iq2
Entertainment
10:24AM Nick Broughall | Last month, Foxtel announced that they were launching 30 new channels on the back of the Optus D3 satellite. What they didn’t mention was price. Now they have, and if you were crossing your fingers that they were going to just give you those bonus channels for free, you’re going to be a bit disappointed. Although it’s not all bad… More »
You Didn’t Think Those New Foxtel Channels Would Be Free, Did You?
10:24AM Nick Broughall | Last month, Foxtel announced that they were launching 30 new channels on the back of the Optus D3 satellite. What they didn’t mention was price. Now they have, and if you were crossing your fingers that they were going to just give you those bonus channels for free, you’re going to be a bit disappointed. Although it’s not all bad… More » 
Entertainment
1:30PM Nick Broughall | We’ve all been there – you’ve set the DVR to record your favourite program via the EPG. The next day you sit down to watch it and about 5 minutes from the end, right at the moment of climax, the recording ends, because the networks couldn’t care less about you and run their programs over time. Well, now the Foxtel iQ2 (but not the iQ) will let you extend the recording time up to 20 minutes after each program. More »
Foxtel’s iQ2 Now Lets You Record Up To 20 Minutes After A Show’s Finished
1:30PM Nick Broughall | We’ve all been there – you’ve set the DVR to record your favourite program via the EPG. The next day you sit down to watch it and about 5 minutes from the end, right at the moment of climax, the recording ends, because the networks couldn’t care less about you and run their programs over time. Well, now the Foxtel iQ2 (but not the iQ) will let you extend the recording time up to 20 minutes after each program. More »
Entertainment
2:30PM Nick Broughall | IceTV has a very, very good point on their blog today about planning your scheduled recordings around this week’s introduction of the One HD sports channel. As in, ‘If you don’t change your scheduled recording before March 26, you’ll probably miss the next episode of House in HD’. More »
Tip: If You Use IceTV / TiVo / Foxtel iQ’s Series Link To Record Programs On Ten HD, Adjust Them Now
2:30PM Nick Broughall | IceTV has a very, very good point on their blog today about planning your scheduled recordings around this week’s introduction of the One HD sports channel. As in, ‘If you don’t change your scheduled recording before March 26, you’ll probably miss the next episode of House in HD’. More »
Online
1:30PM Nick Broughall | And the battle for PVR of choice in your living room rages on, growing more and more violent with each passing week. This time, Foxtel has sent a mortar in the shape of an enhanced online EPG into TiVo’s camp. Foxtel have expanded their online EPG to 14 days, meaning you can check out upcoming TV shows and movies up to two weeks in advance. Plus, they’ve added a whole raft of new advanced search functions to help iQ subscribers find more of the shows that they want to watch, and then send the order to record directly to their iQ remotely.
Unfortunately, the TV EPG is still restricted to 7 days in advance, but watching the way this war is really building up, surely it can’t be too long before we see 14 days become the norm for all EPGs…
[Foxtel] More »
Foxtel Expands Its Online EPG To 14 Days
1:30PM Nick Broughall | And the battle for PVR of choice in your living room rages on, growing more and more violent with each passing week. This time, Foxtel has sent a mortar in the shape of an enhanced online EPG into TiVo’s camp. Foxtel have expanded their online EPG to 14 days, meaning you can check out upcoming TV shows and movies up to two weeks in advance. Plus, they’ve added a whole raft of new advanced search functions to help iQ subscribers find more of the shows that they want to watch, and then send the order to record directly to their iQ remotely.
Unfortunately, the TV EPG is still restricted to 7 days in advance, but watching the way this war is really building up, surely it can’t be too long before we see 14 days become the norm for all EPGs…
[Foxtel] More »
Entertainment
9:49AM Nick Broughall | Not content to sit back and watch TiVo take all the headlines in the PVR department, Foxtel snuck out a quick one-two at the Telstra Investor’s Day last week regarding their upcoming IPTV offering and a service called iQ2Go.
