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More on Foxtel downloads…

Foxtel's new Catch Up Service will begin in October.

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downloadA little more information is trickling through on Foxtel’s Download service, as indicated in its monthly magazine.

The free service for subscribers will begin in October.

Users will need to install the Foxtel Download Player which will store media downloads from Foxtel.

Files will be playable before they have finished downloading. Once downloaded they can be played without an internet connection.

Each file will come with a 7 day license. Box Office titles (which attract a fee) are playable for 48 hours.

The magazine indicates the content will be available from “more than 30 channels.”

Full info will be revealed next week.

11 Responses

  1. Well, now the ‘new’ system is up and running, channel 7 et al on satellite – I thought I’d contact Foxtel and complain loudly, logically (and a little bitterly) about the lack of support with the download to computer facility, for us Mac users.

    I should not have been surprised, but I got a bog standard answer that it is not (likely to ever be) available for Mac/Unix users. The very helpful email suggested I run the PC emulation software, and I may have ‘some’ success. Oh Joy !!! Yep, seems like old habits really do die hard. Don’t tell me all the reasons you can’t do something, help me work on making it work. Well, of course, this is only ever going to happen if the will is there.

    It ain’t there at Foxtel (or the ATO it seems).

  2. @Craig. That simply isn’t true, you Don’t pay ‘just as much’ and miss out on HD… we have to pay extra fees for the HD service $15 to be exact (and that’s not including the IQ2 fees), fees which you are not liable for. Secondly, the plan fees are not the same as foxtel, for example, you can get the History Channel for $2.95 per month (which I would Definetly pay for that channel), whereas I would have to buy an entire tier to watch it (i think ~$15). Also you can get Setanta for $6, whereas we have to pay $15. That being said, I agree with you, I see no technical reason why they can’t provide the service to Austar customers, nor any reason why they shouldn’t. Surely it wouldn’t cost them more?

    And to all the users who are complaining that the software might not be available on Mac, You made the decision to buy a Mac knowing perfectly well that Windows software simply won’t run on it unless the developer specifically makes a Mac version. You made this choice, and You have to live with it. Foxtel is under no obligation to cater to that market should they choose not to (just as they had no obligation to launch the download service to begin with). If you want to run windows software, you have the option of going out and purchasing windows (oem versions should cost in the vicinity of $150 for home premium) and newer mac machines with intel processors should all be capable of running it. Should you choose not to fork over that money for windows, that’s up to you, but the rest of us who run windows software all had to pay it. Fair is fair.

  3. if this player is PC only then all of us Mac users should write an angry email to Foxtel…that’s my plan anyway as I’m sick and tired of being left out. It’s about time we all take a stand

  4. That’s great, but what about people’s download limits with their respective ISP?
    Not everyone has an unlimited amount of downloads available each month. While this won’t affect me personally as I’m not Foxtel subscriber (don’t have access, only to Austar) plus I have a healthy d/l limit (55GB/month) I feel sorry for people who don’t have such access, particularly those stuck with Telstra’s pitiful monthly limits.

  5. @craig not everyone is on telstra plans! Some of us have more quota than we know what to do with.

    If I’m bored and want a True “on-demand” service, I this will be on the top of my list.

  8. Oh for chuck’s sake Foxtel!!

    “Users will need to install the Foxtel Download Player” (read: All you Mac users can get bent).

    You know what Foxtel, I have my own “download player”. It’s called Transmission.

    Hope I’m wrong on this.

  10. Thanks for the update David.

    What about Austar users? We pay just as much but miss out on HD and a number of channels and now no access to these “free” downloads.

    Also if this is not included on ISPs as an unmetered service I don’t see it working. Who’s going to waste 1gig on a movie when they can go to any DVD shop and rent it or just record it off they Foxtel service?

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