After three weeks of “soft launch” Foxtel HD+ is ready for the masses as it readies its media campaign for release on 22 June 2008.
Foxtel’s Brendan Moo told us that there is no new functionality to be made available on release, and that it’s essentially a launch of the iQ2 advertising campaign. He was also mum on any forthcoming features, including the rumoured mobile device support and extended storage capability.
The new campaign, which will be forever known as “the ad with the annoying whistling guy” takes us through the ages of TV and features the tag line “Wonders will never cease”.
According to Foxtel, only people who signed up to the Be The First mailing list have been installed up till now, but in our experience anyone who has called and asked for it has been able to get installed. So far, over 15,000 people have taken up the service since 2 June (a date Foxtel originally denied).
And just to eliminate any confusion, Foxtel HD+ is the service while iQ2 is the box used to deliver it. One won’t work without the other as Foxtel has no plans to deliver a non-PVR version of the iQ2.
Meanwhile, Moo also added that the related iQ2Go mobile device — announced two years ago — is still in the works, and despite the lack of ongoing news hasn’t been scrapped.