IceTv in Voluntary Administarion

Started by emmsee, October 07, 2015, 05:58:18 PM

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csutak40

Quote from: GaryT on October 12, 2015, 03:57:31 PM
I also received the email but replied with 2 questions that I'd need answered before committing to a monthly subscription.

Question 1 - How many devices would be covered by the new monthly subscription ?

Question 2 - Would any of the current Executive/owners/directors be in any way involved in the new arrangement ?

If the answer to question 1 is 5 or higher, the answer to question 2 is ABSOLUTELY NONE and provided I was able to cancel on no more than a months notice then I'd be in.

To be fair, I don't think they could answer question one, it could only be hypothetical and I doubt they would be willing to answer question 2 if there was a chance of the answer being in the affirmative  :P

I certainly agree with you that I wouldn't want to be part of anything that would profit the current management, but I suppose all we can do is vote yes, which of course is not a binding contract or anything, so if we find out that any eventual arrangement is not to our liking, we can still decide not to sign up

I am afraid that if we all vote no, or abstain, than no one will be interested in taking it up, so we will end up being the at a loss
Cheers,
Judy
Last Update Dec 9 2020; Beyonwiz V2, T2,

csutak40

Quote from: nis200sx on October 12, 2015, 06:23:15 PM


I don't have a problem with the existing/previous owner(s) rescuing ice tv. 

Going by what I have been told by icetv staff, once it all comes out we will realise that the management and owners of icetv were not to blame for the current situation. It plays out like a falling row of dominos as they struggled to reverse the unfolding situation.



All of that may be true (and I know nothing about O'Brien, as he kept in the background all through this) but all I do know is all the lies we have been fed by Heinz for years now.  Nothing excuses that.

I think most people would  have been a lot more forgiving if they were told the  truth, but it was one lie after the other.  I was lucky, I cancelled just in time.  For me, the last  straw was that podcast and then, having written to him to seek assurances based on what he said, and getting no reply, I was told that he doesn't talk to plebs (well, words to that effect :P)

That it when I decided that I will not be willing to be a beta tester at the prices they were asking, though I'd wait until they are available retail and the bugs have been  ironed out.  So. I was lucky. 

I certainly wouldn't  want anything to do with a company that Heinz is a part of.
Cheers,
Judy
Last Update Dec 9 2020; Beyonwiz V2, T2,

nis200sx

Quote from: csutak40 on October 13, 2015, 04:58:45 AM
, but I suppose all we can do is vote yes, which of course is not a binding contract or anything, so if we find out that any eventual arrangement is not to our liking, we can still decide not to sign up

I am afraid that if we all vote no, or abstain, than no one will be interested in taking it up, so we will end up being the at a loss

+1
Dave

nis200sx

Quote from: Chuckles on October 13, 2015, 12:25:23 AM
Despite being a long time IceTV subscriber with a registered e-mail address which successfully receives messages from IceTV, I haven't received any e-mails regarding the appointment of administrators, nor the latest query re: whether I would resubscribe to the EPG service. I've learned of both via the Beyonwiz forums.  ::)

I would express my interest in re-subscribing to the EPG service, but I have no e-mail and hence no link to click.

I wonder how many other people have also not received any communication and have absolutely no idea this is going on...

I was going to post the link from my email... but it includes a code that would link it back to my account. So basically everyone would be voting with my login details and those extra votes probably would not count as we probably can only vote once.

The following resub_query url with my id code removed takes me to a page that says to email admin@tphinsolvency.com.au

https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webmembers.cgi?op=resub_query
Missing information from link, please contact admin@tphinsolvency.com.au

