Foxtel Digital

[aniken]

Foxtel's big vision fails to include installation

By Wendy Frew

March 16, 2004

Foxtel's digital dream, launched in a glittering spectacle on Sunday night, was looking more like a nightmare yesterday.

Having spent between $10 million and $15 million on a marketing campaign to persuade people to "go digital", the pay TV provider is having trouble installing the service.

Some Sydney customers have had installation appointments cancelled at the last minute, while others cannot get appointments for weeks or months.

Now 160 technicians have gone on strike because of a dispute with contractors and Foxtel over pay and training.

A Foxtel spokesman, Mark Furness, said more call-centre staff and technicians were needed but denied customers were experiencing major delays.

But Charles Moses of Campsie, who has been a Foxtel subscriber for about four years, was one subscriber feeling short-changed.

"[Foxtel] kept ringing me on my home phone number saying 'the revolution is coming, be part of it'," Mr Moses said.

After confirming the booking a few days in advance, he waited at home on Saturday from 7am only to be phoned at 10am to be told the installation could not been done until June 23 because of over-bookings.

"Their marketing appealed [to me] but they have not got the service to back it up," he said.

After about nine phone calls to Foxtel, he said he finally got a response that satisfied him: an apology and a promise his service would be installed within two weeks.

The contractors used by Foxtel were having trouble recruiting technicians - employed as sub-contractors - because of the low pay, said Shane Murphy, a Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union official.

"These guys have suffered [job] rate cuts over the past three years to the tune of 30 to 50 per cent," Mr Murphy said.

"People don't want to come and work in this industry . . . You have an initial outlay of $15,000 to $20,000 to set yourself up before you get a return from the work.

"The sub-contractors ... are telling me that unless they get some of these issues fixed up they will soon be walking away."

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/15/1079199163593.html

[BAXR6T]

If you get FoxHell Digital, you DO NOT need a digital box for free to air digital. You will get digital free channels when you get Fox Digital.

You do need a STU if you want HD. The Foxtel box is only SD. Don't believe Foxtel if the idiot help desk person tells you it's HD...like they did me. Further investigation confirmed it. They are a pack of liars.

Whats the story

Got more channels

Picture no different

Got wide screen tv, do I need a digital decoder?

Can anyone enlighten us dopes please 

rapt

Rapt, If you want a better picture you need to get a Scart to Component cable...if your New didital TV has it. I don't know why they bought a European box with Scart connectors. Also you need to buy the Toslink to 3.5mm Optical SPDIF cable for the Digital 5.1 Audio....of course you need an AMP that supports it. Now you will have SD digital if the Foxtel program is transmitted in it. Only new stuff like movies will be transmitted in it.

So in a nutshell...when I get my Panasonic HD 86cm widescreen 1080i TV...I now have to fork out another $800 for the Panasonic HD STU to get full benefit from my TV. Not happy Jan.

Also 7, 10 & 2 have taken Foxtel to court about Free to Air transmission. So don't expect 7, 10 & 2 to be transmitting through the Digital satellite STU. I don't know if this affects Digital Cable STU's and I don't know why they are taking Fixtel to court....it's free-to-air for god sake.

Enough ranting for now

Cheers,

Greg...

[ZAP]

I am going to call FuxHell today and give them heaps, I feel like abusing them as I was going to get my installation done today, yet I have not had a call back to re appoint my installation....not happy.

Not many TV's are HD Digital, so the standard Digital will suit most people.

My parents in law have the HD panasonic and the picture is awsome, it almost looks 3D. He bought the HD decoder, but most TV shows are not HD yet, but this is changing.

[ZAP]

I am shocked, I got a call from foxhell tonight and they said I have had a appointment booked in for July 9th, yeah right. I told him that new installations are being done within 2 weeks and if they want a very pi$$ed client they are going about it the right way. He then had another look and asked me if the 20th of april was ok, I said yes, so I will wait and see if it happens.

[Lord Cyric]

My install is tomorrow morning....

[Miyagi]

called last nite... July 8 for me apparently... I laughed... and so did the Foxtel rep...

I told him I'd get in contact with a subby down Geelong way to 'expidite my order' :D

[Velvet Glove]

Came and saw me yesterday and will be installing me in a couple of weeks. I have no dramas with it at all

[dankman]

I have a huge gripe but thought I'd ask the people who already have the digital service installed.

I ordered and got installed yesterday, AUSTAR digital.

Now call me an idiot, but I thought these frigging boxes were supposed to have optic or at least coax digital out plusa DVI connector for digital TV?

Not happy. My new digital TV shows up in a few weeks and as far as austar can tell me, 'oh that's what foxtel users get, we dont have access to that yet'

Why the :o would you call it a 'digital' service if it clearly isnt? Only stereo and analogue outputs on the back of the box

[BAXR6T]

Dankman,

The Foxtel Digital box has a 3.5mm Optical Out connector. I bought a 3.5mm adapter and connected it through my AMP then told the Foxtel box that audio is AC3....works a treat.

For the picture I bought a Scart to Scart cable (Gold pins $28), Scart to Component Converter (Only can be bought in Sydney $133), Component cable (Gold connectors also called YUV or RGB ($30). Now I have Foxtel SD Digital.....nice picture and sound. But average joe won't know how to connect all this up. Foxtel should supply everything or your not betting the real deal.

Cheers,

BAXR6T

Edited 02/04/04 04:16 AM by BAXR6T

[dankman]

Problem is that I have the connectors you describe. Just no where on the box to plug them in, only stereo RCA and RCA composite. I think it's pretty pathetic that a 'NEW' service advertised as "DIGITAL' and you only get the box every other jo blow currently has. The only difference is that the guy got up on the roof and pointed the dish at another satellite. That was my upgrade to digital.