# “HBO Now” coming this spring for $15 per month, with Apple as launch partner



## peds48

So it looks like the deal is done.



> A source speaking to the International Business Times said that HBO will launch its standalone streaming service, called HBO Now, for $15 per month this spring with the premier of Game of Thrones. The company is also working with Apple to make Apple TV one of the launch partners for the service, the sources said


Full Story here

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/03/hbo-now-coming-this-spring-for-15-per-month-with-apple-as-launch-partner/


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## damondlt

Hopefully it's more than just the Apple crap.
Roku and Chromecast would be nice too.
That's would save me $2 a month.


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## peds48

Pretty sure more stremaing boxes would be added later, otherwise the service would not survive. AppleTV is not the most popular straming box outhere anyway, although having this exclusivitiy may help them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## damondlt

It's so close to the same price as having it with a provider, it's not worth IMO to run out and Buy Apple TV, or even drop your cable/satellite services .
It needs to be $8-10 a month. 
I think it's way too high priced to catch on big, But again only my opinion .


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## peds48

I don't think this is aimed at those that already have a cable subscription. This is aimed at the so called "cable cutters" but if HBO wants to win big on this, they better start making more series, as their movie catalog is pretty much sucks.


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## inkahauts

We don't even know what it will contain. It isn't called go after all. I wonder if it will have every series all the time. 
Mans there's no way they price it less as it would hurt their cable subscriptions and that would cause then to lose carriage. DIRECTV and everyone would drop them next contract if this eats into their HBO sales to much.


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## damondlt

peds48 said:


> but if HBO wants to win big on this, they better start making more series, as their movie catalog is pretty much sucks.


Agree, I dropped my HBO last month.


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## damondlt

inkahauts said:


> We don't even know what it will contain. It isn't called go after all. I wonder if it will have every series all the time.
> .


Maybe we will be offered a free month to test it out, like Epix ,Hulu,and Netflix usually offer new subscribers.


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## peds48

inkahauts said:


> We don't even know what it will contain. It isn't called go after all. I wonder if it will have every series all the time.
> Mans there's no way they price it less as it would hurt their cable subscriptions and that would cause then to lose carriage. DIRECTV and everyone would drop them next contract if this eats into their HBO sales to much.


the reason it wasn't have the "go" name is because they already have a service with that name that requires cable subscription. There has to be a way to differentiate both services.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## inkahauts

peds48 said:


> the reason it wasn't have the "go" name is because they already have a service with that name that requires cable subscription. There has to be a way to differentiate both services.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Yes but what are the other differences.


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## peds48

Not sure I get your point. The service can be the same, but if you go to the app store, there has to be a way to tell them apart. One is HBO Now, the other one with cable subscription required is HBO Go


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## James Long

Why does it have to be different? Why not authenticate to HBO Go using an individual subscription instead of choosing a carrier and entering their authentication info? If the content and streaming is identical it would save having two apps. If the content is different then a different brand makes more sense as people who have cut the cord would expect "HBO Go" to be the same whether they subscribed via cable/satellite or direct from HBO.


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## Rich

damondlt said:


> Hopefully it's more than just the Apple crap.
> Roku and Chromecast would be nice too.
> That's would save me $2 a month.


The article I read stated that many streaming devices would get it. The Fire TV and Fire Stick were mentioned as well as the usual streamers.

Rich


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## Rich

peds48 said:


> I don't think this is aimed at those that already have a cable subscription. This is aimed at the so called "cable cutters" but if HBO wants to win big on this, they better start making more series, as their movie catalog is pretty much sucks.


I've been waiting for this. Now if Showtime would do the same thing, I could drop the Premium package that I only use for series. I'd think we'd get HBO in 1080p on the stream.

Rich


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## Rich

inkahauts said:


> Yes but what are the other differences.


Article I read said there wouldn't be any differences.

Rich


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## Steve

Rich said:


> Article I read said there wouldn't be any differences.
> 
> Rich


Wouldn't surprise me if they're different so HBO can release new content to MSOs earlier than NOW customers.

I think $15 is high. It also wouldn't surprise me if that price was leaked simply to gauge what consumer tolerance might be for that price point.