We need to vote or email admin@tphinsolvency.com.au by midday today (50 minutes from now). i.e. midday Tuesday 13 October 2015
Dave

grmarks

#184
I started with a Beyonwiz recorder but really hated the user interface. It also had a faulty hard drive which made it unreliable to record with. Once the hard drive was replaced it worked much better, but the link to the ice TV EPG was a bit hit and miss.
Enter the Skippa. I have had it about 2 weeks now and am loving the user interface, and how well it intergrates to the ice TV EPG and app.
The add skipping (while not perfect but good enough) is great. I think this box is a real winner. I have foxtel (IQ3) as well but find myself using the skippa to record and watch free to air TV. It's just so good.
I set the skippa to record all the free to air programs and the foxtel box to record only foxtel channels. That way I get everything I could ever want. I record the news on both boxes. And as I said I gravitate to the skippa to watch it.
For comparison - I had foxtel IQ1, IQ2 and now IQ3. It took them years to get IQ2 debugged. IQ3 is so buggy it's almost a joke. There are still many features that don't work on it, or work this time but not next time????? It is also responds very slowly. Updates take months to come out.
Skippa by comparison has had 2 updates (in 2 weeks - first one was when first fired up), and a third which was not far away. Hope we still get it after all this stuff now.

If what they are saying is true, about the demise of the company, then I think someone should step in and rescue the current company as I feel there is a great future in this skippa unit and ice TV in general, once word gets out about how good it really is. I hope the receivers read some of these posts and try really hard to keep the company afloat. What about some government money to save some jobs, even if it's just a loan with a friendly repayment plan?

grmarks

Just to add a bit more, Elon Musk the CEO of Tesla motors, got to the point where he invested his last $2,000,000 (from 250,000,000 to 0) to keep the company afloat. As luck would have it the US government stepped in at the right time and he got a grant and kept the company afloat. He is a bit of a genius, yet still could have failed. As it stands he is a billionair now. Kerry Packer and his dad has some close calls but luck saved them, also fairfax.

The point being that it takes some bold moves to make a strong company. I think the bold move to build a skippa unit was a good call, but it seems not just a bit of bad luck, but a LOT of bad luck has sunk the company. If the company could be propped up and skippa units get into stores and some advertising on TV, could be a really good company.     

JPP

#186
Quote from: JPP on October 12, 2015, 03:54:50 PM
If, and only if, the Guide gets up, then I would contemplate buying "my" Skippa that I paid $399 for, for the difference between that and the normal $500 price (I think that would be a Skippa without either the Guide or Ad skip subscription). In other words, I would be prepared to pay another $100 tops. That should come close to the outstanding buy price to ICETV for a Skippa. I think it's such as waste to bin all these units.

But, I would want my Guide subscription to INCLUDE my Skippa, i.e. be valid for up to 5 devices INCLUDING the Skippa. I'm already ducking for cover for such an outrageous suggestion  :o.
Well, I did put in my 2 cents worth re reviving the Skippa, but so far no one has taken to comment on this idea. What on earth would UAC be going to do with the Skippas they now hold. Maybe reprogram them to the 9600 ? - that's one option to try to recoup some of the loss....

Maybe a better one would be to start a new company, and like what is being floated for the ICETV guide, do the same for the Skippa.

But, to ensure its (Skippa's) survival if the new company were to go broke, build in the ability to switch to FTA EPG from day one.
Phil.
Beyonwiz T2, DVDO Duo Video Processor

gibster

It'd be nice to know what kind of money it would take to keep the company going. Maybe an investment group of existing IceTV/Skippa people could scrape enough up to keep the company viable.

gib
BeyonWiz V2

JPP

#188
Quote from: gibster on October 13, 2015, 01:18:17 PM
It'd be nice to know what kind of money it would take to keep the company going. Maybe an investment group of existing IceTV/Skippa people could scrape enough up to keep the company viable.

gib
I would certainly want to keep the Skippa and ICETV as separate identities. If, and it's a big IF, existing staff that look (looked) after the Skippa specifically would basically need very little capital (on the assumption that I made that they would be able to buy Skippas that had already been paid for (to ICETV) from UEC for the $100 mark that I suggested earlier), and IF these existing "owners" were all ready and willing to pay the extra $100. All new units(i.e. new customers) to be at the full price of say $500. This price is comparable to most other ICETV enabled PVRs on the current market of similar capability and specs.

Now, there are many, many more things to nut out, like the IP for the Skippa needing to be handed over for free, and so on, and so on.....

