Fetch TV Review: In 2020 it’s fresher, better, and still just as great.

If you’re looking to ditch your expensive TV subscription or wondering how you can record TV shows or rent the latest movies then Fetch is for you – and that’s just the start of it. In this Fetch TV review, I’ll look at what’s new in 2020 for the Fetch set-top box.

It’s funny, if not a bit strange – reading a review from six years ago about a product that has gone from strength to strength in that time. Back then, I pondered that “In a world where data-caps are much higher, where more content is available on-demand at the viewers’ choice when TV rights grow up a bit – this is the box to have.”

Turns out that world is 2020. Unlimited internet is easily accessible and on-demand content dominates our lives with more streaming services than you can poke a stick out.

So what’s changed in 2020 to ensure Fetch is as good if not better than ever.

Over the last month Fetch boxes around the country have progressively been getting the latest software update from the company with new design and user experience improvements.

For me, it’s all about the live TV channels. Doesn’t matter if it’s Free-to-Air channels, virtual channels with catch-up and on-demand content or streaming subscription TV channels, the user experience is all new.

Pressing the TV Guide button on your Fetch TV remote brings up a full-screen rundown of six channels, page up and down for many more of your channel options.

What Fetch has done here is smoothed out the experience, cleaner lines, cleaner fonts even, and removing the live channel picture in picture to add more space for the program guide.

This change grated with some long term users, but I think its perfect. You’re opening the program guide because you’re most likely not interested in what’s on now, so lets look at what’s next.

On the highlighted channel you get an instant EPG preview of the show, and there are options there to record, record the series or favourite the channel.

Channel Favourites are a fantastic way to browse the program guide.

Your chosen favourites get a yellow highlight and are grouped together for easy browsing.

When you’re watching and just contemplating something else, the program discovery panel when you push up or down on the arrows is now a nice overlay over your program with enough transparency not to take away from the show.

You can see what’s on any channel, and click the Paw to tune in.

Then when watching a channel the info-bar at the bottom of screen is smarter than ever. A small arrow indicates how far into the show you are, while the Blue Button actions menu allows for basic program viewing shortcuts.

From the main menu, or at any time you can click the Search icon, and this may be one of Fetch’s most under-rated features. This is a true universal search.

Take this search for Top Gear for example, a popular show, that’s been sold to plenty of channels and providers.

Click the show, and you can see exactly where to watch all the content.

Five different providers, all listed in detail.

Back to the program guide, and you can now scroll back 24 hours on each channel. Where available (and it’s on a lot of channels) there’s the option to play a show, even if you missed it – you just get sent direct into the catch-up options.

All of this is just the basics of the 2020 update to Fetch TV.

Across the menu fonts are larger but more readable, everything is a touch darker and the uniform look across all the functions makes it ever so easy to use.

But these things I’ve mentioned are just scratching the surface. Just off the top of my head, things I regularly use on Fetch TV:

• Movie Rental
• Movie Purchase (when you know the kids are going to watch it over and over and over)
• Netflix, Stan, Amazon, and many other streaming apps.
• Free-to-air TV catch Up apps
• Catch Up smarts – the “My Stuff – Catch Up” option allows you to jump back into a show you were watching without having to navigate all the menus to and within the catch-up apps.
• App connectivity – I can use my phone as a remote, I can browse movies and even watch shows I’ve recorded on my mobile or tablet.
• Subscription TV channels – you can see from my Favourites I love Discovery and others, these channels are affordable on Fetch TV and don’t require anything but an Internet connection.

The bottom line, the Fetch box is something very powerful, it’s your all-in-one TV entertainment solution, from live TV channels to movies and catch up, it’s all there.

Fetch is available as an add on with a range of Internet suppliers like Aussie Broadband, Optus, iiNet or you can buy a box outright at major retailers.