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## billsharpe

damondlt said:


> It's so close to the same price as having it with a provider, it's not worth IMO to run out and Buy Apple TV, or even drop your cable/satellite services .
> It needs to be $8-10 a month.
> I think it's way too high priced to catch on big, But again only my opinion .


$15 per month isn't out of line for a service not tied to a cable/satellite subscription. Verizon currently is offering HBO for $10 per month with HBO Go included, so there's not much incentive for me to use this service unless or until I cut the TV cord completely.


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## Rich

Steve said:


> Wouldn't surprise me if they're different so HBO can release new content to MSOs earlier than NOW customers.
> 
> I think $15 is high. It also wouldn't surprise me if that price was leaked simply to gauge what consumer tolerance might be for that price point.


Yup, thinking about it and comparing it to NF and what they offer, NF comes out way ahead. But this might give me the bridge I've been looking for to let me dump that Premium package. That's my main reason for wanting this. I can get all the movies I can watch from NF. The series that HBO and Showtime put on are the main roadblocks to me at the moment. I can live without Showtime's series, I think. The chance that they'll ever come up with anything like _Dexter _seems remote to me.

Rich


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## inkahauts

billsharpe said:


> $15 per month isn't out of line for a service not tied to a cable/satellite subscription. Verizon currently is offering HBO for $10 per month with HBO Go included, so there's not much incentive for me to use this service unless or until I cut the TV cord completely.


And that is exactly how they have to price it. I don't know why anyone would expect it to be cheaper than with a cable subscription.


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## Steve

inkahauts said:


> And that is exactly how they have to price it. I don't know why anyone would expect it to be cheaper than with a cable subscription.


What if, e.g., MSOs got an exclusive window before new content appeared on HBO Now?

Also, just from a convenience standpoint, I honestly don't see a large % of folks dropping set top box HBO in favor of an HBO app, especially since STB HBO comes with a free mobile app for those that want it _in addition_ to the STB. For that reason, I think they could price Now at $10 and not tick-off their MSOs. Just my .02.


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## Stewart Vernon

Yeah... I don't know why people are so surprised when the streaming for a particular channel is the same or more than it is when bundled with their cable/satellite subscription.

There's actually no reason/motivation for any company right now to ask for less. They get money from cable/satellite... they don't want people switching from one to the other... they want to add people.


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## damondlt

It should be cheaper when you're cutting out the middle man.

HBO is not getting $18 off of Directv subscriber. 

I'm guessing it's more like 40-50% of that.

But unless we know what Directv paid HBO, we will never know.

But Directv charges more than my small cable company does for HBO.

So yes I don't think it should be the same price.
I also am going to agree with Steve, I think they are just feeling around.
It cost more money to provide 24 hour non stop services on Directv,Dish and Cable, than it does to use the Cloud with just VOD.

You're forgetting these prividers are also providing a service that cost them money to provide you with HBO .

No reason HBO should be double over Amazon,Netflix,Hulu. 
Like I said maybe $10 a month but I'm not subscribing for $15.


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## Stewart Vernon

damondlt said:


> It should be cheaper when you're cutting out the middle man.


That's not correct in the business world. IF HBO undercut the price of their partners in the paytv world, then Dish, DirecTV, and cable companies would want an immediate price reduction. Imagine... you sell a product, and you want a store to carry it because that will get you the widest/fastest distribution and sell more of your product... but you also intend to sell the product direct-to-consumers yourself. So... you set an MSRP of $25 and then sell it to various retailers at a wholesale discount, say $15... Your product does really well and then you drop your direct-to-customer price to $15 because it's pure profit to you... but now your retailers can't make any money selling your product. You just screwed the people who got your business off the ground.

HBO would be monumentally stupid to undercut their paytv partners. All that would do is ensure people drop HBO from Dish, DirecTV, etc. and pay HBO directly... and then they lose revenue from paytv partners. It isn't smart business unless they want to take HBO completely as a solo venture and abandon paytv entirely. Then they could sell direct to consumers at a cheaper price... but until they decide to do that, there's no financial incentive for them to undercut their partners who already are providing them a great deal of revenue.


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## inkahauts

Also it costs a lot of money to keep servers up and running 24/7. Just ask ESPN how easy it is to do. Maybe how it was on New Year's Eve?

