Optus MeTV with Fetch
The new Optus MeTV with Fetch marries a three-tuner HD PVR with the ability to stream and store on-demand movies and TV series for the low, low price of AU$9.95 per month.
Today Optus unveiled its new free-to-air PVR that can stream and store on-demand movies and TV shows from the internet.
In brief
The set-top box features three high-definition digital TV tuners and a 1TB hard disk, allowing it to store up to 250 hours of SD content.
Also included as part of the basic package is a Movie Box that at any time contains 30 "classic" movies that can be streamed and downloaded. According to Optus, seven movies will be added and deleted from the Movie Box list on a weekly basis.
Newer movies can be rented and watched on an on-demand basis (in either SD or HD) for between AU$3.95 and AU$6.95 per title. If TV series are more your scene, the MeTV offers a monthly subscription TV service where content is divided into a number of packs for AU$6.95 per month.
At launch, there will be Kids, Music and Documentary packs, with each pack containing between 20 and 25 different television series. At the product launch, the Kids Pack features series from both the ABC and the BBC, while the Documentary Pack has content from ABC Factual, BBC Earth and National Geographic. Foreign language packs will be available at an unspecified future date.
Pricing and availability
Available from the end of October 2011, Optus MeTV with Fetch is available to all Optus customers for AU$9.95 per month on a 24-month contract — the minimum cost works out to be AU$289.30, after delivery and other fees are taken into account. It's a freebie if you're on the AU$109 per month Optus Fusion home phone and internet package.
Although it's available to customers using either Optus' mobile or home phone services, it's preferable for users to be connected to the company's broadband network, as on-demand movies and TV subscriptions are only unmetered through Optus' network.