Related Articles
Foxtel has revealed details of its new HD service to be released next year which will feature four HD channels and a custom-built box.
It’s been almost three years since the original Foxtel iQ came out, and by the middle of 2008 the latest iQHD service should be available.
According to Patrick Delany of Foxtel’s blog, the new box will feature a 320GB drive and will be built from scratch by Pace — which makes the existing Foxtel boxes.
No other specifications have been announced, though the front panel sports what looks suspiciously like a wireless connection indicator plus a message (or even e-mail) light. At the very least we should expect an HDMI port and an Ethernet connection.
Rumoured features of the iQHD include true Video-On-Demand — and even downloads — via cable and the recently released Mobile Remote Record for iQ which lets you program the box via your mobile phone or the Internet.
No channels or pricing structure have been announced but it’s likely customers will have to pay for the box rather than renting it, as was originally the case with the iQ box. We believe Foxtel is likely to follow the lead of UK pay TV service Sky HD which offers its box for between £199 (AU$460) and £399 (AU$922) depending on your subscription.
At the moment Foxtel appears to have no plans to release a standalone HD STB, so the only way to receive HD would be to invest in the iQHD box.
Foxtel iQHD will feature up to four HD channels.
