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Since the invention of the vacuum tube, music lovers have sought the ultimate in sound reproduction. While tubes have recently made a comeback in some audiophile circles, transistors still rule. But, with the pop and crackle of vinyl discs, the funky loops of 8-tracks, and the warble and drag of cassettes, it wasn't until the birth of the compact disc--and the move from analog to digital recording and reproduction--that music lovers were close to being satisfied. The advantages of CD playback systems are too numerous to mention. The disadvantage (with CDs and all forms of recorded music) is that those of us whose musical tastes exceed the narrow range of most radio stations are forced to spend piles of cash on amassing vast quantities of CDs and storage racks and deal with the tedium of programming them all. There had to be a better way. There is. Digital Music Express (DMX) Direct is a satellite delivered stand-alone music service which provides nearly 100 channels of stereo, CD-quality music 24 hours a day with no disc jockeys and no commercial interruptions. Launched in 1991 by founder Jerry Rubinstein, former chairman of United Artist and ABC Records, DMX offers an abbreviated service to cable subscribers and Primestar customers and a full DMX Direct service to subscribers of their Telstar 402 data stream. Originally designed for businesses as a background music service a la Muzak, DMX Direct has caught the fancy of music lovers and audiophiles.
 The DMX satellite receiver For just $15 a month, you can listen to more than one million CDs in nearly every conceivable music format on the planet. That's no exaggeration. Imagine a music service that plays the latest African, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Greek, French, Turkish, Irish, Flemish, Dutch and Danish music. Did I mention Caribbean, Indian, Eastern Mediterranean? How about Hebrew hits? And that's just 18 of the 70 channels. There are separate channels for Bluegrass, Traditional Blues, Contemporary Blues, Folk Music, Folk Rock, Dixieland, Acid Jazz, Big Band, Alterative, and New Age. Can't get to sleep at night? There's an Environment Sounds channel with selections like "country meadow" and "tropical rainforest." The list goes on and on. The complete DMX home system consists of a receiver, a dish antenna with feed horn and cables to bring the signal to the house. The receiver is simplicity itself. There are only three front panel buttons and an LED display. On the back are connections for the dish and audio output to your stereo amp. But, what really sets DMX Direct apart from all other music services--aside from the sheer volume of offerings--is their unique DMX.DJ. This infra-red remote control not only accesses the receiver functions (channel change, volume, mute, etc.) but also has an LCD display screen which, when commanded, displays the title of the song currently playing, the author/composer, album title, record label and catalog number. DMX Direct is available two ways. If you have an existing C-band satellite TV system with Ku-Band capability, you need only the DMX receiver which costs about $800 (the remote control is included). You may also get DMX Direct as a stand-alone system complete with 29" dish and receiver (you provide the mounting pole and connecting cables). The complete system is around $1,000. Installation of the complete system is not difficult but could take a few days to complete. You can also have a professional do the installation for about $200. DMX Direct is available only through DMX, Inc. Their website has a complete list of channels available, list of dealers nearest you, and a complete line of...clothing!? - Ken Reitz [11/21/97]
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