XM Satellite Radio and audio development company Neural Audio today announced that select XM channels would begin broadcasting in 5.1 surround sound later this year. XM plans to demo XM HD Surround at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
XM HD Surround, said the satellite radio company, will become available on new home audio systems from the likes of Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., and Yamaha in March 2006. The initial channels XM will broadcast in 5.1 surround sound, which the company says is a first for 24 hour a day stations, include free-form music channel Fine Tuning (XM Channel 76) and the classical pops music channel XM Pops (XM Channel 113) in XM HD Surround. XM will also broadcast a variety of special shows and live music performances at the XM studios in surround sound.
