Foxtel Digital
I received my tv guide magazine for foxtel cable tv this morning. The news was announced last week (I posted the link on my linkblog) and this morning I received an announcement from foxtel about the features of digital cable television. There are some exciting new features that interest me so I decided to blog about it.
With foxtel digital, they will have more extra channels for me to watch. Currently, there are around 45 channels on the cable television and they wil provide with around 130 channels in the future.
You can now watch sport from all angles, so when I watch sport I can now choose to watch from different 4 angles. You can now view team player’s profile with a click of a button and you can now listen to different commenatry.
When you watch news channel, you can now choose when and how you want to see your news. You can now choose if you only want to watch the business news, the headlines news, the entertainment news, the sport news, so you don’t need to watch the whole show now. It feels like going to the website of internet news site and choose which news category you like instead of watching the whole news.
Now this is the greatest, most brilliant feature that really got me interested is I can now watch the latest blockbuster movie shown in widescreen with enhanced sound. There is no need for me now to go the the video store to rent DVD or Video. Of course, I have to see the price first, if the price is reasonable compare to the video store.
The best thing about foxtel digital is there is no need for me to buy a digital television. They will provide a new digital set-top unit if I upgrade my account to digital. Foxtel will continue to offer the analogue service, and I think I’ll wait a few weeks or months to upgrade. I need to check the price first (the setup fee, the monthly fee) and if the price is good of course I will upgrade!
Anyway, foxtel’s website got all the information you want about digital foxtel. 100+ channels to watch isn’t that great? It also provide a digital quality picture and CD quality sound!
Please be aware that this is not a foxtel advertisement and I do not work for foxtel, I’m just an excited customer of foxtel who is interested in their latest offering! Any questions about foxtel digital, please visit foxtel website.
1. avianto 27 Jan 2004
television will brainwash your brain… repeat… television will brainwash your brain… repeat…
2. Phil 12 Feb 2004
“Anyway, foxtel’s website got all the information you want about digital foxtel”
Au contraire! It has none of the information I want! I want to know about the technology…
What type/brand of STB? What features does it have? Can I provide my own alternative with extra features? What’s the deal on the return path?
3. Matt 17 Feb 2004
im in the same boat as you dude.. im loving the idea of digital foxtel! im going to pay for the 94$ platinum package, not to expensive considering it has nearly every channel!
4. djspikey 22 Feb 2004
Is Foxtel Digital in SDTV or HDTV format
5. ptjone 23 Feb 2004
Anyone have any clues as to whether Foxtel will be retransmitting the free to air channel digital signals ? The website doesn’t say.
6. willy 24 Feb 2004
I’ve spoken to Foxtel today and found out that the set top boxes can be either HD or SD depending on your current TV. If you have HD TV then Foxte will provide you with a HD set top box and vice versa.
7. jd 26 Feb 2004
Any info as to whether the fox digital will carry free to air
8. brad 1 Mar 2004
ptjone, are you serious?? i though t the stbs were only sd. i am getting digital installed on the 11th and i have a 40”tft tv. i thought id have to put up with sd until foxtel got their act together! hope your source is right :-)
9. Andrew 3 Mar 2004
Does anyone know where i can get an offical packes guide, listing in detail what every package includes? There appears to be a real lack of information. They want you to sign up, but there’s nothing on their web site list all the possible deals, ALL the channels involued, the basic line up on each channel, etc. Sure, you can call the contact number and speak to a trained rabbit, but they don’t take the time to inform you of any of the extra possibilities of extra channels, will the digital signal have the multiscreen copy proctection that the DVD’s use, how long can you continue to use the current Foxrel service? DETAILS FOXTEL, send us details. (I’ve “signed up” for more details on their website twice, but i’ve heard nothing back.
Also, this “near video on demand”… you have to pay to watch “near new” (a.k.a. “on Showtime, for the next 24 months…”) This would mean that until people stop paying to watch the movie, it wont make it to Showtime? Showtime would become the new encore channel!?
10. William Pramana 3 Mar 2004
Andrew, why don’t you contact customer service :) ? I received an information along with this month’s (March 2004) foxtel magazine..
11. dallas 9 Mar 2004
I have got foxtel satalite. I have been told that this is already digital quality. I have the new silver decoder. Curently have free to air in wide screen with digital set top box. Will my foxtel satalite also be in wide screen without upgrading as that is all I care about as it is being displayed on a projector?
