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Foxtel Play IPTV service now live in Australia ahead of official launch
Australians with Mac and PC computers, eligible Samsung Smart TV models and Xbox 360s can now get an IPTV package through Foxtel's Play service, even though the official launch is still two weeks away. For $25 AUD per month, you'll get you one genre-based package (the maximum four will cost $50), while sport, premium drama and movie channels will run an additional $25 each. Current cable or satellite subscribers will get the service for for free on up to two registered devices, including iPads, iPhones and Samsung models. Unlike Foxtel's regular TV offerings, though, you can grab an IPTV package on a month-to-month basis, with no commitment. For those who wish to remain unplugged, that could come in especially handy for certain sporting events.
BBC Worldwide to offer first-run TV to Australia through Foxtel in mid-2014
Australians have long had access to the BBC, although a current four-channel lineup on Foxtel won't completely satisfy fans of British TV when it's just a sliver of the content they know. BBC Worldwide should be closing some of that (figurative) distance, though, with plans to offer a premium channel through Foxtel's network. The as-yet-unnamed service will give Aussies a chance at first-run BBC shows about a year before they'd broadcast over the air there. and without ads. (Pretty good for not having a UK TV license.) The BBC content will naturally be available in HD, as well as for mobile streaming through Foxtel Go. About the only drawback to the channel outside of its premium nature is the mid-2014 start date, but that may be a small sacrifice for determined Anglophiles and ex-pats. [Image credit: Teknorat, Flickr]
Xbox 360 adds Manga, MUZU apps; upgrades Aussie FOXTEL with Kinect
The Xbox 360 has added a couple new entertainment apps for your audio-visual pleasure. Starting things off, in the States, there's the Manga app, which enables users to view full length episodes, movies and clips from the Manga Entertainment catalog.For the northern parts of North America, MUZU.TV will we available to Xbox Live customers in the United States and Canada. MUZU is a ... (*googles*) apparently, it's a music video site, with over 40,000 mini musicals on demand.Finally, Australians have upgraded FOXTEL with Kinect functionality. The virtual controls on that stuff aren't what one would call efficient, but Kinect compatibility is still worth it for the joys of "Xbox Pause" and "Xbox Play" functionality.
Microsoft rolling out new apps to Xbox 360, including MUZU.TV and Manga in the US
You can never have enough apps, right? With that in mind, Microsoft's rolling out a couple of new applications to Xbox 360s in the US and Canada. For starters, those of you living Stateside will now have access to Manga Entertainment and MUZU.TV (also available in the True North); the first of which allows you to watch free video content from its catalog, while the latter has around 40,000 music videos ready for your viewing pleasure. In addition to the aforementioned apps, the Australia-only FOXTEL application has been updated with support for Redmond's Kinect, allowing Oz folks to control it with hand gestures or by voice. We've already seen the new apps pop up on our Xbox, so you should be seeing them hit your console any time now.
Microsoft integrates live TV from Sky TV, Foxtel and Canal on Xbox 360 -- more providers coming
Microsoft confirmed the recent rumors and announced a new streaming TV implementation for the Xbox 360 today at its pre-E3 2011 keynote. The Kinect and Bing-powered voice search that can pull in content from online sources like Hulu, Netflix and Xbox Live Marketplace, will also work with live TV from IPTV partners. So far that list only includes Sky in the UK, Foxtel in Australia and Canal+ in France, but users there will be able to search across all the services and view them directly through the console itself. There's no word on any US-based partners but if we had to guess AT&T's U-verse will probably be first in line again. One thing you will be able to watch in the US -- PPV UFC fights, streamed directly to the Xbox 360. Update: The official press release is out (and included after the break) where Microsoft mentions its "commitment to expand access to live television programming on Xbox 360 to more providers in the United States and around the world during the upcoming year". While U-verse's Mediaroom underpinnings certainly put it in the lead, we can see others like FiOS or Comcast potentially swooping in as well. Finally, would it be too much to ask for some of this universal search magic to extend to the Media Center extender software as well? %Gallery-125419%
Kinect launching Nov. 18 in Australia, Foxtel TV service in October
IGN reports that two big announcements have been made at a Microsoft Open House event in Australia. First and foremost, Kinect will launch in the land down under on November 18. The unit will be bundled with Kinect Adventures for AUD $199 (USD $181). A console bundle with Kinect (presumably the 4GB Xbox bundle we've seen before) will retail for AUD $449 (USD $407). Furthermore, Foxtel's previously announced premium TV streaming service will launch in October. Pricing details for the service are expected closer to launch, though apparently it will be "fabulously affordable."