At this point I doubt it's any cheaper than providing for any one cable company. 

And that's just Video On Demand. 

Have we heard if there is going to be live streaming of their channels? Heck maybe that's what this is? Doesn't make much sense for them really but when there is boxing it does. Someone said they read where they said what it included but I have not seen anything from HBO yet on what it will include. Nothing. 

So I'm still waiting for the full press release from HBO.


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## inkahauts

damondlt said:


> It should be cheaper when you're cutting out the middle man.
> 
> HBO is not getting $18 off of Directv subscriber.
> 
> I'm guessing it's more like 40-50% of that.
> 
> But unless we know what Directv paid HBO, we will never know.
> 
> But Directv charges more than my small cable company does for HBO.
> 
> So yes I don't think it should be the same price.
> I also am going to agree with Steve, I think they are just feeling around.
> It cost more money to provide 24 hour non stop services on Directv,Dish and Cable, than it does to use the Cloud with just VOD.
> 
> You're forgetting these prividers are also providing a service that cost them money to provide you with HBO .
> 
> No reason HBO should be double over Amazon,Netflix,Hulu.
> Like I said maybe $10 a month but I'm not subscribing for $15.


I'm curios how many linear HBO channels does your cable company have? And do they have HBO go? I expect them too but just checking.

And you aren't cutting out the middle man. You are just paying HBO directly and they are now paying the middle man for you. They have hired someone else to keep up servers and deliver content. That's not free for sure.


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## damondlt

Here is Tivo getting in on the action with cord cutters.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/03/05/tivo-beats-broadcast-networks-to-punchline/


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## damondlt

inkahauts said:


> I'm curios how many linear HBO channels does your cable company have? And do they have HBO go? I expect them too but just checking.
> .


Yes we have HBO GO
HBO HD
HBO 2 HD
HBO SIGNATURE HD
HBO COMEDY HD
HBO FAMILY HD
HBO ZONE HD
HBO LATINO HD

I stopped subscribing last month, because Boardwalk Empire is done , and I bought all the Sopranos seasons on DVD.
Also stopped subscribing because their movie list has become tired, So I took a 1 year promo on Showtime for $8.95 a month.
We are trying out Cinemax again , plus we also have Starz Encore, which I've subscribed to since 2004.

All I'm saying is its not worth giving up your provider, when it's hardly cheaper, not only that, Samsung Smart tvs are the only ones that have HBO go built in, so I'm sure the new service is going to be the same.

So you would need multiple external devices, like Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, all of which eliminates whole home and recording options, as well huge amounts of data going out every month.


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## lparsons21

damondlt said:


> Yes we have HBO GO
> HBO HD
> HBO 2 HD
> HBO SIGNATURE HD
> HBO COMEDY HD
> HBO FAMILY HD
> HBO ZONE HD
> HBO LATINO HD
> 
> All I'm saying is its not worth giving up your provider, when it's hardly cheaper, not only that, Samsung Smart tvs are the only ones that have HBO go built in, so I'm sure the new service is going to be the same.
> 
> So you would need multiple external devices, like Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, all of which eliminates whole home and recording options, as well huge amounts of data going out every month.


I have a 1/2 smart TV as it has some smart features, but I only know that because I looked at it once when I first got the TV. Now I do all of that in other ways. Right now I have AppleTV, BluRay Player and new-to-me Tivo Roamio. The Roamio will not only be the cable tuners, but also support Netflix, Amazon and HuluPlus.

With the addition of Playon/Playlater on my computer, which I've had for a very long time and the use of pyTivo I can effectively add all the Playon channels and any videos I record with PlayLater and get to them via the Roamio. The only downside to that being that Tivo's excellent search functionality doesn't search those channels or videos.

As to the upcoming HBO standalone, if it is the same as HBO GO then I wouldn't be very interested in it since the Boxing matches they have aren't on HBO Go in any meaningful way. And it is the boxing and some of their series that makes me subscribe to them.


