I’m sure it’s no the intended use case, but I’ve found it useful to set the SD channels to take the IP feed (which is HD) and the HD channels to take the terrestrial antenna feed. I’m getting intermittent reception issues of free to air which I haven’t got around to figuring out, so having the IP channels available on a channel number rather than diving into an app makes life a tad easier and is simpler to explain to family members “if this channel number is playing up, try this number instead”.
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I don’t have Foxtel but this looks like such a good feature.
I wish the networks would work with Google and get their IP streams working on the Live Channels app. For those that are not familiar, Live Channels is pre-installed on every Google TV device in the market. It is designed to detect live streams embedded in other apps and collate them into a single app with EPG and recording functionality. None of the Aussie networks make their streams available for use in this app. Quite astonishing considering how many Google TVs are out there. They’d rather only give the Foxtel audience the luxury.
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This had been supported for SBS for a long while now (and was necessary for them to link, say, the SD versions of Viceland and World Movies to the EPG) but yeah, has recently been expanded to Nine and also the ABC - which from memory were also the three FTA channels that were available on satellite.
Doubt it will expand to the other two… the iQ doesn’t even carry the 7plus app. Ten is a more possible proposition (10 Play is available) but the appetite to do so would be fairly unknown.
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Google’s probably not willing to pay much, that’s the likely blocker - and in the US there is both vested interest for them to do so (ie. YouTube TV) and competition from cable/fibre pay-TV PVRs that probably can do the same or similar thing. The market just isn’t the same here and the local networks think they can just afford to be complacent apparently.
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What shits me about this is that the FTAs are pushing hard demanding that their apps come preinstalled on smart TVs, yet none of them support functions that would make accessing their services simpler for the end user.
That said, they can’t be demanding guaranteed access and then forcing the manufacturers to pay - its one or the other.
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Well yeah, because that would allow users to watch channel streams without logging in with their Nine/7Plus/10Play accounts, which is ultimately where the networks can leverage better ad spend from.
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Meanwhile, we have to hand over personal data to access their janky apps to allow them to ‘better leverage’ advertisers. It can’t be a coincidence that they all struggle to deliver actual content to users, but for some strange reason the advertising delivers perfectly…
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Not a coincidence, but a mere result of the fact that when we use free streaming platforms, our viewership is the product being sold. Why give up the only consumer motivation to actually use those apps, as shitty as they may be, by putting streams on Google TV?
The only way I could see that working is if they were to require users to log into each network’s respective platform through Google TV. But that immediately would mean users would need to log in to five different VOD services to get the full FTA suite of channels.
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It’s inconvenient but as seen above Foxtel forces a login for each network. In my view, any effort to bring them all together like Live Channels could incentivise viewers to open an account for all five apps. Obviously a single front end with one account to unlock them all would be ideal, but can’t see that happening for reasons already mentioned.
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Foxtel Guide appears to have removed FTA channel listings 
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Guess ill remove them from my app listings
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So much for “all in one place”.
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Did you rescan for FTA channels and it didn’t find any? This is one case where it removes the FTA channels.
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Foxtel Guide meaning the application (not the EPG)
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It could be a slow rollout thing or only on select Foxtel Stb’s but apparently, Foxtel is integrating some new IPtv FTA TV technology.
I think it’s been posted on here before. But the iq5 you can chose iptv fta or just fta
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Yep. I have an idea the FTA channels that a disappearing at the moment are only the original Satilight FTA channels.
No it’s all of them. The website EPG is missing the category altogether.
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Are you sure? What STB are you using? I’m pretty sure from what I’ve heard it’s just the sat FTA channels they should still be available via antenna and IPtv.