12. Rene 25 Mar 2004
I’m not in the slightest techno-minded yet I also find that the Foxtel site does not answer my questions, the main one being, what’s the story with home recording? I asked one of their reps & he didn’t know from nothin’ (I know, what’s new?) even though he was going from door to door to supposedly answer queries as well as, most obviously, to flog Digital. He took my details and said someone would get back to me as they “found out more”. That was about a month ago. Likewise, I also registered my interest on the website but all the info I’ve received is the ususal sales crap that tells you the same stuff, over & over. And of course, the FAQ’s don’t answer this question nor does the webpage give you the opportunity to ask it yourself. Although the technical improvements sound interesting I’m afraid that the “Digital Revolution” leaves me yawning. 100+ channels? They already have nearly fifty and I only watch about half a dozen. Three Discovery channels when the one they already have shows repeats of repeats of repeats. I know it’s un-Australian but I have no interest in sport, however many angles are on offer. I’m a fan of classic Hollywood films, particularly film noir but this Digital “revolution” has not improved the situation, re endless repeats of repeats of a very limited selection of films. I would trade the entire “Digital Revolution” with all it’s bells and whistles and all the useless 100+ stations (with the exception of weekends at Fox Classics with Bill Collins) for the American version of Turner Classic Movies. All the channels combined, Fox Classics, TCM Lite (the bullshit version that’s foisted on us antipodean yokels), Movie Greats and Encore/Showtime Greats, the umpteen sports channels, documentary channels that aren’t a patch on the combined SBS/ABC screened doco’s etc. Who the hell do these guys think they’re fooling - “this way everybody gets the chance to not miss their movies” - and another chance, and another … ad infinitum. All this blather about choice : how come a fan of classic movies cannot switch the TV on and not see a flm that hasn’t been screened many times in the previous months? CONTENT - the Foxtel suits are dropping this term liberally. Why the fuck don’t they look the word up in the dictionary, because they obviously don’t know what it means. I mean it, all 100+ repetitive fuckin’ channels for just ONE channel that plays classic movies and actually gives you the chance to see some of the many thousands of films that we’ve never seen or haven’t seen in many years instead of the same ones over and over. Now Fox Classics has become a part-time movie station, what are they showing? A whole bunch of films that have just gotten off the repetition treadmill at Encore & Movie Greats. Marvelous. Never mind the quality/variety, feel the hype.
13. Graeme 30 Mar 2004
Can anyone give me advice as to what is the real story about splitting the foxtell digital signal to more than one TV outlet. Depending on who you talk to at Foxtel it is either “illegal” or “impossible with digital” - the latter I do not believe - there must be someone out there who is doing it.
14. Mark 30 Apr 2004
Here is the really annoying thing about Foxtel Digital. You do not get a proper paper based TV guide. You get a preview guide only. The old guide does not cover all the digital channels available either. There are so many channels, it takes you a long time viewing it on the in built TV guide, whereas you could be watching a show. The Foxtel web site showed some promise in that you could set your preferences for scheduling, but this doesn’t work, which was confirmed by Foxtel. Apparently Foxtel marketing are using the detail that you enter as your preference for their own purpose (of what use I can only hazard a guess). There does not seem to be any short term solution as their is no Digital TV guide in the pipeline as far as I am aware. If anyone has any useful suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.
15. jim 2 May 2004
Foxtel’s Digital guide covers only six programs per day out of a total of 400. It is just a blatant promotion of a few “pay extra” items. The on-line guides give a one-word description of programs and is worthless for planning your viewing. How on earth can Foxtel believe they will get away with abolishing the magasine. They are going to have to continue supply the magazine if they want to retain any credibility or respect.
16. mv2 11 May 2004
Has anyone tried to hook foxtel digital into a PVR such as the strong 5290? I’m getting signal overlap on channel 41 but not have any luck otherwise.
17. crunchie gumby lewis 12 May 2004
digital tv is tops,but i’m 12 and i need 2 do a speech about it.does anyone know the lows of digital tv or where i can go¿?¿
18. Rachel Hutton 20 May 2004
I just got Fox digital yesterday & I after waiting for 6 months after the first appiontment was cancelled. I am shocked by the fact that we now have to pay to see all the good movies! Paying $94 a month you would expect to have all the movies there to watch when you want. If the movie has already started you can’t flick over half way threw. No T.v Guide, most of The channels are repeating programs from ather channels. The hype was for nothing! I wish I never got it! Very unimpressed!!
19. Gasman 28 May 2004
Yeah, the new movies are only available on pay-for-view, at $5.95 each. New being about 18 months old. You’d be better to get the Big Value package at $68 which has no movies, and buy a decent movie each week.
20. Vance Ingham 11 Jun 2004
I am absolutely disgusted that Foxtel are not providing a monthly detailed guide to enable subscribers to review in advance which programs are of interest to them.
We have also lost the ability to find out which films are going to be repeated during the month, what the films are all about, and who are the actors in the film.
Just who do they think they are ?
We had no prior knowledge of this decision to end this important service, and when we are paying over $90 dollars a month to receive Foxtel Digital, as far as I’m concerned, it is a clear breach of contract.
Foxtel should get their act together, and provide the service they are contraced to supply. The old analogue Foxtel TV Guide is all that is needed to assist viewers in planning their watching programs.
As far as I’m concerned, the present service without a published TV Guide is unsatisfactory, and basically useless.
Vance Ingham
21. Julian 12 Jun 2004
I think that Foxtel have done themselves a huge dis-service by not providing a Channel Guide with their new Digital package. Infact I would have to say that I am now watching far less Foxtel because I cannot plan my viewing ahead of time therefore I miss practically everything I would have normally picked up by scanning the old guide. Heavy users must be absolutely besides themselves with frustration at having to use the pathetically inadequate “Digital Guide”. I shall have to stop writing now because I can sense by blood pressure rising at the thought of this whole shoddy situation. People must read these comments and think that we should get a life. The fact remains I am now paying $95 per month for a service I now use less than ever. And as someone else mentioned, we have been conned because we were never told that the paper guide was to be discontinued.
22. Matt 21 Aug 2004
What a pack of whining, whinging bastards you all are. Why don’t you get off your ass and “GET A LIFE” I fell into this site by mistake, gosh life’s difficult because you have no program guide. I can solve everything for you all. Why don’t you all move to Melbourne and get a job with Foxtel, then its FREE:-)) Anal program and all.