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## Rich

inkahauts said:


> Also it costs a lot of money to keep servers up and running 24/7. Just ask ESPN how easy it is to do. Maybe how it was on New Year's Eve?
> 
> At this point I doubt it's any cheaper than providing for any one cable company.
> 
> And that's just Video On Demand.
> 
> Have we heard if there is going to be live streaming of their channels? Heck maybe that's what this is? Doesn't make much sense for them really but when there is boxing it does. _*Someone said they read where they said what it included*_ but I have not seen anything from HBO yet on what it will include. Nothing.
> 
> So I'm still waiting for the full press release from HBO.


I did read that it would have the same content as HBO GO. Don't have a clue where I read that. Don't know how true what I read was either.

Rich


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> I have a 1/2 smart TV as it has some smart features, but I only know that because I looked at it once when I first got the TV. Now I do all of that in other ways. Right now I have AppleTV, BluRay Player and new-to-me Tivo Roamio. The Roamio will not only be the cable tuners, but also support Netflix, Amazon and HuluPlus.
> 
> With the addition of Playon/Playlater on my computer, which I've had for a very long time and the use of pyTivo I can effectively add all the Playon channels and any videos I record with PlayLater and get to them via the Roamio. The only downside to that being that Tivo's excellent search functionality doesn't search those channels or videos.
> 
> As to the upcoming HBO standalone, if it is the same as HBO GO then I wouldn't be very interested in it since the Boxing matches they have aren't on HBO Go in any meaningful way. And it is the boxing and some of their series that makes me subscribe to them.


I had hoped to see boxing on HBO GO too. Perhaps they'll have it on the Now version?

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> I had hoped to see boxing on HBO GO too. Perhaps they'll have it on the Now version?
> 
> Rich


It's all guesswork at this point. When it finally is presented, I'll revisit. But without the boxing, I'm not interested at all.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> It's all guesswork at this point. When it finally is presented, I'll revisit. But without the boxing, I'm not interested at all.


It would be great if they had a category for all the fights they have broadcast over the years.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> It would be great if they had a category for all the fights they have broadcast over the years.
> 
> Rich


Yes it would! But they probably don't have the rights to do that. For me, if they would have the more current fights on HBOGo, even if delayed a day like lots of shows are, it would be fine. At 71 my old bod is heading for the bedroom at 10PM!! So I tend to watch the fight the next day as it is.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Yes it would! _*But they probably don't have the rights to do that*_. For me, if they would have the more current fights on HBOGo, even if delayed a day like lots of shows are, it would be fine. At 71 my old bod is heading for the bedroom at 10PM!! So I tend to watch the fight the next day as it is.


Ahh, I never considered that. That would really spice up the new app. I never watch anything that late either. I watch the Yankee games the next day too. That's what DVRs are for...I think.

Rich


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## inkahauts

damondlt said:


> Yes we have HBO GO
> HBO HD
> HBO 2 HD
> HBO SIGNATURE HD
> HBO COMEDY HD
> HBO FAMILY HD
> HBO ZONE HD
> HBO LATINO HD
> 
> I stopped subscribing last month, because Boardwalk Empire is done , and I bought all the Sopranos seasons on DVD.
> Also stopped subscribing because their movie list has become tired, So I took a 1 year promo on Showtime for $8.95 a month.
> We are trying out Cinemax again , plus we also have Starz Encore, which I've subscribed to since 2004.
> 
> All I'm saying is its not worth giving up your provider, when it's hardly cheaper, not only that, Samsung Smart tvs are the only ones that have HBO go built in, so I'm sure the new service is going to be the same.
> 
> So you would need multiple external devices, like Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, all of which eliminates whole home and recording options, as well huge amounts of data going out every month.


AWH well I wonder if the price difference is for the extra three channels DIRECTV has. I don't know but that is probably the culprit. I'd imagine they charge a base fee then a per channel fee so providers have a little leeway.


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## Edmund

Before HBO got into min-series and tv shows, they had a lot of great one-up movies premiered on their channel, that's what I would like access to.


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## Steve

HBO's CEO just confirmed the $15/month price point at today's Apple event. It will only be available on Apple devices at launch, with the first month free. iPhone, iPad, Apple TV.

He claims everything available on HBO ("past, present and future") will be available on HBO Now.

If you don't have an Apple TV, they lowered the price to $69. Not sure if that's today-only.


