Foxtel makes HD channels easier to find
Hurrah! If you subscribe to Foxtel's HD Channels they will now automatically replace the SD channels.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Subscription
Well this is such a common sense move, why didn’t somebody think of it before?
If you subscribe to Foxtel’s HD Channels from today they will be easier to find -each HD will now be automatically placed where the existing SD channel has been.
So while Ch. 108 was FOX8 it will now become FOX8 HD. etc. That makes life easier when you are using your remote.
Foxtel Executive Director of Product, Jim Rudder said, “Foxtel subscribers have access to the widest range of premium High Definition channels across all genres offering in HD over 1500 hours of LIVE sport each month, popular general entertainment series, exclusive drama, lifestyle shows, factual programming and blockbuster movies. Foxtel is the leading HD broadcaster in Australia and these TV Guide changes reflect the increasing demand from our subscribers wanting to watch their favourite TV in HD.”
Foxtel General Manager of Platform Development, Jeffrey Smith said, “Foxtel’s TV Guide is the gateway to finding programs subscribers love and to discovering new shows to watch. We are constantly making upgrades to the TV Guide so it’s simpler to use and with more features for viewer discovery. The TV Guide channel updates will help make great TV in HD even easier to find and enhance the discovery of new programs for the ultimate HD experience at home.”
So can we now add FTA digital channels to the FTA menu please? Bring ABC2, ABC3 etc. into line with ABC1 on our menus!
The SD channels are still available at the bottom of each programming genre for recording flexibility, so there’s no need to worry about taking up too much memory space on the iQHD. For example to find FOX Sports 1 (SD version), press the TV Guide on the Remote Control, choose the Sport genre then scroll to the end of the Sport channel list, select FOX Sports 1.
The TV Guide will be automatically updated via a software upgrade from December 1 meaning Foxtel iQHD subscribers won’t have to do a thing to see the new HD channel positions on the TV Guide.
This chart outlines the new HD and SD channel numbers:
|
Channel (HD) |
New Number |
Channel (SD) |
New Number |
| FOX8 HD |
108 |
FOX8 |
208 |
| Lifestyle HD |
106 |
Lifestyle |
216 |
| UKTV HD |
103 |
UKTV |
214 |
| W HD |
115 |
W |
215 |
| MTVN Live HD |
812 |
MTVN Live |
252 |
| BBC Knowledge HD |
612 |
BBC Knowledge |
242 |
| Discovery HD |
608 |
Discovery |
232 |
| Nat Geo HD |
610 |
Nat Geo |
236 |
| Nat Geo WILD HD |
616 |
Nat Geo WILD |
238 |
| ESPNHD |
508 |
ESPN |
211 |
| ESPN2HD |
509 |
ESPN2 |
212 |
| FOX Sports 1HD |
501 |
FOX Sports 1 |
203 |
| FOX Sports 2HD |
502 |
FOX Sports 2 |
204 |
The following features will remain as they are and will not be affected by the HD changes:
• Series Link – all links set up should continue to record.
• Favourites – if HD subscribers have FOX8 (SD) set up as a favourite, it will remain in the list but now will be listed at 208.
• iSuggest – HD subscribers recording events from iSuggest will get the standard version of the program, unless they specifically select content from the HD category.
• Active
• Record Me – this feature will remain the same and will schedule records from the channel currently being watched.
• Online TV Guide – this will display the standard definition TV Guide when users are logged in. This means FOX8 will be listed at 108 and FOX8HD will be listed at 208. The HD channels will be found from 200 to 252 in the Online TV Guide.
There will be no impact to standard Foxtel, iQ subscribers and iQHD subscribers who do not subscribe to Foxtel’s HD channels. These subscribers will continue to see the HD channels in the TV Guide at the 200 numbers, exactly as they do now.
To learn more visit www.foxtel.com.au/hd
38 Responses
Never mind I understand why now, the SD versions of HD channels are all at the end.
Anybody elses channels now out of order when flicking?
@bill, this is a good move. And I don’t see where they are saying that they are offering more hd content with this move? They Will be offering more in January, but this is just a reorganisation that makes sense. The old discovery hd was a waste of bandwidth, this is not. The SD content looks better than it does on the SD channel, and I’d say there would be at least as much HD content, seeing as the old channel felt like a four hour rolling block of programming per day.
@Ararat
lol, only Foxtel would replace a full time HD channel with one that is mostly upscaled and say they offering more HD content
Looks like most of the nat geo hd content is hd, which makes it worth the switch, but discovery is mostly not hd. But that’s ok because discovery world hd was rubbish, so we haven’t lost anything.
