Is Foxtel worth the bucks?

Animal Enclosure · Mon 22 Feb 2010 11:27am

Foxtel with IQ is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Only problem is the IQ is chockers with kids shows (although the new HiFive would probably be recorded anyway!).

Combine it with the Foxtel iPhone app & you can set the IQ to tape any show wherever you are.

sunsaint · Post: # 884973Post **sunsaint** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 3:16pm

battye wrote:
The sports package costs around $12, if I could get that by itself - not a problem.

I totally agree with that, if I could really pick and choose the channels I want and not the myriad of crap stuff they dish out then it would be worth it.
Yes sports wise there is a ton of soccer, much more than australian sports, and ...I DONT WANT IT. So why should you have to pay for it. "What you want, when you want to watch it is just marketing lies.
ooh and dont get me started on the ads. Pay tv was hurting financially, so what did they do? Not make it more attractive to increase the user base, they upped the advertising revenue by screening more ads.
But back to the footy side of the issue one thing that really @#$% irks me is the footy package now really is just that... a 2hr edited package of the game. Unless they are doing it live no half time expert comments and no end of game wrap up. Especially when when it is on 518 Main Event, the final siren is the end of the telecast. Bang. You hardly get the team song at the end anymore.
That said, not being able to get to a live game anymore, Foxtel working with FTA is a must.

Winmarvellous · Mon 22 Feb 2010 5:24pm

Have had standard Foxtel for years and just upgraded to Platinum HD package today. Sick of missing Dexter cos the kid wanted to watch Nickleodeon or the like. Hardly ever watch free-to-air UNLESS the footy is on.

Spinner · Post: # 885081Post **Spinner** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 9:13pm

sunsaint wrote:
battye wrote:
The sports package costs around $12, if I could get that by itself - not a problem.
I totally agree with that, if I could really pick and choose the channels I want and not the myriad of crap stuff they dish out then it would be worth it.
Yes sports wise there is a ton of soccer, much more than australian sports, and ...I DONT WANT IT. So why should you have to pay for it. "What you want, when you want to watch it is just marketing lies.
ooh and dont get me started on the ads. Pay tv was hurting financially, so what did they do? Not make it more attractive to increase the user base, they upped the advertising revenue by screening more ads.
But back to the footy side of the issue one thing that really @#$% irks me is the footy package now really is just that... a 2hr edited package of the game. Unless they are doing it live no half time expert comments and no end of game wrap up. Especially when when it is on 518 Main Event, the final siren is the end of the telecast. Bang. You hardly get the team song at the end anymore.
That said, not being able to get to a live game anymore, Foxtel working with FTA is a must.

Agree the rest is crap.

If it wasnt for the sport, I wouldnt get it.

stinger · Post: # 885106Post **stinger** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 10:02pm

Winmarvellous wrote:Have had standard Foxtel for years and just upgraded to Platinum HD package today. Sick of missing Dexter cos the kid wanted to watch Nickleodeon or the like. Hardly ever watch free-to-air UNLESS the footy is on.

thumbs up...

Dr Spaceman · Mon 22 Feb 2010 10:05pm

stinger wrote:
Winmarvellous wrote:Have had standard Foxtel for years and just upgraded to Platinum HD package today. Sick of missing Dexter cos the kid wanted to watch Nickleodeon or the like. Hardly ever watch free-to-air UNLESS the footy is on.

thumbs up...

Do they still make Free to Air

#1GILL · Post: # 885118Post **#1GILL** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 10:25pm

It is only worth it if you pay the extra for IQ. Otherwise it's not that great.
With IQ though you can watch entire series when you want, pause and rewind, and it is very easy to record and find a certain recorded program (no more mucking around with tapes)

Our package is around $130, but we have all the channels and IQ in both rooms.

#1GILL · Post: # 885121Post **#1GILL** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 10:27pm

St Fidelius wrote:Our family just love foxtel...

we have the foxtel IQ in three rooms but the main room is the IQ HD...

We have the best package available and moving up to the IQ HD in the main room saved us $$$

We just love it

How much does that cost per month and how did it save you money by upgrading?

stinger · Post: # 885129Post **stinger** » Mon 22 Feb 2010 10:38pm

Dr Spaceman wrote:
stinger wrote:
Winmarvellous wrote:Have had standard Foxtel for years and just upgraded to Platinum HD package today. Sick of missing Dexter cos the kid wanted to watch Nickleodeon or the like. Hardly ever watch free-to-air UNLESS the footy is on.

thumbs up...
Do they still make Free to Air

think so...full of crap and ads.....mostly ads...but still a couple of minutes of crap in between ....

danners · Post: # 885432Post **danners** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 7:32am

i can still remember when it was called Galaxy back in the day, and the whole reason it was 'pay tv' was because you had NO ads at all. not one single ad.

now you turn foxtel on and i would almost guarantee you get an ad

MCG-Unit · Post: # 885445Post **MCG-Unit** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 8:55am

^ ^ ^

Yes when I started with Foxtel over 5 years ago, from memory there were no commercials - other than promoting their own programs - now they have as many ads as FTA TV

Why bother calling it Subscription TV ??

matrix · Post: # 885453Post **matrix** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 9:40am

this is the second time ive had austar/foxtel

the first time i was a 9 year straight customer
all i got in those nine years was a price rise every year or so while they kept offering people decent incentives to join up as new customers.

i ended up getting rid of it.
i got a phone call around a year later asking why i had actually got rid of it and what it would take to get me to rejoin.

i said 'just give me the sports package'
the girl on the phone said they wont do that.
so i refused to rejoin

another year later i couldnt handle not seeing the saints when they werent on the FTA channels and resigned again.

