by Foxtel is set to launch a massive marketing blitz to promote its new Hubbl TV streaming hardware. As viewers watch the TV adverts in which Hamish Blake dances across their screens dressed up as a box for Hubbl TVs, many people will be asking the not unreasonable question: “Doesn’t my TV already do this?”
Most Australians now own a smart TV. Australia got serious about TV streaming back in 2015 with the launch of Stan and Netflix. With the general lifespan of a TV between 7 and 15 years, it means that most Australians currently have smart TVs or have a plug-in device fitted to make their TV “smart”.
These days, even the smallest and cheapest TV you can buy at JB HiFi ($199 FFalcon TV) has smart TV functionality, with the Android TV operating system.
To compete with such heavy oversaturation in the market, if Foxtel is going to launch its own streaming hardware, it needs to provide a strong product that is so good that Australians choose it over software-driven TVs and hardware from global technology companies like Apple, Google, Samsung. , Amazon, and Sony.
Has Foxtel done the impossible here? Hubbl Foxtel surprisingly makes a pretty good case for itself even if it doesn’t quite pass the sniff test.
The hardware – an average performer
Hubble comes in two forms – a set-top box that plugs into your TV and an actual 4k TV that comes in 55- and 65-inch versions with a built-in sound bar.
The television set, branded Hubbl Glass, is fairly unremarkable in its black appearance. But it could easily be imagined that potential buyers would be under pressure by the fact that the TV, like the recent iPhone, comes in fairly elegant colors: Anthracite Black, Ocean Blue, Racing Green, Dusky Pink, and Ceramic White.
Related: Facing facts: ABC pulls the plug on RMIT’s fact-checking collaboration
If you’re someone who’s interested in getting the best possible picture quality out of a screen, these mid-range TVs won’t impress you. But if you are out to buy a TV and the TV is available in a pleasant shade of Dusty Pink and the picture looks good, then suddenly this TV starts to look like a contender. It’s priced competitively with other TVs and comes with that built-in sound bar.
The unclaimed are what the Hubbl is aimed at. It’s designed to be as portable as possible with a plug-and-play ethos. That simplicity is both its strongest selling point and its greatest weakness. This is clearly visible when it comes to the operating system that powers the Hubbl Glass TV and the Hubbl set-top box.
The software – easy to use up to a point
For non-demanding, non-adventurous viewers who stretch their viewing as far as a few of the free-to-air network apps, and maybe a Netflix, Stan, or Binge account or two, the Hubbl platform is good enough in really.
Hubbl’s selling point is that it aggregates all your apps into one interface and you don’t have to open individual apps to find something to watch. That’s really useful.
But to achieve this, the whole experience is based on partnerships created between Foxtel and the various streaming services. Apps include: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Binge, Kayo, LifeStyle, Flash, YouTube, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Stan, Optus Sport, ABC iview and ABC Kids, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now, and 10 Play.
Related: Greek minister labels Alexander the Great Netflix show ‘extremely low-quality fiction’
What if Hubbl hasn’t built a relationship with a service you enjoy, like, say, UK drama streaming service BritBox? Or Shudder horror movie app? Or Hayu’s reality show destination? You’ll need a completely different device to access them – they’re not on Hubbl.
Also all the linear channels from your various installed apps are integrated in the box. It also has an antenna port on the back for adding channels from a home antenna. That’s pretty useful, but if you want to record something, Hubbl won’t be able to do that.
The user experience is quite good. But if you’re thinking of buying one, you need to have a good idea of what you do and don’t want to stream.
Friendly on the wallet
The one big selling point for Hubbl is that it will offer you discounts on your paid streaming services. If you’re willing to let Hubbl manage all of your billing for the different services, you can bundle and save between $5 and $15 per month, depending on how many services you bundle.
Should you press play on Hubbl?
Trust your first thought about Hubbl and know that there is nothing so strong about Hubbl that you should replace functional devices at home with this. But you might want to consider it if you’re doing a hardware upgrade.
The user interface is really easy to use. And it does a great job of integrating that content into one place for you to choose from. And it has a good remote. And the discounts are always welcome.
But you are limited by the available apps. There is no guarantee that Foxtel will add the apps you want at a later date. And there’s always the possibility that one of its partnerships could come to an end, removing that app from the platform.
Those risks can be taken if you have limited options, but that’s not the case here. Every TV today has smart functionality and probably all the apps of Hubbl and thousands more.
This is a good looking product that does a lot of things right. But there are limits too great to ignore. Sure, you could choose it over the many other options out there, but why would you?
