There are a couple of problems with the Foxtel IQ2 box that should be considered. Since having the box for a month I have encountered a number of frustrating issues.

Firstly the HDMI cable which is provided with the Box, will only emit a Stereo signal and not a 5.1 Surround sound signal. I have a Bose V20 surround sound system with HDMI input and noticed that while my other devices such as the DVD player and the Apple TV play 5.1 Surround sound through the cable, the Foxtel IQ2 Box doesn't. For people out there having the same issue, I managed to get around this issue by connecting the HDMI cable into the TV directly, while diverting the optical sound directly into the BOSE system. Both the Coax and the Optical output on the Foxtel IQ2 emit a 5.1 surround sound. With a little fiddling with the timing delay on the foxtel system setup, I managed to have the sound working in-sync with the image.

The second major issue and a rather frustrating one has been the Remote Control. For some reason I have noticed the remote behave very erratically and sometimes switch the Foxtel to standby, when just surfing through the channels. A little research and workshopping the issue, I noticed that there is unwanted IR interference from the Pioneer 42" Plasma TV. Apparently there are a number of TV's and other devices on the market that bleed IR signal from their IR points on the device. An easy fix for this is placing a small piece of baking paper over the IR points on each device, eliminating unwanted leakage. While this can be an ugly fix, I believe that it is the easiest for the time being, until Foxtel change the IR frequency for their boxes. I am not sure how easy this will be, however I have noticed that each remote controller has a 8 pin input port under the battery cover, which is used to program the device with the set top box. I would imagine that when they decide how to fix it, a service call will simply reprogram both the box and remote to match a new frequency.

Anyways hope this helps people. Otherwise this is a good product.

If anyone knows how to hax the HD inside the box, much like the Apple TV, please let me know. Even gaining access to the USB port would be handy, allowing additional HD's to be attached.

I have the same problem with the IQ2 remote control not working properly. I have a Panasonic 50" plasma. I am interested in your temporary fix as I am unable to get onto foxtel tech support. Do you place the baking paper over the IR receiver or the remote? Do you place it over the TV or IQ2 box or remote? or all of the above.

I plan to upgrade to IQ2 so that I can view ML Baseball in HD widescreen format. However, while surfing the Foxtel online TV Guide I noticed that no programs on ESPN HD contain the widescreen icon. I rang Foxtel Tech support and they implied that it was indeed possible to have HD in 4:3 format, although they would be surprised if most programs were not in 16:9. Could someone who has IQ2 please verify whether or not ESPN HD transmits in 16:9, 4:3 or a combination of both - in particular I would like to know how the baseball is transmitted. Thanks in advance, Steve.

Hi a better way to stop the problem is to colour a piece of sticky tape with a black texta then stick it over the IR receiver on the IQ2 box. It is about three centimetres to the left of centre. This has resolved all my remote probems and was suggested by Foxtel.