Foxtel reveals iQ3 set-top box price and takes orders just hours before the Netflix Australia launch

Pay-TV giant Foxtel will start taking orders for its advanced iQ3 set-top box from today, revealing its price just hours before Netflix’s Australian launch.

An undated supplied image of Australia's Next Top Model judges Didier Cohen, Jennifer Hawkins, Cheyenne Tozzi and Alex Perry. Separate shot of Charlotte Dawson. Supplied by Foxtel.

PAY-TELEVISION giant Foxtel will start taking orders for its next-generation personal video recorder today after revealing the iQ3 will cost as much as $500, including subsciption, for one year of use.

The company’s much anticipated launch will come just one day before TV-streaming leader Netflix launches its service in Australia and after a series of delays to the hardware.

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iQ3 COMING: Foxtel announces the arrival of its new set-top box

The new set-top box will feature a larger, one terabyte hard drive capable of recording 172 hours of high-definition television, the ability to record up to three TV shows at once while watching another, and a wireless internet connection.

No idiot box ... The Foxtel iQ3 personal video recorder will feature more storage and features when it launches on March 23, 2015.

New software will suggest recordings to users based on their past viewing, and list trending TV shows.

Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein said the iQ3 would be the company’s “smartest, most powerful set-top box ever”.

“iQ3 represents a revolutionary step forward for Australian TV viewers that brings with it exciting new ways to search, discover and experience the shows they’re passionate about,” Mr Freudenstein said.

New look ... Foxtel’s iQ3 set-top box will list shows in a different way.

But the new technology will not come cheaply, with a $125 equipment fee, a $25 self-installation or $75 professional installation fee, and a minimum $25 subscription fee for Foxtel’s Entertainment pack.

The new generation set-top box will cost Foxtel customers $50 more than the current generation, the iQHD, which has a $75 equipment fee.

Foxtel’s new hardware will arrive just hours before Netflix launches its Australian service, though the multibillion-dollar company has yet to reveal its local programming line-up or its price.

Netflix has more than 50 million subscribers globally, with its American service priced at $US8.99 monthly.

New screens ... TV-streaming service Netflix is to launch in Australia tomorrow.

Other streaming services to emerge in Australia this year include the Nine Entertainment and Fairfax-owned Stan, and Foxtel-backed Presto, both of which charge $10 per month.

Foxtel customers will be able to order the iQ3 from today, while those who receive Foxtel through Telstra will have to wait until April 18 to sign up for the hardware.

News Corporation is a part-owner of Foxtel.