Mayday: Telstra's T-Box turns into a Foxbox

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 03:16

Your IT - Entertainment

It's not just the Xbox 360 that can turn itself into a Foxtel FoXbox, but now Telstra's T-Box will perform the same trick too, from May, with Telstra now offering Foxtel via Foxtel's own iQHD, via Next G smartphones and via the T-Box too - what else is in Telstra's box of tricks?

Foxtel here, Foxtel there, it looks like Foxtel's everywhere, except where you have to get Austar instead, although Mobile Foxtel via mobile phone is available anywhere you can get a Next G signal.

Now Foxtel is coming to Telstra's T-Box in May 2011, more than 3 months away, 'following the signing of an agreement between the two companies'.

Telstra actually owns 50% of Foxtel but even so, they still need to make commercial arrangements to rebroadcast Foxtel's content, and it certainly helps to make Telstra's T-Box a better proposition in and of itself, although for the fullest, most complete and even 3D Foxtel experience, you'll still need an official Foxtel iQHD box - whether you get it from Telstra or Foxtel.

Nevertheless, the T-Box, as with the Xbox 360 and even Mobile Foxtel, gets 30 Foxtel channels, including 'FOX8, Discovery, Fox Sports Play, Movie One and Showtime Premiere', and it's all streamed over the Internet to your T-Box, which is naturally unmetered over BigPond's ADSL or cable services.

If you're not in metro areas, it's either Mobile Foxtel or Austar for you, as T-Box's streaming capabilities will only be 'available in metropolitan areas where FOXTEL subscription services are already available.'

Although Telstra mentions that there are already over 2000+ films you can download through BigPond Movies on the Telstra T-Box, as well as having the ability to pause, record and rewind live TV, having Foxtel too means you'll also get its 'On Demand' service which features more than 300 titles of 'catch-up movies and TV programs'.

Telstra's literal Big T himself, CEO David Thodey, took the unusual step of directly making comment in a Telstra media release, a task he normally delegates to the relevant Telstra executive, but the presumed relationship with Foxtel where Telstra is a half-owner necessitates the big guns coming into play and firing off a few rounds.

Mr Thodey said: 'With T-Boxes in close to 120,000 Australian homes, Telstra is helping to usher in a new era of internet-delivered home entertainment across Australia.'

Mr Thodey's comments continue on page two, along with info on other new tie-ups between Telstra and Foxtel, and questions on when long-awaited Mobile Foxtel features will appear - please read on!