Foxtel iQ5 set-top box review: Finally cutting the cord

Let's get this out of the way first: this review isn't looking at whether or not Foxtel is good value. The vast majority of us have up our minds on Foxtel, and a new set-top box isn't going to change that. Realistically, the combination of Binge and Kayo will go a long way for a lot of people looking for content Foxtel has rights to in Australia, but the iQ5 isn't designed for those. The iQ5 is more so a solution for maintaining existing customers.

For most of its existence, Foxtel has connected customers via the Telstra cable network, which it will lose access to in June 2023. Foxtel has been migrating customers to satellite connections since 2018 to help mitigate this. However, satellite installation isn't always practical in some circumstances, especially in apartment buildings. Sure, Foxtel Now exists, but it might not be as appealing to those who are used to having an iQ set-top box.

Enter the iQ5. Instead of connecting to Foxtel via cable or satellite, the iQ5 works with any old internet connection. (It can still connect in satellite mode, however.) While it has more in common with an Apple TV than Foxtel's older set-top boxes, the iQ5 still offers up a "classic" Foxtel experience. You can watch live, in addition to on-demand, and you can even "record" shows to its removable 1TB hard drive. It's an iQ box for the streaming age. You don't need a technician to come and install it. It's plug and play. 

If you've ever used an iQ3, iQ4, or even a Foxtel Now Box, the iQ5's interface should be pretty familiar. There's a home pane that highlights new content and lets you jump back into whatever watching, a TV guide, your library of recorded content, and then categories for the likes of movies, TV, and sports. This is all augmented by internet connectivity, which lets you channel surf if you're not sure what to watch, but then start the show or movie in question from the beginning.

The iQ5 also supports a handful of other streaming apps including Netflix, YouTube, ABC iview, and SBS On Demand. Stan, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ are notable omissions, meaning the iQ5 isn't quite an all-in-one set-top box, however.

As aforementioned, the iQ5 can also record content thanks to its 1TB hard drive. In most cases, record is a bit of a lie, however. While the experience is what you'd expect from Foxtel, where you can even get the iQ5 to "record" an entire season as it airs, when it comes to anything from Foxtel channels, you're really just downloading it to your hard drive.

Given most Foxtel content is also available on demand, recording mostly seems helpful for those with subpar internet connections, or if you're worried about Foxtel losing the rights to something and want to ostensibly make a backup. If you plug an aerial into the iQ5, you can also use it to record free-to-air content. Free-to-air can’t be watched over the internet, unfortunately.

Foxtel also plans to offer a iQ5 set-top box without a hard drive at a tentative price of $99, but this hasn't got a release date yet. The price of an iQ5 with a hard drive is $199, although we imagine Foxtel will waive hardware costs on certain plans when the iQ5 becomes more widely available.

Notably, the iQ5 is the only way to watch 4K content on Foxtel other than an iQ4 set-top box with a satellite connection. While there isn't a whole lot of 4K content on offer (it's only really movies and sports, you don't get HBO shows in 4K, for example), Foxtel is one of the only options for Ultra HD sports in Australia - especially when it comes to the properties it has rights to.

If you're hoping to stream 4K via the iQ5, you'll need a 25Mbps internet connection. At least 3Mbps is required for standard definition, and 7Mbps for high definition.

While Foxtel hasn't always had the best reputation for software, I've been testing the iQ5 for about three months now, and the experience has genuinely been seemly. It's great to see the pay TV giant has delivered this time around.

One key omission, however, is support for HDR video. HDR - short for high dynamic range - content has a higher contrast ratio, which results in a wider colour space, and in turn leads to more vivid, true-to-life images. Most popular streaming solutions like the Apple TV and the Chromecast with Google TV now all support HDR and formats such as Dolby Vision.

As it stands, the iQ5 isn't available to just anyone yet. Foxtel says it's prioritising currently older customers who can't migrate to satellite, but it plans to offer the iQ5 to new customers more widely in the near future. Existing Foxtel customers on an iQ3 or older can reach out to Foxtel customer service to arrange an upgrade to iQ5. Foxtel currently isn't planning on moving over iQ4 customers to the iQ5.

Foxtel iQ5 - Final Thoughts

The iQ5 isn't going to change your mind on Foxtel, but it's a genuinely well thought out online version of the pay TV giant's set-top box. It won't alienate any existing customers, and it also doubles as the easiest way to watch Foxtel content in 4K.

View Foxtel plans here.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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