T-Box introduces new free features including Apps and Weather
Filed under: broadband, consumer, entertainment, gadgets and gizmos, lifestyle, movies, networks, Picasa, T-Box, technology
We know the Telstra T-Box is a great device and what is really exciting is the ability to make it even better by updating it with new features.
In recent times for example we’ve introduced the capability to pay for BigPond Movies on your Telstra bill and the option to connect T-Box to a Wi-Fi network without a password using Wi-Fi Protected Setup.
We’ve also been busy responding to your feedback by improving the way T-Box performs. For example we’ve improved remote control pairing, optimised the BigPond Movies service and improved the reliability of the broadband connection to the T-Box via Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Today we’re bringing new features to the T-Box including a new Applications menu that includes free games and Picasa, as well as an on-screen weather icon.
Picasa is an application from Google that enables you to organise and share photos from your computer. And with the new T-Box Picasa app, customers will be able to log into their photo albums and share them on the big screen instead of crowding around the computer. Consider it as a modern day slide show.
We’re also adding a selection of free games to T-Box. From launch there will be eight titles to choose from including the puzzle game ‘Rockswap Adventures’ and a maths game called ‘add it up’. The games are free to use and do not count towards your download. We plan to add new games in the future so stay tuned for more news!
We know our customers also love to keep across weather updates so we’re bringing a weather icon to the Main Menu of your T-Box. You can change the weather postcode location by visiting telstra.com/tboxsetup, login and follow the instructions.
Click here to head to the FAQs that detail what you need to do to set up these great new free features on your T-Box.
We will be regularly introducing new features and improvements based on your feedback – so let us know what else you would like to see on your T-Box.
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The t box is an amazing piece of entertainment i hope that it comes with an application to browse the internet.
An Application for browsing the Internet would make the whole experience a lot better.
Hi
I got a TBox a few months ago and have never watched a program on it. It doesnt pick up all of the free to air channels and the ones it does, they just keep freezing up. As part of the deal we got a $50 Bigpond movie credit, couldnt even use that. The Tbox is a joke! I could’ve got a better looking ornament much cheaper! Not happy…
Hi there Elisa, thanks for contacting us via our blog. The best way to contact Telstra for a service/product/bill query is to click onto the ‘Ask the Crowd’ or go to our 24/7 Facebook page on the top right hand side of our blog where you’ll be directly linked to one of our online customer support consultants. This is the most efficient way to get someone to look into your account. Danielle
I have connected my TBox to a projector with hdmi and the digital audio with S/PDIF cable to my ho,e theatre amp and both work, except that I can’t 5.1 output. In the settings I have turned off hdmi audio. What else do I have turn on?
Thanks
George
Hi George, you know the best way to contact Telstra for a service/product query is to click onto the ‘Ask the Crowd’ or our ’24/7 Facebook page’ on the top right hand side of our blog where you’ll be directly linked to one of our online customer support consultants. It’s a new feature we’ve added to make it easier for customers to get directly in touch with a consultant. This is the most efficient way to get someone to look into your account. Danielle
My PC is has not got windows 7 and media player 12. Is there other software I can use which will stream movies etc to my T-Box?
Hello Simon. Thanks for contacting us via our blog. The best way to contact Telstra for a service/product query is to click onto the ‘Ask the Crowd’ or go to our 24/7 Facebook page on the top right hand side of our blog where you’ll be directly linked to one of our online customer support consultants. There is a T-Box section on CrowdSupport.
I’m assuming you have XP.
If you have at least Windows Media Player 11 (which does run on XP), you can share and stream media that your T-Box can pick up.
Go to Tools, Library, and select Configure Sharing.
Select the T-Box (it will probably appear as an “unknown Device).
then make sure you have ticked the media types you want to share.
Couple of caveats: It’s not as good as Windows 7 and WMP12, but it works.
You will have to individually select folders to monitor in WMP11 if you want any sort of semblance of order when you use the T-Box (you browse folders in the My Media on the T-box, selecting Media on .
Hope this helps.
It would be nice to be able to get Foxtel on the T Box in Tasmania and other regional areas now Austar has been taken over by Foxtel
100% agree. I have a VERY good ADSL2 line, and I’ll have the NBN early next year, so bring it on.
At least it will stop the Austar reps coming to my house every other month
I love my T Box but it would be awesome if you could have a wireless keyboard/mouse capability and be able to surf the internet.
That would be pointless as you can’t use the T Box to surf the internet anyway!
All these would be nice to have, but geez, just something simple like subtitles on movies and CC’s on YouTube would do me.
Instead of introducing all these new apps – many of which are of little use to most of us, you should put some time and effort into improving some of the basics.
The EPG is still hopeless (or pathetic or pitiful – pick any or all).
The commercial channels almost always run deliberately late, so having the NOMINAL times on the EPG is just not good enough, when it is the best way to set up recording, and the only way to set series recording.
The Free-to-Air times on their EPG are re-adjusted to the ACTUAL program times at least one or two days in advance, and Telstra has access to this Data, so why is it not incorporated into the T-box’s EPG ???.
I agree with the comments made by Leo Grayson. I have set my “Post recording time” to the maximum time of 20 minutes, and in some cases that is still not long enough to record the end of a programme which is running overtime. Therefore I no longer use the T-box to record, unless I do a manual setting of the time and add one hour to the end of the programme finish time. If the “Post” recording time had a few more options up to a maximum of one hour that would solve that problem. But I do believe the EPG should have the programme times up dated regularly, and if a programme has been set (such as a series recording) it should up date also. However having said that, we should all be writing to the respective commercial channels and apply pressure on them to maintain their advertised programme schedule. Rather than let them get away with blatant commercialism.
