps its been fixed in newer versions. Please note that the during all of this, the satellite receiver continually indicated full signal, so I don't think it was a problem with bad install or bad signal. I run out of patience dealing with Sirius's customer service system, so I guess I'll just buy a new receiver. The strange this is: I'll probably buy this one again in hopes I just got a faulty unit. Rating: - * Love this thing! ... This is my second Sirius Satellite radio; my first is a Stratus 4. This radio is incredible! The display is large and clear, and the 30 presets are more than I'll ever need. Probably my favorite option on this radio is the "memo," which allows me to save up to 30 songs or artists. When my favorites play anywhere on the dial, a little beep lets me know on what channel, and gives me an option to go to the song in a single click. I haven't really used the record option yet. I like the little remote, as well. it makes for really easy switching between channels. Unlike many, many other customers here, I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with customer service in the two or three times I've had to contact them. I might just be lucky in that regard. Or, it could be that the customer service is improving--who knows? The connections are easy; I use the direct connection through my car's tape deck. I understand that there may be many problems with the FM option. The sound is clear, and the volume control via the remote is very useful. The only real complaint I have is that, without the remote, it takes several steps to adjust the volume on the radio itself. I wish that were easier. But that's a small issue, really. I love Sirius, even though I'm not a Stern fan. Radio Margaritaville, Springsteen, the Dead, all have dedicated channels, and terrestrial radio has far, far too many commercials for my tastes any more. There's plenty of national news and talk from all over the political spectrum, and some good stations for more obscure classical rock music, as well. I really am enjoying my subscription. Rating:  - * great radio! ... my husband really likes this radio. the face is really neat with all the colors. he says it's a bit static-y at times but for the price of the radio, he says it's not worth complaining about. he loves the idea that he can rewind radio time so he doesnt miss anything. Rating: - * Great radio with the right connection to your car ... I bought this for my wife's Civic when her favorite local station changed formats. Installation was easy using the enclosed Vehicle Kit, but the FM reception was lousy. There was no direct plug in option on our 2004 car. But, here is the secret. I bought an FM relay ($15), a little box that plugs directly in between the external antenna and the car radio and connects to the Sirius. That means that her radio now receives an FM modulation signal from the Sportster with absolutely no interference. Voila, great reception. Sirius, should simply provide this accessory at no charge, but it is cheap enough to buy and worth it. |
But don't worry, there's plenty of wizardry and action in Goblet of Fire. When the deadly Triwizard Tournament is hosted by Hogwarts, Harry finds his name mysteriously submitted (and chosen) to compete against wizards from two neighboring academies, as well as another Hogwarts student. The competition scenes are magnificently shot, with much-improved CGI effects (particularly the underwater challenge). And the climactic confrontation with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes, in a brilliant bit of casting) is the most thrilling yet. Goblet, the first installment to get a PG-13 rating, contains some violence as well as disturbing images for kids and some barely shrouded references at sexual awakening (Harry's bath scene in particular). The 2 1/2-hour film, lean considering it came from a 734-page book, trims out subplots about house-elves (they're not missed) and gives little screen time to the standard crew of the other Potter films, but adds in more of Britain's finest actors to the cast, such as Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter. Michael Gambon, in his second round as Professor Dumbledore, still hasn't brought audiences around to his interpretation of the role he took over after Richard Harris died, but it's a small smudge in an otherwise spotless adaptation. --Ellen A. Kim
On the DVD
The highlight of the two-disc set is a half-hour conversation with actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. They discuss their reactions to the film and other topics with British writer Richard Curtis . Then they answer questions from contest-winning fans, such as what are their favorite kids' books (Watson bypasses the obvious answer in favor of Roald Dahl and Philip Pullman) and what scenes are they looking forward to in upcoming films. More routine extras include the "Reflections on the Fourth Film" featurette (14 min.), though it has comments from some of the other young cast members, and "Preparing for the Yule Ball" (9 min.). The 10 minutes of additional scenes are mostly skulking and skullduggery, plus a long musical number from the ball. The remaining material is grouped along the lines of the Triwizard Tournament, with behind-the-scenes looks at each of the competitions (about 22 min. total), two longer featurettes on He Who Must Not Be Named (11 min.) and the workday of the other contestants (Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski, and Clémence Poésy, 13 min.), and four games, playable with the directional arrows on the remote control, that can be frustrating to figure out. --David Horiuchi
