This is beginning to take the piss. Since I got the IQ2, I have started to record TV shows that I can’t see at it’s broadcast time, to then later watch at my own convenience.
Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word was scheduled on Channel 9 at 9:30pm. So I decided to have it recorded and watch it later on.
At 11:30pm I started to watch the recorded show. At the start of the recorded video, I noticed that the first 10-15 mins was of the previous show “The Farmer wants a wife” – who bloody cares!
So I fast forward through that, and start watching the beginning of The F Word.
Now you have to remember something about the IQ2, it only record’s a few mins before and after the show ends – I am in no way blaming them for that. The IQ2 is not smart enough to know exactly when a show starts and stops other than relying on the TV guide provided by the broadcasters.
But if Channel 9 is running late on one shows (“Current Affair” always runs over time), then all the later shows are also delayed.
And no, Nine doesn’t cut any ads to ensure it’s following programs all start on the time that it provided to the IQ2 TV Guide.
So my recording from 9:28 to 10:32 included 15 mins of some shepherd looking for love (go smack your sheep!!), and it therefore meant that I lost the last 10 mins of the F Word – where I missed the result of final cook off and the result of the brigade’s performance.
Surely you readers think that I am crazy to complain and you think that I absolutely adore The F Word, but it’s a matter of principle.
What if you recorded a movie and then missed the last 10 mins of the ending – disappointed?
When a network is in control of what they broadcast, surely they can control their content and ads to ensure that their programs start on the time it provides to the TV guides.
If it’s running late, then cut your ads back! Channel Nine, pick your socks up!
At first I was a bit sceptical about the Foxtel contractors turning up between their proposed hour of 7am and 12noon. It was 9:45am, and I had decided to call up Foxtel. After waiting for about 5 mins, I got through to a representative who confirmed that the contractor is due to come out today and will call an hour before arriving.
My intercom buzzes at 10:30 and it was the contractor (though he didn’t call me and hour before arriving). I wasn’t going to complain – he walked on in and checked my TV and set it all up in about 10 mins.
Since he had replaced the smart card with a new one, he had to call Foxtel technical support to make the change. At first I thought he would have his special number to get straight through to a support representative – wrong! He had to wait for 20 mins (a taste of their own medicine) before he could get someone at their technical support end to activate the card.
25 mins later, and he started his demo on how to record, pause live TV, schedule a record, and record a series of episodes. All in all, within 40 mins I was up and running with IQ2.
Am I pleased? Very much so.
Is it worth the money? Very much so.
So let me explain why:
1) Pause live TV.
You know the times when you are focused on watching something on TV but the other people around you just want to talk or if your mobile phone goes off, well I now do one simple thing – hit the pause button. That pauses live TV broadcast, and the room is silent to finish the conversation. Once you’re ready, hit the play button and you are back onto watching from when you paused.
If there are ads in this program that have been recorded in the background while you have it paused, you can simply fast forward through them (eventually you will catch up to live broadcast if you keep forwarding).
2) Recording TV
I love watching the F1, but I love sleeping even more. Given the time zone differences, the European F1 races are broadcasted here between 11pm and 2am. I simply hit the record button the scheduler and I can watch it at my own ease on Monday evening after work. And since you can watch the local HD channels through IQ2, I can record it at even better quality. I can keep my recordings for as long as I want, understanding that it takes up hard drive space.
3) Planning my TV from work
Foxtel has an online TV guide where you can register online and link your Foxtel account with your online profile. Therefore from work, I can log on and select what I want my IQ2 box at home to record while I am at work or remind me when I am at home.
4) HD channels
While there aren’t many channels on HD yet, all the local channels are available and the same with Discovery, National Geographic, BBC, Foxsports and ESPN. I never had IQ before, so not having to buy a seperate HD box is a bit of a relief.
The above 4 points are worth the extra $20 a month for me.