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New Foxtel boss wants improved IQ3

An improved IQ3 it touted for July, as one of several new priorities for Peter Tonagh.

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New Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh has outlined some key areas he wants to address, in an interview with the Australian Financial Review.

Amongst his shopping list of targets is to improve the troubled IQ3.

“I think the product wasn’t satisfactory when it came to market and it’s taken time to address it,” he admitted. “There are people who are frustrated but equally a lot of people see that it is a lot better.”

July is the date being touted for an iQ3 set top box that Foxtel can “proudly market.”

He also said Netflix has a sexy brand in Australia and Foxtel has to get its halo back.

“We have to have a product that’s available to more of the lower end of the market and we have to have a better understanding and a crisper articulation of the value of the premium product, what makes it different,” he said.

Both Foxtel and Seven also want more from Presto, which still has technical hitches and sign-up problems. Tonagh says he is happy with the content -but I would argue it doesn’t have enough first run or exclusive content. Mr.Robot is the exception. Presto needs more Mr. Robots.

Foxtel is also planning a trimmed-down streaming device, likened to Apple TV and rumoured to include Netflix.

The lower-priced web-based product is expected within 12 months.

18 Responses

  1. I had the iQ3 last year and reverted back to the iQ2. As we know, the iQ3 was very buggy and released too soon (it’s a relief to hear the CEO admit it) – however, even with bug fixes I would take a lot of convincing to return to the iQ3 for other reasons as well – a main one being that the SD picture was noticably soft, so for any channel not in HD it looked very poor incomparison to the IQ2. I was also not a fan of the clunky remote, complex menu structure and that so much of the service relied on web connection. Overall there were just too many unnecessary bells and whistles. The simpler iQ2 suits my needs and could only be improved by being able to increase the hard drive size.

    1. I agree Walt, and I also reverted back to the IQ2 after several frustrating weeks with the abomination IQ3. There is no way I will ever consider it again as I don’t trust they’ve fixed the problems. I wish they’d give us more options – I’m willing to pay extra for a premium model that also plays UHD for example. And Mike R, most shows on Fox 8 HD look terrible in dark scenes with huge compression and graininess. However the HD quality on sport and movies is much higher so Foxtel must be using less compression for their premium channels.

  2. And back up content onto a external USB via the rear port, not in real time but by Copy Paste.
    Stop over scanning and expanding the picture. Some shows look dreadful all grainey yuck.
    Put the NHRA back on and include NHRA All Access in the deal. We are still paying for it but don’t have the content.
    HD is Free in the UK. They don’t pay extra for the content. Quit jabbing us Foxtel.

    Why don’t more people subscribe to Foxtel? Could it be price, content (include re runs and reality shows). Ask your friends if they have it. Those who don’t what do they say.

    With respect to 7Flix. I spoke to a 7 engineer in Melb and he said it has to do with the encoding of the signal to the H.264 and the Audio Codec. There is a glitch in the firmware that does the encoding.
    Seven send the 7Flix, TV4ME, Racing and the other secondary channel feeds from Melb to a mob in Sydney who code it and…

  3. At least Tonagh appears to have been listening to people’s concerns and, more importantly, looking at addressing at least some of them. I said in a response to another commenter on the Foxtel Play Question article that Foxtel had enjoyed being a virtual monopoly for years and have become listless, offering an average product at a premium price. Not sure why they were surprised when Netflix for $10/mth with no ads took off.

  4. Not sure Foxtel has ever had much of a ‘halo’ – they’re still struggling to get 1/3 market penetration!
    They are long overdue for a ‘trimmed-down’ (Sky UK) NowTV-like service. Even though they now seem to want out of Foxtel, this is what the Telstra TV should have been. Especially considering they run on the same Roku-Powered platform. Foxtel Play just doesn’t cut it.

    1. Thanks , just check out TVNOW by Sky , i see what you mean , its the same Telstra Tv unit , by RUKU ,it has a pay tv, by SKY on it , simular to Foxtel Play , so maybe there is hope it could be added here!

  5. My beef with Foxtel is that the MyStar box is also my recorder. As 7flix is not included on the satellite platform I cannot record shows on that channel that I might want to. What is the problem here.Is it Foxtel or Seven playing hard ball? It can’t be that hard to push another jack in the rack and let us have 7flix. How about it, Mr. Tonagh?

        1. That’s what I thought. The only Foxtel viewers with 7flix available to them are those who receive Foxtel via street cable according to David K.
          I’m just curious to know why the discrimination. Foxtel transmits the other 7 network channels via antenna, why not 7flix? Possibly a cost stand off?

  6. Agree that HD needs to be free and extended to include more entertainment channels, TV Hits, Comedy, 111, to name a few.
    Although IQ3 has improved, it’s got a long way to go. Needs to be faster when changing channels and menu pages, better functionality and layout, especially the sorting and listing of the library, stop dropping scheduled recordings, etc..
    Oh and less commercials! Sometimes I actually forget what I am watching on the few occasions it’s not prerecorded.

    1. I’m not sure programs made in the analogue TV era (TV Hits, 111, 113 etc) would be improved by broadcasting them in HD. Wouldn’t that just enhance the flaws and imperfections of the old technology?

  7. Foxtel works great for us, and I don’t mind that not all of it is HD, but for the channels that are, I do think its time to drop the extra HD charge – it is 2016 after all. How much research do they conduct for feedback? It seems everyone is willing to give their opinions on Foxtel, I guess they just have to be prepared to listen – to all of it, positive and negative.

  8. Here’s a few other things that need fixing:

    1) More HD content. It’s no longer acceptable that some of the channels are still in SD only, i.e. Comedy Channel, MTV, Lifestlye Food, etc.

    2) Foxtel Go needs better video quality. The latest app update seems to have lowered the bitrate even further. Especially for HD customers, the video should stream at 4 Mbps when connected to WiFi. (9now quality is pretty good at this bitrate).

    3) Foxtel Play needs to be HD. For those unable to get Sat/Cable or just want the Play service, HD is a must.

    I sense a theme here! Get on it Foxtel.

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