TV wars: Foxtel launches iQ3 recorder in Australia, just one day before Netflix launch
THE TV war rages on with pay-TV provider Foxtel planning to launch its next-generation television recorder just one day before Netflix arrives.
PAY-television provider Foxtel has revealed plans to launch a souped-up, next-generation television recorder next week, just one day before international TV streaming giant Netflix launches in Australia.
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The machine, dubbed the Foxtel iQ3, will feature more TV tuners to record three shows simultaneously while watching another, a larger hard drive capable of recording up to 345 standard definition TV shows — or more than every episode of MASH, a Bluetooth remote control, and a built-in wi-fi connection.
A Foxtel spokesman said the personal video recorder would also add software features that suggest TV shows to record based on previous viewing, and highlight trending TV shows.
The iQ3 was first announced by Foxtel in March 2013 and scheduled for release last month.
The pay-TV provider will not reveal its price until Monday, March 23, when it starts taking orders from its direct customers, with Telstra customers to follow at a later date.
The price of the current Foxtel iQHD set-top box is included in subcription TV packages, after an $75 installation fee, though additional units attract a monthly fee of $25.
But the delayed Foxtel iQ3 launch will come at an important time in Australian television, just one day before Netflix launches its service in Australia.
While the TV-streaming service has yet to unveil its monthly subscription price, or even its TV line-up, Netflix will host a launch party in Sydney on Tuesday with celebrity guests rumoured to include Daryl Hannah.
News Corporation is a part-owner of Foxtel.
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