IceTv in Voluntary Administarion

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

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IanL-S

#135
It appears that someone is assessing the viability of a monthly subscription service for IceTV. Just got the following email from IceTV Support:

Dear IceTV subscribers,
We, Amanda Lott and Tim Heesh were appointed Voluntary Administrators of the Company on 6 October 2015.
The following request has been written by the Director to the company Mr Colin O'Brien. We as administrators have continued to maintain the ICE TV service to the subscriber base since we were appointed on the 6th October 2015. We know that the service will need to be sold or licensed to another provider for it to remain operable as the company in voluntary administration cannot continue to provide the service indefinitely. Mr O'Brien, in attempting to assist the Voluntary Administrators in finding an alternative service provider, would like to know how many of the current subscribers would immediately renew their subscriptions and pay a new monthly fee if the ICE TV service was to continue. Your immediate response, by midday Tuesday 13 October 2015, will be of assistance in determining whether that service can continue to be provided.
Although we, as Voluntary Administrators are forwarding this email to you as written by Mr O'Brien, we do not express a view as to some of the personal sentiments he conveys in the message.
"To say we are sorry for the mess that has ensued is trite in the extreme but nevertheless I hope you can believe how saddened we are by the events of the past week. Our Skippa project is defunct but it may be possible to licence our complete IceTV EPG and Smart Recording service to a new party. Before we can go ahead with discussions about saving that business we must know how many current subscribers would be prepared to re-subscribe to maintain their enjoyment of the ease of use that it brings to managing TV recording. Unfortunately I must state that your current subscription value is lost although you may he able to recover the unused proportion if you used a credit provider.
Our proposal is for a monthly subscription of $7:99.
We believe our 24/7 accurate EPG data, produced in-house, and integrated smartphone apps, website and PVR hardware for just $2/week represents extremely good value.
If you would subscribe to this service we believe we can get it running so that your current EPG data and PC/Smartphone functionality will not be interrupted.
Colin."


There is a link at the bottom of the email which takes you to a www page where you can indicate if you would interested in taking up the proposed monthly subscription.

[update] This information will apparently be used as part of the process of tempting possible purchasers. If you want IceTV EPG and IceTV Interactive to continue, then this is you chance to indicate your willingness to continue purchasing the service.

It is clear from the information provided that the SKIPPA is dead. The question is how long with firmware updates be provided to deal with the currently known bugs.

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

RubberChicken

I'd resubscribe despite meaning I'd lose the 3 years I have already paid for. I think I got every subscription extension for a huge discount anyway. I have to admit each time I kept seeing these huge subscription discounts a tiny alarm went off :-( so although I'd be saying goodbye to more than $100 prepaid the service is definitely worth keeping.

If only they had stuck to the service and not tried to build a box to compete with a saturated market, and a box with features guaranteed to antagonise. I mean, was skipping through ads with a few presses really so inconvenient it was worth all that?

Cannot imagine watching FTA without IceTV, I've used it since inception and program everything through the app.

kazz


I got the email as well, replied with a yes as, even though I've lost a 4 month old 5 year subscription I can't imagine not having icetv anymore.

JPP

Price is not as low as I'd hoped, but on par with the normal $99/year subscription. So, I answered YES.
Phil.
Beyonwiz T2, DVDO Duo Video Processor

gas667

#139
As long as it's a new company with no links to the old.

At least i got my Skippa (actually not sure if that was a bonus - could have lodged a claim with Paypal otherwise) but if anyone from the old company shows up in the new one I won't have anything to do with their products (management and board that is - not support or other staff).

I sent an email explaining all this to support and saying Yes if it's a totally different company. Not sure if it will count but there you go.

I wonder if we see any more firmware for the Skippa. At least to fix the ad skipping. Maybe that's part of the problem?


warkus

I say yes also, BUT at $7.99 a month, they had better maintain it to the same level as current or better otherwise I'll switch to auto timers on the T3 instead.

What worries me is if the level of service or quality drops because the new company cuts corners or cuts costs to make it more attractive to them...

Dave and all the others at IceTV have worked hard to make the guide a really good product, I just hope that whoever takes it over can maintain it to the same standard otherwise I'll pull the pin pretty quickly.

I knew the existing subscriptions were gone, it had to be the case, there is just no income stream for an new company to take it over if they honour existing subscriptions, why would they...

Mark

jbrogan

I also received the email. Although I found the EPG useful, I find that I watch so little FTA these days that I could easily live without it. I certainly wouldn't send them a single dollar until I was certain the operation was up-and-running under completely new management with no ties to the old. I'll be sitting on the sidelines for now.

Vortical

Quote from: RubberChicken on October 12, 2015, 03:29:38 PM
Cannot imagine watching FTA without IceTV, I've used it since inception and program everything through the app.
+1

I'm losing 5 years of my subscription but I can't imagine dealing with tv guides, repeats and time changes again so I've also clicked YES to the $7.99 monthly proposal.

ahpigsy

Even though I have a 'Lifetime' subscription I also answered yes. I find the Humax with IceTV a great service and wouldn't like to lose it. So convenient to record anything from your smart phone. Even though it won't recognise ABC as I get a failed timer continually.
I hope Dave still has his job. Somehow I think not.

Mr_Q

I love the "your current subscription value is lost" but we'd love to get another $7.99/month from you ...

Very disappointed the IceTV is going, but given the state of FTA TV these days I guess I'll manage without. Shame about losing several years worth of subscription. :(

It's also annoying that they've removed any details about our current expiry dates which makes making any claims difficult.

gas667

Quote from: jbrogan on October 12, 2015, 03:39:51 PM
I also received the email. Although I found the EPG useful, I find that I watch so little FTA these days that I could easily live without it. I certainly wouldn't send them a single dollar until I was certain the operation was up-and-running under completely new management with no ties to the old. I'll be sitting on the sidelines for now.

That's my problem though. I watch little FTA but the shows i do watch I want my system to just record. My old Tivo did this wonderfully and I was hoping the Icetv EPG would also just work.

Mantorok

I also voted YES even though I had about 3.5 years of subscription left for my Beyonwiz and a lifetime subscription for my Skippa.

Without the IceTV EPG and Interactive I'd give up on FTA altogether and probably just subscribe to Stan/Netflix or, heaven forbid, Foxtel!

JPP

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.

Phil.
Beyonwiz T2, DVDO Duo Video Processor

GaryT

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.

logger

#149
I understand the Skippa project is defunct.

However for those of us who actually have Skippas..... Is there any possibility that a licenced version of the Ice TV EPG, operated by a 3rd party would provide Ad skipping functionality.   

I read a suggestion the current lack of skipping is due to a firmware issue. But is true or could it really be due to lack of a monkey in the organ grinder?

I guess my real Q is... IS the Ad Skipping possible with nothing but a functioning Skippa firmware and the Ice TV EPG.   

My vote is YES as I have nothing else to lose and I can actually decide at a later a date is I wish to proceed.