The IPTV service, which uses the currently disabled ethernet jack on the back of the iQ2 box, will let users download video on demand over the internet, and will be launched in the first half of next year. Of course, we’ve known that IPTV was coming to Foxtel sooner rather than later (why put an ethernet port in the back if you’re not going to use it?), but this is the first definitive timeframe we’ve heard.
The service will be available to all iQ2 subscribers, but at the moment they haven’t worked out any agreements to have content unmetered, meaning you’ll probably end up paying for the content twice.
But the more exciting news was the announcement of the iQ2Go device, which will let you take programs stored on your iQ and play them back on a portable device. More »
Foxtel Launching 16GB USB Key For iQ2Go IPTV Entertainment On The Move
9:49AM Nick Broughall | Not content to sit back and watch TiVo take all the headlines in the PVR department, Foxtel snuck out a quick one-two at the Telstra Investor’s Day last week regarding their upcoming IPTV offering and a service called iQ2Go.
The IPTV service, which uses the currently disabled ethernet jack on the back of the iQ2 box, will let users download video on demand over the internet, and will be launched in the first half of next year. Of course, we’ve known that IPTV was coming to Foxtel sooner rather than later (why put an ethernet port in the back if you’re not going to use it?), but this is the first definitive timeframe we’ve heard.
The service will be available to all iQ2 subscribers, but at the moment they haven’t worked out any agreements to have content unmetered, meaning you’ll probably end up paying for the content twice.
But the more exciting news was the announcement of the iQ2Go device, which will let you take programs stored on your iQ and play them back on a portable device. More »
Gadgets
1:04PM Nick Broughall | Back when the latest iteration of Foxtel’s iQ launched, one of the most interesting aspects was that there was a 4th HD digital tuner inside, except it was just lying there like some kind of fairytale princess waiting to be woken up by a digital Prince Charming.
Well, the good news is that the digital prince will be rolling out to iQ2 boxes around the country starting next week to activate the sleeping 4th tuner. Once it’s been woken up, Princess Tuner Number 4 will allow you to record two channels at the same time as watching a third channel live (at the moment you can only record two and either watch one of them, or watch something already recorded to the HDD or watch one of the On Demand movies or shows).
All iQ2 subscribers should be getting the update rolled out by December 1, but you won’t be notified when it’s been upgraded. It’s also a staggered rollout, so you’ll just have to keep trying to record Futurama at the same time as The Daily Show and Star Trek Voyager to see if you’ve been updated yet.
[Foxtel] More »
Foxtel Activating That 4th Tuner In Your iQ2
1:04PM Nick Broughall | Back when the latest iteration of Foxtel’s iQ launched, one of the most interesting aspects was that there was a 4th HD digital tuner inside, except it was just lying there like some kind of fairytale princess waiting to be woken up by a digital Prince Charming.
Well, the good news is that the digital prince will be rolling out to iQ2 boxes around the country starting next week to activate the sleeping 4th tuner. Once it’s been woken up, Princess Tuner Number 4 will allow you to record two channels at the same time as watching a third channel live (at the moment you can only record two and either watch one of them, or watch something already recorded to the HDD or watch one of the On Demand movies or shows).
All iQ2 subscribers should be getting the update rolled out by December 1, but you won’t be notified when it’s been upgraded. It’s also a staggered rollout, so you’ll just have to keep trying to record Futurama at the same time as The Daily Show and Star Trek Voyager to see if you’ve been updated yet.
[Foxtel] More »
Entertainment
1:45PM Nick Broughall | The free-to-air networks this week got together and officially announced that they are planning on bringing the Freeview brand to Australia. Awesome. My hands are fighting back the urge to start clapping as I type this.
For those not in the know, Freeview is a UK branding exercise that covers free-to-air digital television. It essentially offers all the FTA networks digital TV offerings under one easy to remember brand name, essentially so that it can compete better with pay TV.
Considering the success Foxtel is experiencing at the moment, this is actually a good move for the FTA networks. Freeview will act as a standard that various DVR manufacturers will be
able to adopt to ensure that they can provide an accurate EPG for home
entertainment recording. This will allow other PVRs to seriously compete with the likes of TiVo and Foxtel’s iQ2 box.
