FoXbox 360's only potential issue is bill shocks

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 11 November 2010 14:04

Your IT - Entertainment

With no ISPs in Australia offering to unmeter Foxtel's live video and on demand or catch-up streams, the biggest issue Foxtel on Xbox 360 users need to be aware of is the potential cost of streaming large video above and beyond your existing download limit.

Last night, Australia's biggest pay TV operator, Foxtel, had a launch event for its new IPTV service, one which delivers streaming TV channels through Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console.

The development opens up the Foxtel pay TV channels to an even bigger audience, and especially to those who have wanted Foxtel but either didn't have HFC cable going into their place of residence, or who didn't have enough line-of-sight for a satellite dish to work properly.

That's because they can now get their pay TV fix through a broadband Internet connection, as long as that connection works at a speed of at least 1.5Mbps, is in a 'metro' area, the user has an Xbox 360 with an Xbox Live Gold connection, and has plenty of available monthly download limit in their monthly cap.

Naturally, if a user goes over their download limit, they'll either be paying expensive per megabyte charges for any usage over the limit, or they'll find themselves slowed to something almost criminally slow, like the dial-up equivalent of 64Kbps, through which you'll be lucky to get TV 'snow' to show on your screen, let alone 30+ channels of Foxtel content.

There's also the issue of the channels and content in question. While the standard 'Get Started' package costs $19.50 per month, the Sports package costs an extra $10 per month, the Showtime Movies package an additional $10 per month, the Movie Network package costs yet another $10 per month, and an 'Entertainment' package an extra $15 per month.

Add all of these up, plus whatever it costs for your monthly ISP bill, the cost of an Xbox Live Gold subscription, not even including the cost of an Xbox 360, and you'll find that it all adds up.

Indeed, if you're able to get Foxtel over a standard HFC cable connection, or via satellite, then those are better ways to get the service, but if not, and you still really, really want Foxtel instead of a Telstra T-Box, Fetch TV or something else, and you live in a metro area, well'¦ it's now available.

Interestingly, I know someone that lives very close to the Sydney CBD, yet doesn't have HFC cable running down their street, nor are they in a position to use a satellite dish either. For them, this is the perfect solution to getting most of their channels back, even if it is a roundabout way of doing it.

So what's the service actually like?! Please read on to page two!!