ESPN 3D goes international, brings X Games 16 to Australia's Foxtel and Austar
The debut of X Games 16 and its 8 hours of live 3D broadcast is nearly upon us, and for the first time in ESPN 3D's short history, viewers outside the US will be able to get a look at the action. The lucky country is Australia (already known for being ahead of the curve on 3D) and it appears that AUSTAR won't be content letting Foxtel take the lead like it did with HD, since both will have the network on channel 206 on Friday, July 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. AEST and Sunday, August 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. AEST. All iQ2 and MyStar HD subs (with 3DTVs of course) should have access to the channel -- check the press release after the break for any other details and prepare for some morning extreme sports with your toast & baked beans.
Xbox 360 gets streaming TV in Australia via Foxtel
According to MMGN.com, Microsoft and Foxtel have signed an agreement to bring streaming television to Xbox Live in Australia. The service will be available in current Foxtel service areas and will provide access to "at least 30 live channels and a wide suite of Video on Demand services." The service requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and according to Foxtel chief executive and managing director Kim Williams, it will be offered in "various packages and prices and under flexible agreements." The Foxtel agreement marks the latest in a recent string of similar arrangements around the world. Last year, Microsoft struck deals with Canal+ in France and Sky in the UK to offer streaming television and video on demand services. North American users have also had the ability to stream Netflix movies since 2008.
International HD news roundup
Here at Engadget HD, we'd prefer not to just focus on high-def happenings in the US of A. Thus, we round up the best of the best from the international front each week and present it here, bundled together in a single, easy to digest list. If something went down in your corner of the globe over the past seven days, let the rest of the world know it in comments. 'Til next week, Auf Wiedersehen! Read - Consumers await news of hyped Astro B.yond HDTV services (Brunei) Read - Bell serves up Olympic experience with Ice Cube (Canada) Read - Foxtel To Launch 3D Channel In 2011 (Australia) Read - ProSiebenSat.1 launches HD+ trial (Germany) Read - Rural Australia To Get Satellite Digital TV Read - Discovery HD Showcase kicks off in France Read - HDTV to make "significant gains' in Germany this year, market ripe for EPGs
Foxtel offers up free iQ DVR for 12 months
It's no iQ2, but it's free, and free is hard to complain with. Australians teetering on the fence about buying into pay-TV from Foxtel have a little more incentive thanks to a fresh offer from the company. For folks who sign up, they'll receive a free iQ DVR for a full 12 months, and better still, installation will also be free. We're actually a bit fuzzy on whether this deal is in effect now or starting in 2009, but it can't hurt to call and plead, right?
Foxtel to carry BlizzCon PPV in Australia
In Australia, and bummed you can't make it up to the states for BlizzCon? You too can experience it virtually -- while DirecTV has a deal to carry it on pay-per-view in the US, Foxtel has apparently landed the same agreement in Oz. For $14.95 a day (no word of getting it for free by signing up, which is the deal DirecTV is offering), you can experience all the festivities straight through your television. They're even offering that BlizzCon mount if you buy both days. One problem, though: it's all being shown live, apparently, so in order to see it all, you'd have to get up at 4am. But a little lost sleep is a small price to pay for experience all that is BlizzCon, right?Of course, you could just stick to WoW Insider and we'll show you everything you need to see at the show for free. We don't have a mount to give you (yet), and we won't ask you to wake up at four in the morning, but we will have pretty in-depth coverage from right there on the scene. Or, y'know, you could do both. It's up to you, Aussies.
Australia's Foxtel nets 40,000 new subscribers since HD+ launch
Only a few months have passed since Australia's Foxtel launched its HD+ service, and judging by the numbers, Aussies are warming to high-def. The carrier just posted a 17% rise in revenue (up to $1.7 billion), and it's expecting the numbers to remain high as more consumers cave to the temptation of high-definition programming. Furthermore, 40,000 new users have signed on since the HD+ launch, and the average revenue per user has skyrocketed to nearly $85 per month "as a result of a higher take-up of additional services such as Foxtel iQ." There's no specific mention of additional HD channels, but given that bigwigs surely realize how critical they are to revenue growth, we can't imagine them not giving you folks a few more here shortly.
Discovery HD goes live in Australia
Just a few weeks later than the planned June 22nd date, Discovery HD has officially launched in Australia. This is just the officially-official announcement -- we wouldn't be surprised if the rollout actually started up on June 22 -- so we'd like to hear from Aussie readers in the comments below. Discovery certainly has some great content to offer up, but filling up a 24/7 schedule on the Foxtel HD+ service will be challenging. We're not complaining -- spreading the HD word always gets a thumbs up from us! Add in the Samsung/Foxtel HD+ promo and the Australian TiVos, and we're pretty sure there will be lots of HD grins going around in Oz.