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## lparsons21

With the first month free I may just take a run at it.


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## Rich

Steve said:


> HBO's CEO just confirmed the $15/month price point at today's Apple event. It will only be available on Apple devices at launch, with the first month free. iPhone, iPad, Apple TV.
> 
> He claims everything available on HBO ("past, present and future") will be available on HBO Now.
> 
> If you don't have an Apple TV, they lowered the price to $69. Not sure if that's today-only.


I just looked at Amazon and it's priced at $91 at the moment. What happened?

Rich


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## Rich

Steve said:


> HBO's CEO just confirmed the $15/month price point at today's Apple event. It will only be available on Apple devices at launch, with the first month free. iPhone, iPad, Apple TV.
> 
> He claims everything available on HBO ("past, present and future") will be available on HBO Now.
> 
> If you don't have an Apple TV, they lowered the price to $69. Not sure if that's today-only.


Just reread your post. Where did you see it for $69?

Rich


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## Steve

Rich said:


> Just reread your post. Where did you see it for $69?


It's part of today's presentation, which is still ongoing. You'll likely be able to order one at that price on Apple.com about an hour after the presentation ends. Maybe 4PM EDT?


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Just reread your post. Where did you see it for $69?
> 
> Rich


It will be in the Apple Store online though I haven't looked. I suspect the store is offline during the event, that's usually the case.


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## sigma1914

Yeah it's currently offline.


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## Rich

sigma1914 said:


> Yeah it's currently offline.


I really don't like the Apple TV box as much as the Fire TV box. I used the Apple TV box extensively this summer and it wasn't bad. I've got to get one so I can access my son's iTunes account. He has a lot of movies that he's bought on iTunes. For $69 I can live with it. Once I get HBO NOW on either the Fire TV or my Sammy BD players (not much hope for that), I'll give it to my wife.

Rich


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## Steve

HBO Now looks pretty much like HBO Go, at least here:

http://www.apple.com/appletv/hbo-now/


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## phodg

As others have said, this might be the push I needed to drop my Premium DirecTV package and just go with a basic package and HBO streaming. It would save me a packet every month.


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## Laxguy

Yes, it's for sure now solid on Apple TV. 

What would be interesting to me is: will 4K make an appearance there?


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## coolman302003

What I find interesting from reading a article about the service today is HBO is apparently still not handling any of the billing. You won't be buying and submitting your payment info directly to HBO. Rather, you will be billed through your (Apple) iTunes account. HBO has plans to bring on additional "partners" after the exclusivity window ends, and according to the (HBO) company spokesperson, they don't want to handle any of the billing and rather let their partners handle it all.

https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-now-price-availability-devices-apple-exclusive/



> Where not to sign up: On HBO Now's home page. This isn't a direct-to-consumer service, which is the biggest difference to Netflix. *HBO still wants others to handle the billing and customer relationships, and has no intention to ask you for your credit card any time soon. "No, a subscription directly through HBO is not something that is currently in our plans," said a HBO spokesperson when I asked her specifically about this.*


Also, for anyone wondering they will allow up to three streams at once.



> *HBO tells us that the $14.99 subscription will allow for streaming on up to three devices at once, with no limit on the number of devices you can have activated. *


http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/09/hbo-now-strings/


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## James Long

coolman302003 said:


> What I find interesting from reading a article about the service today is HBO is apparently still not handling any of the billing.


I'm not surprised ... billing and customer service are a pain. Providing a service in bulk to a partner is easier. Let them deal with the individual customers and their problems.


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## Rich

Steve said:


> HBO Now looks pretty much like HBO Go, at least here:
> 
> http://www.apple.com/appletv/hbo-now/


Sure does look like HBO GO. Didn't see any sign of boxing, that's disappointing, but it appears to have all the series, that's really my concern.

Rich


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## Rich

Laxguy said:


> Yes, it's for sure now solid on Apple TV.
> 
> What would be interesting to me is: will 4K make an appearance there?


Would the present Apple TV be able to handle 4K?

Rich


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## Steve

Rich said:


> Would the present Apple TV be able to handle 4K?


Don't own one, but looks like the current Apple TV is 1080p and HDMI 1.4. They'll probably introduce a new ATV device sometime this year. It's overdue for an upgrade.


