Free vs Paid

[ifndj]

I've been a subscriber for a few years. After the rescue, I understand my current subscription which didn't expire until next year is now invalid.  So I read on the site that there is still a "Free vs Paid" offer: https://www.icetv.com.au/store According to the site: Free gets "Quality-Assured Curated Program Guide: IceTV checks daily for program changes so you don't miss any of your favourite shows"

After the 18 November- my IceTV app started complaining "authorisation failed".

So I asked to take advantage of the Free offering only, since I never use the remote recording anymore. So after requesting support, the guide suddenly came back. However after a few weeks of receiving the guide, I suddenly see the same error. I asked support again for the free offering and it was back within a day. After another few weeks of guide, now the error is back.

Anyone know how to get the free offering without having to ask support to unblock the account every time?

It is really annoying as the task pops up with the error and steals focus every 60 seconds or so!

[Daniel Hall at IceTV]

Hi ifndj,

The free IceTV offering is only available for use in our mobile phone apps.

To be able to use the IceTV guide on a PVR or Media Center you must have a Paid IceTV subscription.

[ifndj]

Thanks Daniel, but...
1. Nowhere does it state that
2. In fact the chart of "Free vs Paid" does not say anywhere that you Don't get this on any media device.
3. Your advertising  is misleading.
4. I don't need 5 devices when I always had only 3, so
5.  The new subscription fee of $7.99 per month for 5 devices is ridiculous if a user only needs three devices. You should offer a per device subscription  65. In any event I still feel ripped off as my earlier payment for the service has vanished- $7.99 is far too much for what is basically a freeview guide.

Time to find a new solution for MCE simple guide. Don't want and never used remote recording... it is a gimmick (Use remote desktop if you are that desperate not to miss something.)

Unfortunately I can't see how the new service will make money... but good luck!   

[Paul55]

Don't want and never used remote recording...

So, you set all recordings on your PVRs and not via the IceTV website? If so, you certainly weren't getting the best value from your subscription.

what is basically a freeview guide

It certainly isn't a freeview guide - assuming you actually know what 'Freeview' is. There are very few devices available with long term access to the 'Freeview' EPG because the public has largely rejected them for their restrictive practices. If you mean the Free To Air (FTA) guide, you are also wrong. The FTA guide doesn't contain important information like the Repeat flag which is essential for proper series recording.

Good luck with your future recordings - I'm sure the next provider will be happy to design their service around your individual circumstances.

[fastcars]

Time to find a new solution for MCE simple guide. Don't want and never used remote recording... it is a gimmick (Use remote desktop if you are that desperate not to miss something.)

Using the IceTV Android app is so easy and convenient to setup recordings. I use it all the time, even whilst travelling interstate.

Also, the $8 a month subscription is quite reasonable, basically it is the cost of two large coffee's at $4 each for a month!

[IanL-S]

Also, the $8 a month subscription is quite reasonable, basically it is the cost of two large coffee's at $4 each for a month!

I thought that was my line ...... :o  ;D

[prl]

Almost everyone who was a subscriber to the "old" IceTV lost money on their subscription, unless they were able to recover it from their Credit Card provider.

The money is gone.

I lost subscriptions paid out to 2020.

The only real questions remaining are whether you consider $8/month for IceTV good value, and whether you're willing to risk $8 on the eventuality that the "new" IceTV doesn't survive.

[IanL-S]

The only real questions remaining are whether you consider $8/month for IceTV good value, and whether you're willing to risk $8 on the eventuality that the "new" IceTV doesn't survive.

I strongly agree with that.

Ian

[Dave at IceTV]

Thanks Daniel, but...
1. Nowhere does it state that
2. In fact the chart of "Free vs Paid" does not say anywhere that you Don't get this on any media device.
3. Your advertising  is misleading.

The Comparing Free Vs Paid Subscription chart on this page compares the Paid Subscription to the Free App

The free subscription gives you a free app to view on your phone or tablet.

4. I don't need 5 devices when I always had only 3, so
5.  The new subscription fee of $7.99 per month for 5 devices is ridiculous if a user only needs three devices. You should offer a per device subscription  65. In any event I still feel ripped off as my earlier payment for the service has vanished- $7.99 is far too much for what is basically a freeview guide.

