Did a search and found threads referencing Sirius being installed at a later date. The posts were about 6 months old. I’m considering purchasing a system and was wondering if there is an ETA on when Sirius may be available?

Thanks

We currently do not offer online XMSirius, however, we support several hardware based tuners that do.  In particular, we support ONKKO receivers and tuners, and some others.

DK - 31 March 2011 02:57 PM

We currently do not offer online XMSirius, however, we support several hardware based tuners that do.  In particular, we support ONKKO receivers and tuners, and some others.

In the media closet where my system would be located, I have an Onkyo TX SR 707 which powers my dedicated Home theater. It is Sirius ready. Is it correct that the tuner in my receiver can be configured in a way to run thru a Casa Tunes system? I am considering a Casa tunes 6 zone solution based on the XLI with amp and Keypads.

Yes.  You connect the audio from the receiver to the LIN 1 on the XLi card as well as connect a serial cable.  Then in CasaTunes setup you must configure the external source as an onkyo receiver.

DK - 31 March 2011 05:13 PM

Yes.  You connect the audio from the receiver to the LIN 1 on the XLi card as well as connect a serial cable.  Then in CasaTunes setup you must configure the external source as an onkyo receiver.

One more… If I decide to use a stand alone tuner instead of the receiver, will the software be compatible with the Sirius brand component tuner? Besides Onkyo, Russound and Nuvo, what other brands are compatible with the software? It looks like the Onkyo tuner requires a plugin module that tunes the satellites with an antenna needing line of sight, do you know if that is correct or will it tune thru the Internet? My media closet is not close to a means for line sight and running more wires would be a headache since all the structured wiring is finished. Do you know if any of the brands of tuner you support will tune Sirius/XM thru the Internet? Would be really nice if a future update incorporated Sirius Internet tuning. It would save an additional subscription and the cost of the equipment…

DK - 31 March 2011 05:13 PM

Yes.  You connect the audio from the receiver to the LIN 1 on the XLi card as well as connect a serial cable.  Then in CasaTunes setup you must configure the external source as an onkyo receiver.

Ok, I lied ... Couple more questions:

In trying to narrow down a system for my home, ease of use is a main issue. My wife is intimidated by electronics to a degree and I want a system that is ultra intuitive. we have 3 separate 5.1 or 7.1 sound systems in our home for 3 different rooms with TV’s. 2 of the systems are based on Onkyo receivers and one is a Denon. I want all 3 rooms that use these systems to also be incorporated into my whole house system.

1. My home will have 8 zones (if i make the powered 5.1 systems I already have zones), so I am looking at the XLE system now. The features state it can be used to control a home theater sysytem to incorporate it as a zone. Can it control 3 systems so they can all be used as zones? 2 of the receivers for the theaters are located in the media closet where the casa tunes server will be, one is in a second room.

2. How would you suggest controlling the zones where the theater systems are installed? I would like to setup the system so that one device can be used to control the casa tunes system and the home theater. Is there a clean way to do this with an iPad or iPod based system that can incorporate remote control for the home theater? Can the casa tunes software be used as the base for controlling the theaters or is it necessary to use multiple apps and switch between them to control the whole house setup in the theater?

Bumping my post for a reply….

Sorry for the slow response. Thanks for being patient and reminding us!!

I believe that CasaTunes is perfect for your wife! Very easy to use, but still very powerful.

Answers to your questions:
1. Using the BitWise controller in conjunction with CasaTunes you can control the 3 systems as outputs of CasaTunes. See the documentation about using Bitwise at http://www.casatunes.com/guides. It shows examples of using Bitwise to control external home theaters (and similar audio devices) on outputs of CasaTunes and how to add non-standard external input devices. The only thing you will need to be aware of is that you may have to route some type of control cable to the 3rd system.
In the advanced part of the Zones setup in CasaTunes Setup, you can assign commands and macros that are triggered by CasaTunes when power to the zone is turned on/off, mute is turned on/off, and when the volume in the zone is changed. Tutorial 2 in our guide shows how to do this.
Since it is impossible for us to do a detailed analysis of your system layout, I suggest that you download the trial (full functioning software) and see if you can set it up to do what you want to do. It is very powerful and pretty easy to set up.

2. Using BitWise’s design software you could create screens to control the 3 systems for non-CasaTunes functions using BitWise’s iPhone control app. You would only have to switch back and forth between their app and our app, in this case.
If you are technically inclined, I have some ideas for more advanced installers on how to use the BitWise control screens inside CasaTunes to do what you are requesting using methods similar to the one in example 1 of our guide. In this case, you could control non-CasaTunes functions in that zone or switch to CasaTunes. If you are interested, send an email to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Kim - 05 April 2011 12:03 PM

Sorry for the slow response. Thanks for being patient and reminding us!!

I believe that CasaTunes is perfect for your wife! Very easy to use, but still very powerful.

Answers to your questions:
1. Using the BitWise controller in conjunction with CasaTunes you can control the 3 systems as outputs of CasaTunes. See the documentation about using Bitwise at http://www.casatunes.com/guides. It shows examples of using Bitwise to control external home theaters (and similar audio devices) on outputs of CasaTunes and how to add non-standard external input devices. The only thing you will need to be aware of is that you may have to route some type of control cable to the 3rd system.
In the advanced part of the Zones setup in CasaTunes Setup, you can assign commands and macros that are triggered by CasaTunes when power to the zone is turned on/off, mute is turned on/off, and when the volume in the zone is changed. Tutorial 2 in our guide shows how to do this.
Since it is impossible for us to do a detailed analysis of your system layout, I suggest that you download the trial (full functioning software) and see if you can set it up to do what you want to do. It is very powerful and pretty easy to set up.

2. Using BitWise’s design software you could create screens to control the 3 systems for non-CasaTunes functions using BitWise’s iPhone control app. You would only have to switch back and forth between their app and our app, in this case.
If you are technically inclined, I have some ideas for more advanced installers on how to use the BitWise control screens inside to do what you are requesting using methods similar to the one in example 1 of our guide. In this case, you could control non-CasaTunes functions in that zone or switch to CasaTunes. If you are interested, send an email to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Thanks for the reply. I will send an email to support as well to review the BitWise programming. Can you also answer the tuner question in the post above the one you replied to?

Thanks for your help and patience.

Sorry, I missed your last tuner question.
CasaTunes does not directly support the Sirius or XM tuners, other than what is built into Onkyo, NuVo and Russound. Those are the only tuners that we currently support. You are correct that these tuners will not tune via the Internet.
Using BitWise, you can control any other tuner that allows IR or serial control. Just create a control screen for that source and when you select that tuner, you will be able to control it.
We may offer support for XM/Sirius via the internet in the future, but with all the great choices on RadioTime and SHOUTcast, it is not on the short list , sorry!