Now Introducing HBO Max Classic

I‘ve got it on my PS4 so I’m not bothered, but I do think not getting it on Roku by launch was a huge blunder. And yes, I know deals are being worked out and it’s Roku’s fault as much as AT&T because they’re getting almost as bad as cable companies with their demands from content providers, but it’s not like they haven’t had months to work out these deals.
 
Same here. I have it on my iPad and iPhone but I stream things through my fire tv stick and it’s currently not there so I haven’t really watched anything. I think it’s a pretty big blunder on their part not securing deals with Roku and Fire TV before rolling it out.
 
I think that it's fine as far as content goes but its user interface isn't as smooth as Netflix or even Disney+.
 
Rokus are for peasants :o ...but they are a major streaming platform. But yeah it's as much their fault as AT&T. Same with FIre stick. TCL puts Roku on literally all of their TVs.

The service is fine to me. I don't get all the complaints. Moves smoothly for me on mobile or my XboxOne. They have plenty of content and unless you only signed up to watch DC stuff there's tons of stuff to keep you entertained.
It's a good service.

Most of what the analysts are saying in the Deadline article seems kinda iffy at best. A lot of it just seems to be their own anecdotal opinion rather than anything actually analytical.

But yeah for sure the Roku Amazon thing was a massive misstep. And I don't really get why they couldn't make it happen. Especially when it's not like AT&T (HBO Go, HBO Now) haven't played nice before.

It's going to be hard to judge the numbers. I was just reading only 87,000 downloaded the app which clearly is very low; but then the same article pointed out that it doesn't count people who already had the HBO Now app before which just updated to HBO Max or people getting it for "free" or through their internet based or terrestrial cable.

And I know it's long past, but I still think using the HBO name was a weird move. I get their thinking, but I still thought it was a weird move
 
Selling the service and making it enticing to customers and fans does.
Which they will do with other things.
I'm not saying they shouldn't have them on there, but they're fine without them. The convo around HBO Max isn't "Holy crap they only have the standard editions of LOTR and BvS"

In fact, just doing a quick look, most streaming services don't even have directors cut of anything. Only ones I found on the 4 major streaming services were the extended cut of Haterful 8 (which is just a miniseries now) and then some misc. ones on HBO Max. So I don't know why say it "should" be there, like having the director or extended cuts on streaming services is the standard. Of course this isn't counting the a la carte Prime Video

Most streaming services don't have director's cuts. WHen they upload Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven, etc. they're always the theatrical...

Now it wouldn't be a bad move at all to add them, but it's not an issue since those are mostly for hardcore fans
 
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The LOTR extended cuts are more for fans and collectors IMO. I can see why they would be absent.
The Snyder cut of JL surely falls in the same boat. LotR EE is a product-selling exclusive to have for those fans (like me). Any one set of films that can convince one small group to subscribe is worth it, especially as they are already completed. They also probably rank no.1 on more people's film lists than many others on there.
 
For those down under the new streaming service Binge is essentially HBO Max having a licensing agreement with them and has about 99% of their content. So if you're like me and are about 6 seasons behind GoT it's now all available.
AffectionateImpressiveGrebe-small.gif
 
Which they will do with other things.
I'm not saying they shouldn't have them on there, but they're fine without them. The convo around HBO Max isn't "Holy crap they only have the standard editions of LOTR and BvS"
Stuff like Star Wars and LotR are many people's favourite by a distance. Same goes for the Avengers films and TDK if we're talking comic films. I bet having an extra edge on those is as important as having an extra 20 average level films. HBO Max is coming after Netflix and Disney + so many people will be questioning how many simultaneous subscriptions they can maintain, especially after the financial hit they may have taken during this virus, so it seems strange to withhold anything you already have the rights to (that is complete) unless there is something else preventing you from doing so.

I originally signed up for Netflix only because of Lost before leaving, and then Breaking Bad. Highly regarded exclusives like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones are also the kind of product that make people subscribe to a service all by themselves, whereas the likes of Along Came Polly or 2012 contribute en masse. LotR EE is one of those products that would do that for me.
 