An IceTV subscription costs the same for 1 device as it does for 5. People with 1 device are not paying more for being able to use IceTV on 5 devices. They pay $7.99 for 1 subscription and can use it on up to 5 recording devices (in the same location). This way someone with 3 recording devices at home does not need to pay for 3 subscriptions.

Time to find a new solution for MCE simple guide. Don't want and never used remote recording... it is a gimmick (Use remote desktop if you are that desperate not to miss something.)

Using Remote Recording to set a recording that you forgot about is just 1 small part of IceTV. Remote recording can also be sitting on the lounge - it doesn't have to be Interstate or overseas, or last minute. Most of the time it is used as 2nd Screen Recording Management rather than remote recording management.

• You see a promo for a show or series you want to record so you pick up your phone/tablet of the coffee table and set a single or series recording for it (all while still watching the show you were watching).
• Or you see a promo for a show that is coming in a month that you want to record so you pick up your phone/tablet of the coffee table and if it's in IceTV's 'coming soon' you set a series recording for it, and if it's not in 'coming soon' you set a keyword recording for it (all while still watching the show you were watching).

The main parts of IceTV are Smart Series Recording, and metadata rich guide data with Consistent Titles and Repeat Flags that recorders with built in series recording can use to correctly record your series. If you use your recorder's built in series recording then it needs guide data that provides the information it needs to determine if an episode is a part of the series or not.

[spudcooder]

...

The only real questions remaining are whether you consider $8/month for IceTV good value, and whether you're willing to risk $8 on the eventuality that the "new" IceTV doesn't survive.

It bugs me that everyone throws around this notion of the risk of just $8 if they don't survive. For me, it's not about losing $8 if they don't survive, it's more about losing $8 per month until either a) this service becomes of acceptable quality or b) they don't survive.

I still haven't renewed at this point, waiting more to see how it all turned out before I consider $8pm good value for the service provided.

Do I consider $8pm good value? At present, no. If I did, I would have resubscribed.

Forgetting about what has happened in the past, what has been lost by how many, including myself, let's look at the current service for the guide alone. Judging by the number of posts per day pointing out errors in the guide, only to be met with something like "sorry, we missed that one", or the diminished support, it's not up to par. What good is remote recording and repeat flags if the guide isn't up to an acceptable standard to start with.

Yes, there have been issues, but this isn't a new start up business, it's the same people. If I'm paying for a service, I shouldn't need to worry about what difficulties might be going on in the background. Deal with it and provide the service you're accepting money for. If I'm paying for a service, I care about the quality of the service provided. If you were making say, an insurance claim, and the company was struggling internally with redundancies, would you be more concerned about them, or care about your claim?

Is the quality of the IceTV service now up to the same standard it used to be? In my opinion, no. Does it cost more per month now? Based on the subscription I was on previously, yes.

So, as it stands for me, paying more for worse quality isn't good value. If the service becomes good value to me again, a quality service and adequate support is provided, then I will resubscribe. If they don't survive in the meantime, so be it. But if I'm paying $8 per month until that point, it's more than risking just $8.

[IanL-S]

As far as I can work out, there is a new team doing the EPG. It may even be that there are fewer people available for that task. While Dave and Daniel are thankfully still here to help.

I agree that there are more things being missed that we are used to. However, setting timers using the free-to-air EPG data has as many, if not more problems, as most recording devices do not update timers. And often the free-to-air information is out by 10 or 20 minutes, and sometimes even has the incorrect programs.

I will continue to support IceTV as I cannot see how I can do what I currently do without it.

Ian

[simoncasey]

In regards to the point about risking more than $8, the paintbrush people are making is that if this icetv was to collapse like the last one, the most money you could lose is $8 vs the hundreds that people lost in prepaid subscriptions in the old version. Whether $8 a month is good value is a personal choice depending on how you use it.

However, I agree with the earlier post that the chart isn't clear that getting the icetv epg onto your device is part of the paid subscription, as this question has come up before.

[csutak40]

(in the same location).

This is OT, but was this always the case?  I am sure I had a friend who told me that they also used it in their holiday house.  Am I mistaken, or has that changed?

[simoncasey]

(in the same location).

This is OT, but was this always the case?  I am sure I had a friend who told me that they also used it in their holiday house.  Am I mistaken, or has that changed?

I think the issue is that they have to be in the same region as you can only specify one region in your account.

[IanL-S]

Yes but you can change it as you mover around if you take your PVR with you. Only one region at a time,

Ian