Foxtel's OS apartheid

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 01 October 2009 10:32

Your IT - Entertainment

Much has been made of Foxtel's new TV show and movie download service, but some subscribers are effectively locked out. And the terms and conditions might not be what you expect.

Pay TV provider gained significant mainstream media coverage for its new download service that provides free (well, 'no extra charge') online access to shows from 38 channels, along with a range of pay-per-view movies and shows.

What those reports didn't mention was that the service is only available to those who use Windows as the operating system on their computers.

So Foxtel isn't exactly telling the whole truth when it claims "You can now browse hundreds of FOXTEL movies and TV shows online, then download them to watch on your PC!

"Yes, FOXTEL Download has arrived—and we've made it FREE* for all FOXTEL subscribers. You can catch up on shows you've missed, take movies on your laptop with you when you travel, and easily schedule entertainment for the kids!"

If you're not a Windows user, you can't do any of those things.

Why the insistence on Windows? The big Hulu service in the US apparently works with Mac OS X and Linux as well as Windows. And here in Australia, the ABC's iView site works with Mac OS X, Linux and Windows.

Foxtel's offering downloads, not streaming, so it's whacked DRM on the files. So no Windows, no Foxtel downloads - even though you're already paying for the service as part of your monthly subscription.

Even if you are using Windows, there are some conditions that you might not be happy about, so please read on.