Stuff like Star Wars and LotR are many people's favourite by a distance. Same goes for the Avengers films and TDK if we're talking comic films. I bet having an extra edge on those is as important as having an extra 20 average level films. HBO Max is coming after Netflix and Disney + so many people will be questioning how many simultaneous subscriptions they can maintain, especially after the financial hit they may have taken during this virus, so it seems strange to withhold anything you already have the rights to (that is complete) unless there is something else preventing you from doing so.

I originally signed up for Netflix only because of Lost before leaving, and then Breaking Bad. Highly regarded exclusives like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones are also the kind of product that make people subscribe to a service all by themselves, whereas something like Along Came Polly or 2012 contribute en masse. LotR EE is one of those products that would do that for me.
But you're not the majority. A vast majority of people are fine without those extended editions. And most people who care about the extended editions own them anyway. Those are really "for the fans." The fans that will shell out to buy the home media of those, which is why they sell them.
And anyway as I said, I'm not arguing whether it's a good move to have them. No arguments here. I think it is a good move. But what I was saying it my post was that saying "the option should be on there" when most streaming services just don't have those cuts are silly.
 
Watch the Sopranos or The WIre they aren't trash like Game of Thrones :ninja:
Ha. :D

GoT has lost part of it's allure with how it finished to be fair . It would have been a crucial differentiator in the earlier and mid seasons.

I think people have lower standards for the first streaming platform they subscribe to, which is partially why I think many are still with Netflix regardless of competition. But whoever comes 5th, 6th, 7th is going to need to go all in to tempt people who are already reasonably satisfied and also, a cheap hobby (compared to cable) is suddenly starting to mount up with multiple subscriptions.
 
But you're not the majority. A vast majority of people are fine without those extended editions. And most people who care about the extended editions own them anyway. Those are really "for the fans." The fans that will shell out to buy the home media of those, which is why they sell them.
And anyway as I said, I'm not arguing whether it's a good move to have them. No arguments here. I think it is a good move. But what I was saying it my post was that saying "the option should be on there" when most streaming services just don't have those cuts are silly.
The majority don't want any one film or TV series. They are aiming at a hundred different minorities with platform leaders ($30m for the Snyder cut of a film that wasn't even well received compared to LotR and with a small fanbase asking for it), and after that quantity and a solid user interface. There are only so many avenues to compete on with streaming providers who offer a similar service, and not putting all your players on court is strange. Now if they had to pay any nominal amount of money to do this, then that makes it a tougher decision. Maybe that is the case or there are other obstacles in the way, who knows.
 
Ha. :D

GoT has lost part of it's allure with how it finished to be fair . It would have been a crucial differentiator in the earlier and mid seasons.

I think people have lower standards for the first streaming platform they subscribe to, which is partially why I think many are still with Netflix regardless of competition. But whoever comes 5th, 6th, 7th is going to need to go all in to tempt people who are already reasonably satisfied and also, a cheap hobby (compared to cable) is suddenly starting to mount up with multiple subscriptions.
No pun intended but I think HBO Max is the maximum people will sign up for. I think after this I can't see anyone launching a successful service. I know Viacom/CBS is working on one too, but I just don't see that taking off. And after that I just don't really see a new player coming in and making any real noise. Especially when they most likely will have to rely soley on original content because all the big pieces are tied up

The majority don't want any one film or TV series. They are aiming at a hundred different minorities with platform leaders ($30m for the Snyder cut of a film that wasn't even well received compared to LotR and with a small fanbase asking for it), and after that quantity and a solid user interface. There are only so many avenues to compete on with streaming providers who offer a similar service, and not putting all your player on court is strange. Now if they had to pay any nominal amount of money to do this, then that makes it a tougher decision. Maybe that is the case or there are other obstacles in the way, who knows.
Ok. i'm not saying "don't put them on there". I'm saying it doesn't matter. If it did more streaming services would be doing it. They're fine without the director's cuts.
 
