One of the biggest problems with the Foxtel Download service that launched last year was that it only worked on 32-bit Windows machines, which meant Mac users and 64-bit geeks missed out. Austar have learnt that lesson, launching their Austar Anywhere download service as a browser-based solution to online video.
As with most VOD solutions in Australia, there aren’t any deals with ISPs in place so you’ll need to monitor how much you actually watch through the service. You’ll also need to be an Austar customer, and you’ll need to register your computer to your account (you can register up to two computers per account). Your browser will also need to have Flash Player 10+, although at first glance it looks like Chrome is not supported.
There is also a downloadable app that will let you download programs to watch when you’re not online.
Austar claims to have more than 400 hours worth of viewing as part of the Anywhere service, which should be enough to make the free service worthwhile to Austar customers.