In case you forgot, Sezmi plans to roll up live broadcast and pay TV along with web videos, on-demand movies and DVR functionality in a single, easy to navigate set-top box. Needless to say, this is a tall order, and most of us probably relegated Sezmi to the vaporware bin. However, trials of the product have begun in LA and a $US25 million cash infusion from investors has given the project new life. In fact, it seems that Sezmi spent the last year working out deals with the likes of Sony Pictures, MGM Studios, Paramount Studios, Warner Brothers, Lion’s Gate Entertainment and Universal Studios for on-demand streaming, and ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC, Turner, MTV Networks Discovery Channel, Telemundo and Univision for TV content.

Sezmi plans to offer a tiered pricing plan that starts with Sezmi Select, the entry tier, which will offer all local channels (in SD and HD) as well as access to on-demand content for $US4.99 per month. Sezmi Supreme will include cable and local channels for $US24.99 per month.

[Sezmi via Variety and Zats]

Lots of gear still that’s still kicking around only has an analogue connection with digital video recorders (DVRs): like TiVos and Slingboxes made before 2004. And what about your TV? You’d likely be forced to upgrade to gear with digital ports (like HDMI) to watch movies protected with Selectable Output Control (SOC).

The studios are desperate to show on-demand movies over cable prior to their DVD release, but claim they can’t without so without SOC. They say the tech protects their revenue by blocking easy analogue copying — the so called “analogue hole“. Problem is, DVDs (a supposed secure format) get ripped and shared online anyway.

Not only that, but it’s almost a moot point. Warner Brothers (who signed the original SOC petition last year) released Observe and Report and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past for video-on-demand (VoD) this September — before their DVDs hit stores. Consumer advocacy groups, like Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), also point out that Magnolia Pictures, distributors like IFC Films and more recently, Starz Media, are also doing VoD before DVD.

The MPAA says that the outputs would only be disabled for the new movies, and wouldn’t impact any existing content. And they make the fair point that there’s always a lag between new experiences early adopters get compared to those with older gear.

But I’m sorry MPAA, pull your head out of your arse. DVDs still get ripped, and one of the very studios you represent is still releasing on-demand movies prior to their DVD release. Why bother? Think about the huge customer base you’re alienating, and stay away from the back of my TV. [Public Knowledge and PC Magazine via BoingBoing]

At a bare minimum, you’re looking at an increase of $2, because the starter package has gone up to $42 (from $40). Platinum subscriptions have added $4 from $106 to $110, while Platinum HD have gone from $131 to $135. The HD add-ons ($10 for HD Sport, $10 for HD Explore and $15 for both) have been consolidated into one package called HD, which is $16.

Aside from that though, all that’s really happened is all the packages have been renamed.

The HD package though, is slightly different for your $16, you get the HD channels that correlate with the other packages you subscribe to. So if you’re on basic, you’ll just get Discovery HD, Fox8 HD and National Geographic HD. If you also subscribe to the Sports channels, you’ll get the HD sports channels as well. Although it would reach a point fairly quickly when you’d just be better off with the Platinum HD package, I’m sure.

Finally, Foxtel have added some new iQ and iQ2 packages. Starting at $72 with an iQ (not iQ2) and ranging up to the $135 HD Platinum pack with an iQ2, each package offers a selection of channel packages and a DVR.

You can check out all the new package details here.

“Download” was the word that kept rising above the bulleted list of new features, with Foxtel Download packaged free for Foxtel subscribers. Find out more about it here. Foxtel CEO Kim Williams said there would be 400 hours of content available to download at launch and that this would increase in the coming months.

Pricing for Foxtel Next Generation subscriptions ranges from $72 to $135, with plenty of new options to consider.

These are:

30 new channel choices including themed movie channels; new sports and doco channels; 12 new channel brands; 15 High Definition Channels including four dedicated HD sports channels and six HD movie channels; eight new timeshift channels; 10 new HD channels; a new movie service with 16 dedicated movie channels; new iQ value packs including one with an iQ for free; Foxtel Download; a new Foxtel guide for iQ and updated guide for iQ2; new search features with iSuggest for iQ and iQ2 subscribers; Record Me; a new Foxtel Box Office, Movies on Demand, with up to 40 recent release movies; and new localised services for Sky News and an improved Weather Active.

Usability features that stood out were Record Me, which makes it a cinch to program a recording by responding to an icon screened during a promo, and iSuggest, which brings movie posters in an iTunes-like interface as a way of making easier choices of content, which are categorised as: Must See, Sports, Knowledge & Adventure, Drama & Lifestyle, Kids & Music, and HD.

From October 1, all Foxtel iQ2 set-top units will start receiving a software upgrade delivering new features to the onscreen Foxtel iQ Guide. From November 1, the same software upgrade will be delivered progressively to all Foxtel iQ set-top-units.

Foxtel went to some lengths to launch Next Generation, staging a high-def multimedia-palooza in Stage 2 at Fox Studios in Sydney’s Moore Park and introducing its stable of young stars that will form the “faces” of Foxtel across its new channel brands.

But after it was all over, it was Williams’ words about Foxtel Download that were the easiest to carry away: “Now, Foxtel is not only about when and what you watch, but where you watch it”.

Amen to that. Bring it on.

Foxtel Next Generation

Michael Bodey at the Oz says that Showtime is expected to ditch Showtime Greats in favour of genre-based stations, like Action, Premiere, Comedy and Drama, with the first two showing in HD. Meanwhile, the Movie network channels will add a few more channels as well.

Fox8 and Fox Sports 1 & 2 are expected to go HD. Sci-Fi will be getting a timeshift channel, but there’s no mention of an HD version. Damn.

Foxtel plan on announcing their new channel lineup in October, so until then all this is unconfirmed. Which is just as well – no HD Sci-Fi is just plain sad.

[The Australian]

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson managed to track down Foxtel’s Patrick Delany, and he confessed that the Pay TV company would be adding 20 SD and 10 HD channels to their service by the end of the year.

The launch of the channels will coincide with an overhaul of their EPG, while the company is also planning on offering over 400 hours of catch-up TV that you can download and watch on a PC as part of your package.

There’s no announcement on what the new channels will actually be yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Things are looking pretty exciting for Foxtel customers over the last half of this year though…

[Courier Mail]

in other Foxtel related news, the Pay TV company has finally launched the ability to book Box Office movies over the phone or online, which means you don’t need a home phone line connected to your iQ in order for it to work. Exciting, no?

[The Australian via TV Tonight]

Other improvements included in the free update coming to the iQ2 are the ability to listen to the current TV channel when you enter the EPG, distinction between free and paid content for their On Demand service, the iQ2 will automatically return to the last TV station and volume level after being rebooted and you can no extend the audio delay up to 200ms.

Even though some people argue that having firmware-upgradable hardware means that you get products released before they’re ready, I for one love it when my hardware suddenly gets new features, without me having to fork out for special equipment. I am a bit bummed that the window for the update is up to two months though…

[Foxtel]

The basic package price will go up from $37.95 to $40, but the monthly subscription cost for iQ owners will come down from $14.95 to $10. A lot of plans will round up an extra five cents (like My Showtime, which goes from $15.95 to $16, yet My Sport goes down from $17.95 to $16.

On Demand Movies will also get a price drop, from $5.95 to $5.50 for standard movies and $6.95 to $6 for HD movies.

All in all, it probably won’t make too much of a difference to your bottom line each month, although the rounded figures will make it easier for most people to know what they’re spending.

[Foxtel via Lifehacker]