No pun intended but I think HBO Max is the maximum people will sign up for. I think after this I can't see anyone launching a successful service. I know Viacom/CBS is working on one too, but I just don't see that taking off. And after that I just don't really see a new player coming in and making any real noise. Especially when they most likely will have to rely soley on original content because all the big pieces are tied up
I've got my cable sub (Sky), Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +. I think you have a good point there. Even if I loved all the future ones, I don't need to have them all at the same time. I could for eg watch all the Bonds, Star Wars, Mission Impossibles that one service has in a month, cancel then and move onto another and so on. I will probably get HBO Max but after that anything more is going to be a hard sell.
 
I've got my cable sub (Sky), Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +. I think you have a good point there. Even if I loved all the future ones, I don't need to have them all at the same time. I could for eg watch all the Bonds, Star Wars, Mission Impossibles that one service has in a month, cancel then and move onto another and so on. I will probably get HBO Max but after that anything more is going to be a hard sell.
But also we have to remember that there is a lot of password sharing, so you and I may sign up and pay for a lot, but a lot of people don't pay for their own accounts which I think "helps" with fatigue with cost
 
Ok. i'm not saying "don't put them on there". I'm saying it doesn't matter. If it did more streaming services would be doing it. They're fine without the director's cuts.
I get that, I just don't quite agree. Do you not consider the Snyder cut a director's cut? That is HBO doing it right there showing they do think it matters and are willing to throw money at it. The LotR EE cuts are also majorly different to the theatricals compared to some directors cuts I've seen, while being a much more successful film series with a bigger hardcore fanbase (I'm talking only the crazies) than those who have campaigned for the Snyder cut (which is why the extended editions were made and funded without any campaign in the first place). HBO are doing it as the new kid on the block as they need to differentiate. I think the other studios have missed a trick (and the execs certainly haven't proven that they are always on the ball with what would make the most money from consumers) and will be watching the reaction to the Snyder cut and may react.

Apologies if I'm making you sick of the subject but that's the LotR fan in me. I'll stop talking about it now (for today :cwink: unless you want to keep going of course :twisted::up:)
 
But also we have to remember that there is a lot of password sharing, so you and I may sign up and pay for a lot, but a lot of people don't pay for their own accounts which I think "helps" with fatigue with cost
Yeah, that 's true too. I struggle to think of many people I know who have all their streaming accounts exclusively for themselves.
 
Yeah, I pay for Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max that my family uses, while they pay for YouTubeTV and Netflix that I use. All of us still saving a lot of money over when we had cable though, lol.
 
Signed up and downloaded the app on my phone and xbox within 5-10 minutes. Watching a movie on my xbox app now as I eat pizza
 
Yeah, that 's true too. I struggle to think of many people I know who have all their streaming accounts exclusively for themselves.
Yeah I'm the only person who pays for their own stuff. And even then HBO Max and YouTube TV I split with my brother.

I'm also the only person I know who pays for Hulu with no ads. They just launched that cool Watch Party feature and I have no one to use it with because everyone is on the Limited Commercials plan. I think it mostly has to do with the Spotify and Disney+ bundles
 
Yeah, I pay for Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max that my family uses, while they pay for YouTubeTV and Netflix that I use. All of us still saving a lot of money over when we had cable though, lol.
Yeah I'm the only person who pays for their own stuff. And even then HBO Max and YouTube TV I split with my brother.

I'm also the only person I know who pays for Hulu with no ads. They just launched that cool Watch Party feature and I have no one to use it with because everyone is on the Limited Commercials plan. I think it mostly has to do with the Spotify and Disney+ bundles
I'm kind of surprised they allow you to have so many different accounts on the same login, although it does mean serious loyalty. Cancelling a service when multiple people are using it is a different proposition to acting by yourself when you feel like it. Btw what do you get on YouTube TV? I don't know much about that.
 

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