Freeview will incorporate 15 channels from the FTA networks, including the high-def channels and the upcoming SD multi-channel offerings, and is tasked to drive up the digital offerings available on free-to-air TV.
More »
Freeview Officially Launching In 2009. Yawn.
1:45PM Nick Broughall | The free-to-air networks this week got together and officially announced that they are planning on bringing the Freeview brand to Australia. Awesome. My hands are fighting back the urge to start clapping as I type this.
For those not in the know, Freeview is a UK branding exercise that covers free-to-air digital television. It essentially offers all the FTA networks digital TV offerings under one easy to remember brand name, essentially so that it can compete better with pay TV.
Considering the success Foxtel is experiencing at the moment, this is actually a good move for the FTA networks. Freeview will act as a standard that various DVR manufacturers will be
able to adopt to ensure that they can provide an accurate EPG for home
entertainment recording. This will allow other PVRs to seriously compete with the likes of TiVo and Foxtel’s iQ2 box.
Freeview will incorporate 15 channels from the FTA networks, including the high-def channels and the upcoming SD multi-channel offerings, and is tasked to drive up the digital offerings available on free-to-air TV.
More »
Screens
11:46AM Nick Broughall | UPDATE: One of our tipsters has sent through this image of an upcoming catalogue proving the Samsung giveaway is legit. Of course, what’s interesting to note (that wasn’t mentioned in either the Australian or CNet articles, is that customers have a choice between the Foxtel iQ2 box or a new Samsung BDP-1500 Blu-ray player. This would make sense – not everyone can get Foxtel, and not everyone would want to subscribe to the Foxtel service either.
We’ll obviously keep you posted on any official announcement from Samsung, but seeing as how this catalogue is due to go out this week (and the promotion due to start on July 1, we expect to have official word for you very soon.
Since the advent of plasma TVs and their subsequent rise to power (alongside LCDs, of course); TV manufacturers have seen huge sales boosts just before major sporting events. And seeing as how this year is an Olympic year, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some really awesome promotions come out of the woodwork in the lead up to Beijing.
Earlier this week we told you about the Sony Bravia promotion, which will see 35,000 Bravia customers receive a free PS3, but now the Australian (and CNet AU) are reporting that next week we’ll be hearing about a Samsung promotion which includes a Foxtel iQ2 box for HD entertainment.
The rumours state that Samsung will be forking over the $200 upgrade fee that Foxtel is charging subscribers to install the iQ2 when they buy a new Samsung TV. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from either Samsung or Foxtel yet, so we don’t know which TVs will include the Foxtel box in the price, but it will obviously cater to their premium lineup of HD displays.
So it looks like July is going to be the month that many of us buy TVs. But which promotion is more appealing?
More »
Updated: Samsung Plan On Giving Away Foxtel iQ2 Set-Top Boxes
11:46AM Nick Broughall | UPDATE: One of our tipsters has sent through this image of an upcoming catalogue proving the Samsung giveaway is legit. Of course, what’s interesting to note (that wasn’t mentioned in either the Australian or CNet articles, is that customers have a choice between the Foxtel iQ2 box or a new Samsung BDP-1500 Blu-ray player. This would make sense – not everyone can get Foxtel, and not everyone would want to subscribe to the Foxtel service either.
We’ll obviously keep you posted on any official announcement from Samsung, but seeing as how this catalogue is due to go out this week (and the promotion due to start on July 1, we expect to have official word for you very soon.
Since the advent of plasma TVs and their subsequent rise to power (alongside LCDs, of course); TV manufacturers have seen huge sales boosts just before major sporting events. And seeing as how this year is an Olympic year, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some really awesome promotions come out of the woodwork in the lead up to Beijing.
Earlier this week we told you about the Sony Bravia promotion, which will see 35,000 Bravia customers receive a free PS3, but now the Australian (and CNet AU) are reporting that next week we’ll be hearing about a Samsung promotion which includes a Foxtel iQ2 box for HD entertainment.