I agree that alot if it has to do with the networks like Tues night Bikie Wars was supposed to start at 830 but didn’t start till 845pm
Got my tbox today. Remote worked for one hour then froze immediately. Did download a free app for tbox remote for iPad. Can now control all features. I am not even going to bother to seek replacement as no doubt that will be crap as well. Only froze once in first day. It’s good for streaming from pc some Internet channels are good. Like the movies options but way to expensive. Tuner works well picked up about 70 percent of channels. Not bad effort for Telstra I hope they continue to improve it as concept is great. Like the unmetered options for channels. Unfortunately I don’t have access to the foxtel feature. Not available in my area even though I have adsl 2
Hoping someone can answer this , DLNA keeps dropping out with the technicolor router after each video is played , requiring a restart of the t-box . The router is still working , the t-box just won’t recognise it , I bought the t-box and the technicolor with the assumption they would work well paired together , seems this is not so…
Does it happen with EVERY media type you play?
I had the same thing happen once, but it turned out to be a corrupt video file.
Also, I assume you are using the REAR USB port?
Problem now seems Fixed after reboots , but why would I use the rear USB port if I’m using DLNA ? (it’s wireless)
Sorry, I thought you were trying to read media off the router connected to one of the USB ports.
Hoping someone Can answer my question. My Tbox somehow does not understand to look in the external drive (connected at the back of the unit) for space to record. It does record to the external drive but it must alos be recording to the tbox hard drive as well. It routinely askes to delete some recording because the hard drive is nearly full, whereas the external drive has plenty of recoribg time left on it.
Am I missing something in the set up directory?
Do you have any question or comments about the T-box app? Why not try CrowdSupport a place where our customers connect and help each other to solve problems. Check out the dedicated T-Box section.
http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/T-Box/bd-p/TBox
My contract finishes with Telstra at end of this month – hate the fact they I was locked into a landline/tbox/broadband contract for 24 months……2 tboxes, 3 remotes, many phone calls, lost recordings, freezing, pixilation, movie money disappeared problems. Does anyone know how to use the tbox via a wireless i/net wifi connection? Can this be done because telstra told me it must be an ADSL2+ system – gather this is only avail via landline……..thanks
Hi Beverley, you can click to ‘Ask the Crowd’ in a forum or you can go through to our ’24/7 Facebook page’. There are two options to contact us here as these links get you straight through to people who can help – you’ve come through to our corporate blog site here and I’d highly recommend using one of these new avenues and there is a specific T-Box section which I have linked directly to for you.
beverly
i found it worked much better through direct to my thomson 4point ethernet router via ethernet cable not the wirless part of modem . i picked the cable up from “discount store “Cheap as Chips “15m for about the same price i did also have 3 boxs and a couple of remotes exchanged but most of the problem i think was with software and have no big issues since (touch wood)
Hi Beverley,
I’ve had the T-Box for some time now and yes, I’ve had my share of problems. However in general I find it works pretty well. I connect via WiFi to my Thompson router and find that all goes well for most of the times. I even run Foxtel via the WiFi. It’s not hard to set up. Go into settings, Internet Connection and change connection to WiFi. I’ve found the easiest way is to use WPS which requires you to press the button on the front of the router. Good Luck
Installed T-Box about an hour ago. Mostly very happy so far. Key feature for me was the ability to surf Youtube on my TV. Works great when videos are playing, but I’m already sick of using the numeric pad for text entry searching for Youtube videos. Understand there’s only so much room on a remote, so the numeric keypad makes sense there. So next, I downloaded the iPhone remote app – thinking that surely it allows the iPhone keyboard to be used for text entry… but no. I fail to see how something so simple was overlooked when the app was created. Would make the T-Box much more user friendly. Please, please look at changing this. Thank you.
Yes i would love for tbox to have a google feature, and also would definitely love to be able to buy a wireless keyboard for the tbox, typing long words or phrases on the remote is a pain when searching youtube. Especially in the dark
Any chance of having more sport channels, like cricket(bbl,sheffield shield) NFL an other American sports?
Hi Tynan! We have more surprises up our sleeve for T-Box this year… stay tuned.
please add web browsing app
Apple TV have just updated their firmware so that a bluetooth keyboard can now be used with it to easily type in searches etc. There have been many comments in this forum asking Telstra to do the same with T-Box. Come on Telstra, don’t be left behind. Include this facility. I find it very frustrating trying to push the numeric buttons on the remote to enter a search word.
I have just purchased a t box and we live in an area classed as a black spot for tv reception. So we have to have a satellite and a UEC DSD4121 decoder box to enable us to watch tv. I have now been told by telstra that the t box will not work with a satellite box. Has anyone got any ideas on how it may be connected? The tv is a digital enabled LG about 3 yrs old.
This page suggests you could use an RF modulator
http://www.satplus.com.au/products/Australian-Digital-TV-Anywhere-in-Australia-%252d-UEC-DSD-4121-%28VAST%29.html
If you plug the antenna end into the RF modulator and the T-Box, does that look like it would work?
Do you record off the Satellite box? if so, the T-Box would be more useful for Internet channels, assuming you can get the speeds.
Guys, anyone know how to do browsing Internet with T-box, we can do searching in the YouTube but not website , this is weird and disappointed
Hi Tom,
Have a chat to our T-Box support team – you can contact them via this number 1300 136 841. They’ll help you out
how do I get more games for my t box it got 9 games is there any way of getting more games for it?
Hi Wayde,
Someone in the tech team will be able to help you with that one.