FetchTV (Australia)

FetchTV is an Australian IPTV company, operating a subscription television service over a user's regular Internet service. It provides a Set Top Box with Personal Video Recorder for recording from Free-to-Air channels - and adds regular subscription channels, radio, Video on Demand, Pay per view, and applications. FetchTV launched in 2010, backed by its Malaysian parent (40%) ^[1] Astro All Asia Networks,^[2] and is sold through partner Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Availability

FetchTV requires its partner ISPs networks to be capable of handling multicast - for the subscription channels and some of the Video on Demand content. The standard service is available to customers of its partner ISPs who are connected to select exchanges (with the ISP's own DSLAMS and acceptable backhaul), who have an acceptable modem and a minimum Internet sync speed of 4.5Mbit/s.^[3] The lite package has fewer requirements.

FetchTV is available through both Optus and the iiNet group of companies (iiNet, Internode, Westnet and Adam Internet)

• iiNet launched its service in July 2010
• Internode launched its "Early Adopter" Program in October 2010 and officially launched 11 May 2011 ^[4]
• Optus launched in the second half of 2011, to jointly develop an IPTV service with integrated mobile functionality for smartphones and tablet devices. Broadband bundles now available with trimmed down version of FetchTV.
• Adam Internet invited customers to register their interest from October 2010 and released the Fetch TV service in September 2011

Features

Fetch offers a single model Set Top Box, for both its services.

The Fetch Set Top Box has a 1TB hard disk and 3 Tuners (for recording 2 channels while watching a 3rd). Recordings from either FTA and subscription channels can use 500GB of the hard disk space, while 400GB stores movies and shows made available as Video on Demand. The remaining 100GB is for system use.

Standard Package

The standard package is available through iiNet group companies and has previously been known as "FetchTV Lite" and before that "FetchTV 1", and has no subscription channels or Video on Demand content - focussing instead on its PVR functions and pay-per-view movies.

• Free to air digital channels (with PVR recording)
• Pay per View movies: 40 new release titles available at given anytime, re-watchable within the 48 hours of renting it.
• Casual games, social media applications including Facebook and Twitter.

Entertainment Plus Package

The entertainment plus package starts with the standard content and adds "linear" channels, Video on Demand & Movie Box.^[5]

• Free to air digital channels (with PVR recording)
• Subscription TV Channels (with PVR recording)
• Video On Command 'channels'
• Movie Box Movies on Command: Movies from Disney, Warner Bros, MGM, Village Roadshow, Hollywood Studios
• Movie Rental (Pay-per-view): 40 new release titles available at given anytime, re-watchable within the 48 hours of renting it.
• Casual games, social media applications

Sports Add On

The official channels of five of European Football clubs. In early 2011 these channels were added to the standard package.

In May 2011 the FetchTV website began referring to these as an add-on package, though as of 9 May no change was made to the iiNet or Internode packages.

In March 2013 iiNet introduced ESPN and ESPN2 as a free trial until the end of May^[6]

World TV Packages

Several premium international channel packages are available as add ons to the standard Fetch service

Third Party Access

The FetchTV service can only be watched on a FetchTV set top box. Programs can not be transferred independently to or from the STB, though Fetch plans on offering such access in the future and is pursuing interoperability with the DLNA.

Channels

Free-to-air

The Fetch Set Top Box includes 3 digital TV tuners. Locally available FTA TV channels are received via a regular antenna, and can be watched and recorded on Fetch, using a Fetch-supplied TV guide.

For a complete list of Free-to-Air TV channels see Digital terrestrial television in Australia

Linear Channels

*Ovation not available through Optus

Music Channels

Music channels show a graphic image of the current, previous and next songs on playlist, with name, artist and record label.

• Chart Hits
• Pop
• Easy Mix / Easy Rock
• Party
• Club Dance
• Urban
• Rock Classics
• Rock Hits
• Home Grown
• Indie
• Lounge
• Grooves
• Jazz
• Country and Western
• Classical

VoC Channels (Video on Command - included in basic package)

• Moshcam
• iConcerts
• Frontiers (Sci-Fi)
• ABC for Kids (kids)
• GekkoTV (kids)
• Profiles (documentaries)
• Chronicles (documentaries)
• Justice (documentaries)
• iinet (Freezone TV downloads)

World TV Packages

Each World TV package has a bundle of channels (Extra monthly charges apply)

• Hindi package - 28 channels
• Pakistani package - 20 channels
• Mandarin "Great Wall" package - 32 channels
• Mandarin 4 package (from Singapore, Taiwan, China and Japan) - 95 channels

References

External links

• FetchTV
• Internode FetchTV
• iiNet FetchTV
• Adam FetchTV