Foxtel

[Tristan]

When we moved in almost 2 years ago, we were told by Foxtel that there were not any free ports to get connected. We were also told that the current signal to the building was so weak that they would not connect anybody until the building underwent a $20,000 infrastructure upgrade with the wiring.

Just wondering if anybody has had any luck getting connected recently, and what the quality of the service was like?

Cheers

 

[Kiwi2405]

Hi there! I actually just spoke to Foxtel today. Currently looks like we won't be able to connect either (we were told there wasn't even a cable in the building!) and unless the Body Corp plans to install one, we wouldn't be able to get it unless it was through Foxtel Play. If anyone else is hearing otherwise, let me know. It seems like there are a few people interested, so perhaps something might eventually get installed down the track - it's a tad archaic!

 

[Matt F]

Hi Kiwi,
There actually IS foxtel in this building (I know cos my neighbour has it for foxfooty) BUT because the hardware here at 166 (cabling/antenna/master amplifier - who knows) is old or substandard, it cannot support any more connections above those currently connected (as Tristan said above).

Basically you cannot get foxtel unless a current subscriber terminates their service with foxtel and frees up the some bandwidth for a new connection. I guess the only way you can tell when this happens is by calling foxtel semi-regularly, or if you know someone (e.g. neighbour) terminates their subscription.

In the future, even if the NBN comes here, it will be FTB (fiber to the basement) and copper phone lines for the last bit to connect to the apartments. In other words, no help in carrying foxtel video services (you need fiber to the apartment for that).

Foxtel is putting some of their pay TV channels on the internet but with much worse video quality than satellite. (forget HD fox footy, which is fantastic - that service is carried by satellite only, the traditional way foxtel broadcasts to the ~33% of Australian homes who have foxtel payTV service)

So in a nutshell, No you cannot get foxtel at 166 Wellington without a lot of luck and patience. (Me, I don't mind, I've got unlimited internet & a friendly neighbour with HD foxfooty all weekend!)

 

[Kiwi2405]

Lucky you!

Ah, that makes more sense, we were just told they weren't connecting anyone til the line got upgraded.

Thanks for the info guess we will need to head to a pub to watch any rugby/most Brisbane Lions games!

 

[Tristan]

Here is how to bring your apartment into the 21st century in a not too costly way:

1) Make sure you have a lot of internet and great internet speed. Test it on speedtest.net as per the internet threads on here. I wouldn't proceed any further unless you can get your connection to a 'B' grade or higher

2) Go to http://www.foxtel.com.au/foxtelplay/home/default.htm and create an account. It is a bit more expensive than the normal packages. It costs us $50 per month for the basic package with fox footy (we really only have it for fox footy, which means that 6 months of the year we pay $0).

3) Buy a PS3 or Xbox 360. They have only recently introduced it to the PS3, so last year we got ourselves a Xbox for about $100. It looks much better on the PS3.

Download the software as per the instructions, and you'll be set. As long as your internet is reasonably fast, you will get a very good quality picture. Not as good as HD, but similar to what you would expect from a digital signal.