0/5

Leaked Foxtel iQ3 info: what’s in store?

What's in a box? According to leaked internal videos, an awful lot for the Foxtel iQ3.

2013-12-12_2235Leaked internal videos of Foxtel’s iQ3 development indicate exciting changes ahead for Foxtel viewers.

According to internal videos, here’s what’s in store:

The wifi-based iQ3 is set to be a hybrid of broadcast television and IP.

It will come with nine tuners (there were originally plans for 10 tuners) allowing for powerful recording capacity.

2013-10-18_1317Visually the display conforms more to the look of other Foxtel products such as Foxtel Go with a high use of imagery, as opposed to the current text-based display on the iQ2. The graphics are all in HD.

Excitingly, you’ll be able to flick content from screen to screen -ie. from Foxtel Go on iPad to your television screen.

At the forefront of the iQ3 is a high level of personalisation, driven by a dynamic Recommendations engine. This approach is also set to become available on other Foxtel products.

A For You section will recommend titles covering both Live TV and Video on Demand, which adapts to either an individual’s or family’s viewing habits. Other Menu tabs include TV Guide, On Demand, Planner and Search plus Buzz, Coming Up, Kids, and Sport sub sections.

2013-10-18_1333The EPG has undergone a facelift with Recommendations and programming information. Moving between Live, On Demand and recorded shows will be seamless. If you miss the start of a live show you will now be able to scroll back to the beginning for up to 26 hours.

Picture-in-picture thumbnails will detail Guide titles, including vision of what’s running on other channels.

2013-10-18_1334

2013-12-12_2201

The Planner has been improved to provide quick access to the shows you are most likely to watch. Driven by viewer Recommendations, it will mean no longer having to wade through long lists of content. It’s been organised so you can quickly find something if you know what you are looking for.

It uses more images and simple up / down / left / right navigation. This will reiterate to viewers the wealth of content available from Foxtel’s library as part of their subscription.

2013-12-12_2213

As viewers express interest in a title, the iQ3 will also deliver more synopsis and cast / crew info plus additional episodes that are available via On Demand.

2013-12-12_2244

Very little of the above has been confirmed by Foxtel but if it all comes to fruition it certainly looks enticing.

At its recent Upfronts, Foxtel only announced a handful of features, but declined to comment on further speculation to TV Tonight.

iQ3 is due to be released in 2014.

16 Responses

  1. Foxtel customers that have been with them form day one get nothing abc gave to pay for it. I think Foxtel should quit trying to get more money out of customers and concentrate on improving their channels. We are paying to see the same shows over and over again. Shows that are repeated three times a day. Why pay for an IQ3 to watch shows over and over and over again. I’ll stick with what I’ve got and spend my money on something worthwhile. If they don’t improve soon I may even give up paying for the garbage they are offering now.

  2. You’d think Foxtel would just swap over customers over from IQ2 to 3, no additional charge especially those that have been customers since Day 1, but no, you get better looked after if you have never been a customer or are a lapsed customer, we cancelled, rejoined in 3 months and guess what, i think you know what…the bells and whistles.

  3. I don’t see how this will improve anything plus its old hat as Sky has had this box for years. Your not fooling me Foxtel. Who cares about a fancy smancy IQ3 box when Foxtel still can’t get their act together. Mayby they should grow some brains and a backbone.

  4. Why would you want to own it? It only works with foxtel. My house was hit by lightening the other week. The tv which I own I had to pay to fix. The foxtel box which I don’t own was replaced free. Simple example, but I can see no benefit in owning a foxtel set top box.

  5. “Excitingly, you’ll be able to flick content from screen to screen -ie. from Foxtel Go on iPad to your television screen.”

    Airplay + AppleTV. I’m not sure how this qualifies as “exciting”.

  6. The big question is who will be able to get one and how much? like I said before its a rented box and any money spent is money spent on something I will never be able to own!

  7. Just give me a faster / more responsive box, wi fi and a bigger hard drive and I’ll be happy. The other rubbish sounds like solutions to a problem that many people don’t have.

Leave a Reply