Hot corner

A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, heard, observed, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here. One exception: No products will be endorsed.

What: NBA on Sirius satellite radio.

For those seeking to listen to more NBA playoff games on their car radio, Sirius satellite radio may be the answer.

Sirius, which launched last July, is one of the two pioneers in this fledgling satellite radio industry. The other is XM, which has been around longer. XM and Sirius, which can be picked up anywhere, each offer 100 channels -- 60 with uninterrupted music and 40 with talk, news, information and sports.

Of interest to sports fans is that Sirius began offering as many as 40 regular-season NBA games a week in February and is now offering every playoff game through the NBA Finals.

Sirius, which also offers ESPN Radio baseball broadcasts and sponsors the NASCAR race car driven by Jimmy Spencer, is hoping to boost sales through sports.

Although XM and Sirius have generally experienced customer satisfaction, they’ve struggled financially, reporting huge losses. Sirius avoided bankruptcy in March when 91% of its debt-holders agreed to exchange their debt for common stock as part of a $1.2-billion re-capitalization.

Sirius is the more expensive of the two services, costing $12.95 a month, compared to $9.95 for XM. But Sirius officials claim their service’s reception and sound quality are worth the difference in price. Equipment and installation cost $180 and up. However, some new cars come equipped with satellite radio. Sirius has exclusive deals with BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Mazda.

Sirius recently made a deal with Hertz to have its service equipped in rental cars at major airports.

-- Larry Stewart