But, I just wanted us to think a bit laterally and see if this "thought bubble" of mine has any credence. 
Phil.
Beyonwiz T2, DVDO Duo Video Processor

SpocksBeer

Skippa's dead, Jim.  IMO, It's not coming back in any form.  I'd be super surprised if there was even another firmware release given that there's no money for...well, anything, and probable IP concerns that the administrator would be looking at.  Yes, I'm pissed since it seems like as someone who actually received their Skippa, I'm going to be left with an unmaintained brick. 

The EPG service may be of value to a prospective buyer, if it can be monetised (via enough people agreeing to a monthly fee structure), but Skippa is just a support nightmare with a tiny use base and a money pit. Time will tell, I guess.

Heideho

I'll be pretty sad if Skippa does become a brick regardless of the EPG getting new legs. I had 2 Topfields. Ive found myself lamenting that what I had recorded and wanted to watch was in the other room cause my kids are claiming TV rights now. The Skippa solved that issue for me by DLNA and I could watch what I'd recorded from any device on my network. I know there are other options that will do that but Skippa showed up right when I was considering options; I've been with Ice TV an awful long time; it offered ad skipping; was attractive based on lifetime EPG access included; and I do love the interface I've discovered since receiving the device.

I hope I'm not going to have to trash it and go back to the 2 Topfields. Despite all the bad things being said it's a good option for me.
Brisbane

IanL-S

#191
In all probability the absence of the promised firmware update goes back to the OEM. News reports indicate that they have not been paid for the SKIPPAs that have been delivered, so the licensing of the OS may be the issue.

It would be a bit heavy-handed of the OEM not to allow the release of a firmware update that has been in testing for over a week. Not sure if they are, for the purposes of the Australian Consumer Law the importer of the SKIPPA, but if they are then failure to fix the firmware problem may be a breach of the Law. The SKIPPAs were delivered to the OEM warehouse, and those still in the warehouse are apparently still owned by the OEM, so they could well be the importer. They also shipped them to the consumers.

Ian
IceTV: IceBox + BYOB IceBox + 2xTRF-2400 + 2xTF7100HDPVRtPlus + SKIPPA [RIP] + T2 + U4 + V2
No IceTV: a few Toppys and T2
Synology NAS
Check out the oztoppy wiki and oztoppy Forum for Toppy help

SpocksBeer

My reading of what's going on at the moment, WRT the firmware, is that the release/non-release is in the hands of IceTV.  Which is to say it's up to the VA.  IceTV were the importers of the UEC product.

Given the information vacuum, this is of course total speculation.

IanL-S

Quote from: SpocksBeer on October 13, 2015, 04:01:10 PM
IceTV were the importers of the UEC product.

Given the information vacuum, this is of course total speculation.

Yes, it is speculation. The news reports suggest that the OEM was UEC Altech (the Australian company), rather than the member of the Altech group that actually manufactured the unit. If that is in fact the case, they would presumably be a manufacturer for the purposes of the Australian Consumer Law. The fact that they have suspended operations in Australia is a complicating factor.

Ian
IceTV: IceBox + BYOB IceBox + 2xTRF-2400 + 2xTF7100HDPVRtPlus + SKIPPA [RIP] + T2 + U4 + V2
No IceTV: a few Toppys and T2
Synology NAS
Check out the oztoppy wiki and oztoppy Forum for Toppy help

Cashie

Quote from: IanL-S on October 13, 2015, 04:19:46 PM
Quote from: SpocksBeer on October 13, 2015, 04:01:10 PM
IceTV were the importers of the UEC product.

Given the information vacuum, this is of course total speculation.

Yes, it is speculation. The news reports suggest that the OEM was UEC Altech (the Australian company), rather than the member of the Altech group that actually manufactured the unit. If that is in fact the case, they would presumably be a manufacturer for the purposes of the Australian Consumer Law. The fact that they have suspended operations in Australia is a complicating factor.

Ian

Bit of a coincidence that the UEC webpage has also gone down? http://www.uec.com.au/