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## Rich

Steve said:


> Don't own one, but looks like the current Apple TV is 1080p and HDMI 1.4. They'll probably introduce a new ATV device sometime this year. It's overdue for an upgrade.


I think I'll wait and see how this shakes out. I really like the streamers I have now and I can wait until the exclusivity period runs out.

Rich


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## lparsons21

I doubt the current AppleTVs could do 4K but I would suspect that one will when Apple deems the market 'right' for it.

Picking Apple as the opening partner has irritated some from what I've been reading. But if you are only going to pick one device at the outset, Apple is sure the one to pick. It is a hot brand and the client base has shown a willingness to spend money on their Apple gear. And if Apple is going to do the billing, it makes it a real no-brainer. And at $69 for the AppleTV it is well within impulse buy range.

Rich, if there is no boxing on this new service, then I won't be interested as it is boxing and original content that entices me to subscribe to HBO.


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## coolman302003

lparsons21 said:


> Rich, if there is no boxing on this new service, then I won't be interested as it is boxing and original content that entices me to subscribe to HBO.


Sports is listed in the FAQ on thier website. However, you definitely won't be able to watch the boxing live, it will be strictly on demand. There could be a day or more delay for the events and no guarantees every event would be offered. World Championship Boxing events is listed as being offered as part of the official Press Release from Time Warner.



> What is HBO NOW℠?
> 
> HBO NOW℠ is HBO's new standalone premium streaming service that provides instant access to every episode of every season of the best of HBO's award-winning original programming, more of the biggest and latest Hollywood hit movies, groundbreaking documentaries, *sports* and exclusive comedy specials.


The official press release indicated World Championship Boxing would be offered



> [...] In addition, HBO NOW will showcase Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, named "best of 2014" on many critics' lists;VICE, the Emmy®-winning, cutting-edge news magazine series hosted by Shane Smith; HBO Sports documentaries, series and *World Championship Boxing events*; and groundbreaking documentary programming like Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and the Oscar®-winning Citizenfour.





> What you won't be watching: Anything live. HBO Now is a pure on-demand service, and won't carry a live feed of HBO's cable programming. That also means *you won't be able to tune in live to any of HBO's boxing games.*


Full Article: https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-now-price-availability-devices-apple-exclusive/

Full Press Release (from Time Warner): http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2015/03/09/hbo-to-launch-standalone-premium-streaming-service-in-april


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## lparsons21

Thanks for the info. So since I own an AppleTV and the 1st month is free, I'll be taking a look.


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## coolman302003

More details from the official [twitter]HBO[/twitter] Twitter account:

The following was asked:

"What's the difference between the HBOgo and the HBOnow apps on the Apple TV or any of the devices that carry it?"

..and the reply by [twitter]HBO[/twitter]:

"Great question. *The features will be consistent, and the programming on HBO NOW will mirror HBO GO.* Thanks for asking."

Link to tweet:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/575298781148803072

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/575298781148803072


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## the2130

Rich said:


> The article I read stated that many streaming devices would get it. The Fire TV and Fire Stick were mentioned as well as the usual streamers.
> 
> Rich


It's only exclusive to Apple for 3 months.


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## the2130

Rich said:


> I've been waiting for this. Now if Showtime would do the same thing, I could drop the Premium package that I only use for series. I'd think we'd get HBO in 1080p on the stream.
> 
> Rich


Now that HBO has done it, you can bet the other premium services will follow.


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## lparsons21

HBO Now is showing up available in the iTunes store and with the AppleTV as of today, 4/7/2015.

$14.99/month through Apple with a 30-day free trial. I signed up for the trial to see what's up and it appears that it is nearly identical to HBO Go in layout and what is available. No live streaming as far as I can tell.

Since boxing is one of the prime reasons I keep HBO now, I checked on that. Some fights from mid-March show up but it seems that instead of the full show, they are broken up into individual fights. I'll check to see when a live fight shows up on HBO Now, IOW how much delayed. If it is next day, I'll probably keep the service and drop HBO and save about $4/month.


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## lparsons21

What a difference a phone call makes!! 

