The Fetch Mighty usually retails for $449 but JB Hi-Fi currently has it on sale 40% off at $269. Yes, these are refurbished units but people who have bought refurb Fetch boxes in the past have reported they are just as reliable as new boxes.
Since the death of TiVo Australia and lack of availability of any other independent PVR brands, Australians who want to record free to air and subscription TV basically have the choice of Foxtel IQ4 or Fetch Mighty. Both have strong and weak points. Foxtel is more expensive but has a lot of exclusive sport content. Fetch is cheaper and has less exclusive content.
Ausdroid recently reviewed the Fetch Mighty PVR and found it was a easy way to experience TV shows and movies from across different free to air, subscription channels and apps in one box.
Fetch Mighty boxes are available in two 2 ways.
One way is to buy the Mighty retail and pay Fetch a $1 to activate it. Then you can use the Mighty to record free to air without paying any subscription fees. Or you can also pay Fetch directly to subscribe to various mixtures of pay TV channels packs. The benefit of this option is that you own the box and can switch ISP’s without losing access to any of your recordings or purchased movies/TV shows. However you will have paid up front to own the box.
Another way is to rent the Mighty from Fetch partner ISP’s at $10-$15/month for varying contract lengths. Then you can also just to record free to air or also pay the ISP to subscribe to various pay TV channel packs. The benefit of this approach is that you don’t need to spend money out right to own the box. However if you leave that ISP you have to return the Mighty and you lose all your recordings and purchased content.
At the usual retail outright price of $449 you’d have to rent the Mighty for 30+ to 45+ months to spend that much total and come out ahead.
The current retail pricing of $269 makes an outright buy much more attractive because the payback period is a lot shorter, you’d have to rent the box for 18+ to 27+ months to pay more than that in total.
The TiVo was such a brilliant intuitive PVR, exactly what the iQ3 is not
Yeah it was great, I used mine a lot. But their Australian attempts at earning money via VOD and adding extra services to the box failed.
I bought a Refurbished Fetch Mighty from JB HiFi on sale last year.
I’m almost 100% sure it was brand new, the smell, the packaging, the settings, all brand new.
Maybe I was lucky, maybe refurbished is that good. Either way I would buy refurbished again.
BTW this PVR is brilliant, the team that designed this box are serious TV watchers as the software and hardware design is excellent.
Thanks for the feedback