The rumours state that Samsung will be forking over the $200 upgrade fee that Foxtel is charging subscribers to install the iQ2 when they buy a new Samsung TV. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from either Samsung or Foxtel yet, so we don’t know which TVs will include the Foxtel box in the price, but it will obviously cater to their premium lineup of HD displays.
So it looks like July is going to be the month that many of us buy TVs. But which promotion is more appealing?
More »
Home
8:58AM Nick Broughall | If reports from the Financial Review are correct, we’ll soon be able to play with our very own peanut controller when TiVo launches in Australia in mid-July.
Aside from the obvious dilemma of where to spend your money (there’s some new phone launching on July 11, remember?), the mid-July timeframe does work with the previous announcements that Channel 7 made about it launching before the Olympics.
The box itself is likely to cost somewhere around the $700 mark, which isn’t exactly cheap for a DVR. Seven are likely to promote the box’s superior EPG functionality in order to justify that price, although we’ll wait to see how it’s implemented ourselves before we recommend on whether you should spend the money.
The other interesting point made in the Fin’s article is that Harvey Norman are likely to have an exclusive distribution arrangement for 3 months, before it will be available in JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith’s shops.
I’m sure there are important factors influencing that decision, like scratching the backs of old mates and heavy advertisers, but I think Channel 7 may be overestimating TiVo’s appeal in Australia. Personally – I’m very intrigued, but I would need to see some obvious advantages in TiVo’s local implementation before I dropped 700 big ones. Especially now that Foxtel’s iQ2 is on the market.
UPDATE: Pete Blasina over at GadgetGuy.com.au is reporting that the launch date is officially July 15. Considering his relationship with Channel 7, I reckon this is pretty much guaranteed.
[MIS Australia and GadgetGuy]
TiVo To Land In Mid-July At Harvey Norman, Cost $700
8:58AM Nick Broughall | If reports from the Financial Review are correct, we’ll soon be able to play with our very own peanut controller when TiVo launches in Australia in mid-July.
Aside from the obvious dilemma of where to spend your money (there’s some new phone launching on July 11, remember?), the mid-July timeframe does work with the previous announcements that Channel 7 made about it launching before the Olympics.
The box itself is likely to cost somewhere around the $700 mark, which isn’t exactly cheap for a DVR. Seven are likely to promote the box’s superior EPG functionality in order to justify that price, although we’ll wait to see how it’s implemented ourselves before we recommend on whether you should spend the money.
The other interesting point made in the Fin’s article is that Harvey Norman are likely to have an exclusive distribution arrangement for 3 months, before it will be available in JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith’s shops.
I’m sure there are important factors influencing that decision, like scratching the backs of old mates and heavy advertisers, but I think Channel 7 may be overestimating TiVo’s appeal in Australia. Personally – I’m very intrigued, but I would need to see some obvious advantages in TiVo’s local implementation before I dropped 700 big ones. Especially now that Foxtel’s iQ2 is on the market.
UPDATE: Pete Blasina over at GadgetGuy.com.au is reporting that the launch date is officially July 15. Considering his relationship with Channel 7, I reckon this is pretty much guaranteed.
[MIS Australia and GadgetGuy]
Entertainment
9:48AM Nick Broughall | Even though we’ve known about the pricing for a little while now, and Ty from CNet was even lucky enough to get an early model for review, the HD+ service from Foxtel gets its official launch on Sunday June 22.
15,000 Foxtel subscribers have already been upgraded to the new service, according to the press release that just landed in our inbox. That’s a pretty big number for a service that hasn’t officially launched yet.
We’ll be testing out the new service in the weeks to come, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, press release junkies can read this one below the fold:
Foxtel HD+ Official Launch Date: June 22, 2008
9:48AM Nick Broughall | Even though we’ve known about the pricing for a little while now, and Ty from CNet was even lucky enough to get an early model for review, the HD+ service from Foxtel gets its official launch on Sunday June 22.
15,000 Foxtel subscribers have already been upgraded to the new service, according to the press release that just landed in our inbox. That’s a pretty big number for a service that hasn’t officially launched yet.
We’ll be testing out the new service in the weeks to come, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, press release junkies can read this one below the fold: 