Discovery World HD and Nat Geo HD only showed HD content and most with DD5.1, I wonder if the ‘new’ Discovery HD and Nat Geo HD will do the same.
Saying that, Discovery World HD did show a lot of dross so it will be good to see all of the new Discovery shows in HD
@Edward. I understand what you mean. You don’t subscribe to HD, but Foxtel is listing the HD channels both in the TV Guide and when you channel surf. I understand your frustration at this. I have a HD box and a regular box and have never understood why Foxtel lists HD channels on SD set top units. It is unnecessary and should be fixed.
I noticed my Foxtel box restart itself this morning at around 4:20am, must have been this. Good, common sense move.
Why aren’t Austar doing the same?
Useless mob.
great so they change the channel number for ESPN again, last november they moved it from 201 to 211, when they added foxtel 3D from 200 to 201 in a 24hr channel and added speed/nat geo wild HD. now i have to get used to going back to the 500’s for HD sport. i didnt see the movies on the list in the article have they moved or are still 219=225? otherwise ill check when i get back home on the weekend.
is there a choice for us to use the old system where all HD was in the 200’s or do we have no chioce because some are too stupid to use the HD category in the tv guide?
@edward; there is no impact to users who aren’t on iQHD. The menu remains unchanged for these customers.
This is what Sky U.K. done a couple of months ago which isn’t a bad idea. I would, however, prefer if it was like DirecTV U.S. that has the SD and HD channels on the same EPG number with the ability to switch between them – instead of wasting EPG numbers. The real pain is for all the HD subscribers since the beginning having to return to the old numbering (e.g. automatically typing in 211 for ESPN and now having to return to the old 508). Hopefully Austar follows suit, even though their days may be numbered.
This does however bring to light the placement of FX and A&E (with Foxtel placing the FTA SD channels in awkward spots) requiring them to be placed in the 140s. My suggestion would be to do like Austar (the one good thing they have done by themselves) and put the FTA channels before the 100’s (e.g. ELEVEN being on EPG11/55 instead of 131)
I have solved my problem of having all the FTA’s together – I just added them to my Favourites list – and now they all appear in an easy to view menu!!!
Oh wow, I stand corrected, Discovery HD and Nat Geo HD are now simulcasts of the SD equivalent. Fantastic move.
Just what the doctor ordered. Now we just need One, Gem and 7mate through foxtel and all will be well.
Hmm… they replaced Discovery World HD and Nat Geo HD (which are different from the old SD channels) … mixed feelings about this. At least we can all see the main content in HD straight away without having to wait a a few weeks for them to come out on HD, plus all the staple Discovery shows is actually being shown in High-def which weren’t ever shown before.
Very easy way to watch HD now! Can’t wait for the Launch of Fox Footy and the London Olympics on glorious HD. Hope 7TWO, 7Mate, GEM, One and all of the FTA multichannels come under the category “Freeview”. Well done Foxtel 😀
@ Edward “There will be no impact to standard Foxtel, iQ subscribers and iQHD subscribers who do not subscribe to Foxtel’s HD channels. These subscribers will continue to see the HD channels in the TV Guide at the 200 numbers, exactly as they do now” I’m reading that as there is no change unless you have IQHD so you should be fine.
This is great news, we have 2 hd boxes and my grandfather is always forgetting to use fox sports 2 hd because it was 204 so at least now I’m not wasting my money with him not watching it.
Please tell me there aren’t people who subscribe to the HD channels, but watch the SD instead
Only affects HD subscribers.
Mobo: no.
Good move, but Discovery HD and Nat Geo HD should not have replaced Discovery or Nat Geo respectively. They should have been moved to the 600s, but onto a new number, as they are not simulcasts of the regular channels (which actually have far superior content).
And then I realised that’s exactly what they are doing……
Wait, what is happening to the FTA channels now, I’m still confused, are they being grouped together in their own little world?.
I actually think this is going to be very annoying. As a person who hasn’t got HD, this is going to become very frustrating. I don’t want to have to scroll all the way down after I see the channel I want to watch.
I think the ideal situation would be if you could only see the channel according to which box you had so 108 on an IQ would bring up the SD where as on the IQHD brings up the HD Fox8.
But then, how will they persuade us to upgrade?
What about Fox Sports 3HD? Either way this is great news.
the Foxtel v FTA argument will rage on for as long as both exist, but theres no denying when it comes to HD coverage, Foxtel is the easy winner.