its changed a lot
like everyone else said, adverts are now common on there when 10 years or so ago there was hardly any ands and the ones that were shown were only ads for different channels and shows that were on cable.

its like the internet
australia is so far behind and customers have a hot poker stuck up their jaxie from big business.
but its all choice
i want to see EVERY saints game and i got sick of going down the pub to catch a game on fox because i had no cable.

i just have basic and the sports package
thats it
60 bucks a month

58ter · Post: # 885463Post **58ter** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 10:36am

you've got internet, speed it up to ADSL2+ and watch it on those sites where they show foxtel games for free.
Quality is ok

matrix · Post: # 885464Post **matrix** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 10:42am

adsl2 is not avl to everyone...another poker up the jaxie imo

sunsaint · Post: # 885515Post **sunsaint** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 2:58pm

matrix wrote:adsl2 is not avl to everyone...another poker up the jaxie imo

Yes hot pokers for all. I live in "not that" regional SE QLD and tried once again to sign up for ADSL2... got the weekly scripted reply of no available ports in your area. It is 2010 isnt it? I use a mix betweeen dialup and wireless But if I coutd get the speed and quota to watch and download AFL games I would drop Austar in a heartbeat.

plugger66 · Post: # 885517Post **plugger66** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 3:03pm

MCG-Unit wrote:^ ^ ^

Yes when I started with Foxtel over 5 years ago, from memory there were no commercials - other than promoting their own programs - now they have as many ads as FTA TV

Why bother calling it Subscription TV ??

Its still subscription TV but they have ads now. Doesnt worry me because they are after a quarter or at the end of the movie. Dont see the big deal. They need to make profits and if ads help keep the cost down I say go for it.

bigred · Post: # 885519Post **bigred** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 3:09pm

WTF is with paying for adds?

plugger66 · Post: # 885520Post **plugger66** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 3:10pm

bigred wrote:WTF is with paying for adds?

Do you have to get it? I didnt think it was compulsory.

MCG-Unit · Post: # 885530Post **MCG-Unit** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 3:34pm

plugger66 wrote:
MCG-Unit wrote:^ ^ ^

Yes when I started with Foxtel over 5 years ago, from memory there were no commercials - other than promoting their own programs - now they have as many ads as FTA TV

Why bother calling it Subscription TV ??
Its still subscription TV but they have ads now. Doesnt worry me because they are after a quarter or at the end of the movie. Dont see the big deal. They need to make profits and if ads help keep the cost down I say go for it.

Yes for AFL, commercials run during breaks, and at the end of movies - but for serials like Dexter or documentaries, ads run as frequently as FTA - in the middle of the show

Poor effort for 'Subscription TV' I reckon. Not sure they've kept costs down, as prices seem to always go up

plugger66 · Post: # 885532Post **plugger66** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 3:39pm

MCG-Unit wrote:
plugger66 wrote:
MCG-Unit wrote:^ ^ ^

Yes when I started with Foxtel over 5 years ago, from memory there were no commercials - other than promoting their own programs - now they have as many ads as FTA TV

Why bother calling it Subscription TV ??
Its still subscription TV but they have ads now. Doesnt worry me because they are after a quarter or at the end of the movie. Dont see the big deal. They need to make profits and if ads help keep the cost down I say go for it.
Yes for AFL, commercials run during breaks, and at the end of movies - but for serials like Dexter or documentaries, ads run as frequently as FTA - in the middle of the show

Poor effort for 'Subscription TV' I reckon. Not sure they've kept costs down, as prices seem to always go up

Well they would go up more obviously and like any other business they entilted to profits.

saint64 · Post: # 885597Post **saint64** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 8:26pm

They have ads on the quarter hour (not including the movie channels). They certainly aren't as frequent or go for as long on FTA.
We have had Foxtel for about 10 years+ and wouldn't do without it.

Spelly · Post: # 885604Post **Spelly** » Wed 24 Feb 2010 8:42pm

Yep ... I would be lost without it!

There is a special deal at the moment Newman ... you get the basic package plus the Sports thingy for a reduced price. Austar were promoting it tonight.

Also, if your wife watches daytime soap ... The Young & the Restless is on Channel W!

Bernard Shakey · Wed 24 Feb 2010 9:25pm

If they offered just sport I would jump on it and keep it forever.

I have basis + sport and IQ2 (with HD sport free for a year).
Will cancel when the year's up and get the next special after that.

No point continuing on the same package as they don't care unless you want to quit.

I had Optus TV (incorporating Foxtel) before and every year I threatened to cancel they gave me a better deal. Unfortunately Optus are not offering new subscriptions, so I cancelled and changed to Foxtel.

By the way the current Foxtel Sport offer is free connection, free sport HD for 12 months and half price IQ2 (usually $200 up front). I refused to pay the $100 for IQ2 and was told "This is your lucky day, a manager's special has just been announced, you can have it for free if you sign up now.

Don't just accept what they advertise, push them and if at first you don't succeed try again later. You will win in the end.

matrix · Post: # 885674Post **matrix** » Thu 25 Feb 2010 10:16am

for that free deal of sports for 6 months you also have to have two of the Entertainment options sometime in the first month i think

http://join.austar.com.au/join/Pages/De ... ffers.aspx

Bernard Shakey · Thu 25 Feb 2010 10:55am

matrix wrote:for that free deal of sports for 6 months you also have to have two of the Entertainment options sometime in the first month i think

http://join.austar.com.au/join/Pages/De ... ffers.aspx

No you don't. As I said I've got Basic + Sport + IQ2 and free HD Sport (and a couple of other HD channels that I haven'y looked at) for a year, nothing else.

You're talking Austar, I'm talking Foxtel.