Samsung to include free Foxtel iQ2 HD DVR with flat-panel purchase
Simmer down, North Americans / Europeans / Africans / etc. -- you should know this here deal is being reserved for those in Australia, so don't go ordering yourself a new Sammy without reading the fine print (or buying yourself a plane ticket). Reportedly, Samsung is looking to rival Sony's "Free PS3" promotion by tossing in a newly launched Foxtel iQ2 HD DVR for folks picking up a Samsung flat-panel HDTV and connecting to the HD+ service. Better still, Samsung will pick up the tab on the $200 connection fee as well. An official announcement of the partnership is expected within a fortnight, so if you've been looking to snag a new HDTV and make the dive into pay-HDTV, we'd hold off just a bit longer if you're even mildly fond of fantastic freebies.[Via CNET]
Foxtel gets official with quad-tuner iQ2 HD DVR
Foxtel's HD+ services may have launched a few days back in Australia, but that's not stopping OpenTV from pushing out a release trumpeting the arrival of the iQ2. As you could likely guess, the set-top-box is powered by OpenTV's Core2 middleware, but frankly, that's not the part we're interested in. Merely hearing the words "quad-tuner" just gets our juices flowing, and with nearly "double the recordable capacity" of the current Foxtel iQ, we'd say it's a surefire winner for Aussies looking to delve into the beautiful world of high-definition.
TiVo Series 3 coming to Australia next month
Great news, Aussies -- you too can enjoy the same box Americans have been using for eons starting next month. Yep, as of July, the TiVo Series 3 will go on sale via Seven for $700, and while Harvey Norman will sell the device exclusively for three months, it'll filter into "all major electronics chains" shortly after that window of time closes. Of note, Seven claims that it is not attempting to compete with Foxtel and its newly announced iQ2 box, and that it is instead aiming for subscribers who want the functionality of a DVR without the costly Foxtel subscription fees. If whispers prove true, you folks can expect to see this on sale in late July following a July 1st media launch.
Australia to see Foxtel HD+ service on June 22nd
You've known this day was coming, but it still has to feel good to have a hard figure to wrap your noodle around. Foxtel's HD+ is reportedly set to go live on June 22nd, with an HD VOD service and two puny HD tiers available at launch. The first tier consists of Fox Sports HD and ESPN HD, while the HD Explore package includes footage from BBC HD, National Geographic HD and Discovery HD. The tiers will set you back AUD $9.95 each per month (or AUD $14.95 for both), but how on Earth could you resist seeing the World Cup Qualifier between Australia and China in glorious high-definition this Sunday? That's right, you can't.[Via iTWire]
Omnilab to build HD studio for Movie Network Channels
Hear this, Australians: we know you're pretty stoked about the forthcoming launch of Foxtel's high-def services, but a few more stations could be on the way shortly. Reportedly, post facility Omnilab Media has landed a long-term agreement with Movie Network Channels that will see an HD studio constructed for the channels. Currently, Omnilab handles all post-production work for MNC, which consists of Movie One, Movie Two, Movie Extra and Movie Greats -- all of which are seen on Foxtel. If all goes well, the facility will be completed in August, but what exactly it plans on using the sweet new equipment for remains to be seen.
Australia's Foxtel preps HD+ service, iQ2 HD STB for June launch
For Aussies counting down the days until Foxtel's HD+ service goes live, here's a bit of good news to tide you over. That iQ2 HD set-top box is apparently right on schedule, with company bigwig Kim Williams stating that he was "very confident" that customers would be able to use said unit to access the looming HD+ service "well before June 30." Also of note, ongoing technical trials have been going quite well, with the last of the quirks reportedly ironed out just last week. Mr. Williams also confirmed that Foxtel's immediate plan after the iQ2 launch was to "deliver high-bit-rate, high-contention video (HD channels and HD VOD)," but sadly, he failed to mention specifics.
Foxtel's HD+ hits Australia in mid-2008
Australians have another HD provider to look forward to, as Foxtel has announced its HD+ service, launching mid-2008. Slated to start with four full time HD channels, featuring content from BBC HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic HD, Fox Sports HD and ESPN HD, Foxtel calls it the most expansive HD offering in Australia, more than the Seven and Ten networks. Plans call for more channels after another satellite goes up in 2009, meanwhile the company is rolling the service out with a new iQ2 set-top DVR box complete with 320GB HD for recordings and On Demand content downloaded either via cable or satellite. Most importantly, customers can expect to catch the 2010 Commonwealth Games in HD, and check out a very trippy animated representation of HD's pixels on Foxtel's website and blog. Frankly, we're not sure the blog is a good idea, with only 20% of customers estimated to have an HDTV, who would really read daily updates on high definition related issues? Read - Announcing Foxtel HD+ Read - Meet the Pixels