Called Mediacom to cancel HBO since HBONow has this free month and is then about $4 cheaper than what I was paying Mediacom. They came back with HBO for $9.95/month for a year! So that makes keeping it a no brainer imo.

Makes my total cable tv bill around $85/month which includes nearly all the regular channels they have, and all but Cinemax in Premiums. That is sweet!


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## Wilf

lparsons21 said:


> Called Mediacom to cancel HBO since HBONow has this free month and is then about $4 cheaper than what I was paying Mediacom. They came back with HBO for $9.95/month for a year! So that makes keeping it a no brainer imo.


That a cable company would haggle with the price of the HBO package is interesting. $15/mo always seem high compared to Netflix.


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## lparsons21

Wilf said:


> That a cable company would haggle with the price of the HBO package is interesting. $15/mo always seem high compared to Netflix.


What was interesting to me was that they didn't really balk at offering the $9.95 price. As soon as I told them to cancel HBO, they immediately offered it for that price. What was more interesting was that I had SHO @$9.95/month but when I wanted to cancel HBO they said that HBO and SHO was a combined offer. IOW, HBO @$18.95 and SHO @$9.95. I told them that was not the deal when I signed up and so I told them to cancel HBO and SHO. Then the offer became HBO & SHO @$9.95/month for each for a year.

What I'm really liking is the total price. About $85/month for their 'expanded basic', a couple 'digital packs', HBO/SHO/Starz/Encore. For me, that means all the channels I would have watched in Dish's top 250 plus the premiums as noted. With Dish that same thing with a Hopper and SuperJoey would have been around $130.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> HBO Now is showing up available in the iTunes store and with the AppleTV as of today, 4/7/2015.
> 
> $14.99/month through Apple with a 30-day free trial. I signed up for the trial to see what's up and it appears that it is nearly identical to HBO Go in layout and what is available. No live streaming as far as I can tell.
> 
> Since boxing is one of the prime reasons I keep HBO now, I checked on that. Some fights from mid-March show up but it seems that instead of the full show, they are broken up into individual fights. I'll check to see when a live fight shows up on HBO Now, IOW how much delayed. If it is next day, I'll probably keep the service and drop HBO and save about $4/month.


Good fight on tomorrow night on NBC.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Good fight on tomorrow night on NBC.
> 
> Rich


Yeah, got a 'wish list' timer that will pick it up.

I've cancelled my HBONow subscription as Mediacom offered me HBO for $9.95/month for a year and still no contract! Gotta love it!!  My bill for TV with them is about $85/month for nearly all they offer and all the Premiums except for Cinemax, and a discount on my internet service with bundling.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Yeah, got a 'wish list' timer that will pick it up.
> 
> I've cancelled my HBONow subscription as Mediacom offered me HBO for $9.95/month for a year and still no contract! Gotta love it!!  My bill for TV with them is about $85/month for nearly all they offer and all the Premiums except for Cinemax, and a discount on my internet service with bundling.


The Peter Quillen fight looks particularly interesting. Nice article about it in the Daily News the other day. Can't find it or I'd put in a link.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> The Peter Quillen fight looks particularly interesting. Nice article about it in the Daily News the other day. Can't find it or I'd put in a link.
> 
> Rich


Yes that one looks more interesting than the main event.

It is really nice that all this boxing has come back to TV. HBO/SHO and to a lesser extent, Epix have it and have had it for awhile. Now we have Premier Boxing which is being shared between quite a few channels on some rotation basis, FS1 has the Golden Boy fights and of course, there are some other sports channels that have some on some rarer occasions.

ESPN has their Friday Night Fights, and will also do some Premier Boxing shows this summer.


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## lparsons21

Well those fights were forgettable!!


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## damondlt

lparsons21 said:


> Yeah, got a 'wish list' timer that will pick it up.
> 
> I've cancelled my HBONow subscription as Mediacom offered me HBO for $9.95/month for a year and still no contract! .


I just did the same last Night, I called to cancel my premiums and they Gave me all 4 for $20 for 6 months and then $30 for the next 6 months.
That was nice.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Well those fights were forgettable!!


Strange outcomes. I thought Quillin won and how the little guy won the second bout is beyond me.

Rich


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## lparsons21

damondlt said:


> I just did the same last Night, I called to cancel my premiums and they Gave me all 4 for $20 for 6 months and then $30 for the next 6 months.
> That was nice.


I've forgotten who you are with now. Best I could get from Mediacom was HBO, show, stars for $9.95 each good for a year. No deal on cinemax, but that's not a concern until strikeback comes on sometime this summer.


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## damondlt

lparsons21 said:


> I've forgotten who you are with now. Best I could get from Mediacom was HBO, show, stars for $9.95 each good for a year. No deal on cinemax, but that's not a concern until strikeback comes on sometime this summer.


Blueridge Communications 
I called to drop my Cinemax, HD Plus and Starz package .
I said I wanted to try out HBO as a stand alone package, and they said they could add HBO and keep my other premiums and give me a $25 credit for the next 6 months, and $15 off for 6 more months after that.

I still did drop the HD plus pack, which would save me about $13 more dollars.
Velocity was in that package which I will miss, But maybe they will eventually add it to a regular basepackage.


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## coolman302003

*HBO Now is coming to Android and Chromecast this summer*



> [...] That Apple-exclusive streaming window is ending ...Whether you use Android, iOS or a web browser, Google Cast support is coming too -- for the 17 million or so Chromecasts out there -- although there weren't exact details on when. HBO says it's coming "this summer," and Pichai mentioned it will be in time for the upcoming True Detective season, which premieres June 21st. There weren't any details on how, but it sounds like Google Play will offer subscriptions in the same way Apple (and Cablevision) have so far.


*Full Article Engadget*



> [...] LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - HBO Now, the premium cable programmer's standalone streaming service, will be available this summer in the Google Play store for a range of Android devices including Chromecast.


*Full Article Variety *


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> I've forgotten who you are with now. Best I could get from Mediacom was HBO, show, stars for $9.95 each good for a year. No deal on cinemax, but that's not a concern until strikeback comes on sometime this summer.


I know this doesn't help for the upcoming season, but Amazon has _Strikeback _in its Prime listings for seasons 1&2 with 3 coming at the end of the summer.

Rich


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## Rich

coolman302003 said:


> *HBO Now is coming to Android and Chromecast this summer*
> 
> *Full Article Engadget*
> 
> *Full Article Variety *


I hope they get it on the Fire TV boxes and sticks. Or I could buy yet another Apple TV.

Rich


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## inkahauts

I wouldn't buy an appletv right now. In a few weeks we should hear about the new one coming out. It'll be interesting to see if it's compelling enough to go after over something more like a fire stick. If it has a full App Store it might be. Of course that may mean it won't ship for a couple months too...


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> I know this doesn't help for the upcoming season, but Amazon has _Strikeback _in its Prime listings for seasons 1&2 with 3 coming at the end of the summer.
> 
> Rich


Thanks for the info. I may put that into the search on the Tivo and watch those old episodes. Last I looked, this next season will be #5 and still no actual date to start, just 'summer 2015'...


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## coolman302003

lparsons21 said:


> Last I looked, this next season will be #5 and still no actual date to start, just 'summer 2015'...


The final season of Strike Back begins airing this Wednesday (June 3rd) in the U.K. on Sky1, they are calling it Series 5 there; however back here in the U.S. it will begin the Final season (listed as Season 4) on Friday, July 31st on Cinemax.










https://www.facebook.com/strikebackmax/photos/a.401531426526004.100943.254644554548026/1009764522369355/?type=1


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## lparsons21

Thanks for the info, now I know when to start my Cinemax subscription again!!


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Thanks for the info. I may put that into the search on the Tivo and watch those old episodes. Last I looked, this next season will be #5 and still no actual date to start, just 'summer 2015'...


I like watching old shows. I just started watching _Califorication_, I couldn't remember where I left off, so I'm watching the whole thing again.

Rich


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Thanks for the info, now I know when to start my Cinemax subscription again!!


That show is the only thing we used Cinemax for. I cancelled Showtime, HBO and Cinemax about 3 months ago, but they gave me them without cost. Runs out June 6th, if they let me let it run out. Seems like every time I call to cancel something they just give it to me. Kinda hard to say no to something that doesn't cost anything.

Rich


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