I'll tell ya, my better half and me have been pretty much an Apple TV-only family for the past year or so. Streaming Netflix for the bulk, more recent movies from iTunes for the rest (with a brief trial into Hulu, which we later dumped due to commercials and no closed-caption). Watching regular TV (such as football games using our digital antenna) is downright painful, with all of the commercials. We'd never go back to cable or satellite.
I'll tell ya, my better half and me have been pretty much an Apple TV-only family for the past year or so. Streaming Netflix for the bulk, more recent movies from iTunes for the rest (with a brief trial into Hulu, which we later dumped due to commercials and no closed-caption). Watching regular TV (such as football games using our digital antenna) is downright painful, with all of the commercials. We'd never go back to cable or satellite.
Apple is going about this backwards. Build an App store for AppleTV and they would already have HBO Go and much more content, for the same reason they already have it on the iPad.
If we very able to subscribe to HBOGO for a monthly fee without a major cable contract that would be the first real threat to the cable monopoly. This would be a great day for consumers. We will just have to wait and see....
Maybe Apple will find a way to get a subscription only HBO (and Cinemax??) Go on the Apple TV. Would be great if so.
Otherwise, all is becomes is a replacement for a cable box. Like the Watch ESPN App on XBox. I get ESPN 360 on it only, but if I was a Verizon FiOS TV Subscriber, I would get ESPN, ESPN 2, etc as well. But ONLY if I was ALSO a Verizon FiOS Internet customer. And connected to my Verizon FiOS Internet Modem.
In other words, I could use my XBox, connected to the same TV my FiOS cable box is connected to, in my home, with my XBox connected to my FiOS Internet Modem to watch the same channels I could on my cable box. I fail to see the point in this.
My overall theory? This is the first stage. As content providers, (I'll use Disney as an example, as they have the Watch ESPN, Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney XD, Watch Disney Junior apps currently, and rumored other channels such as Watch ABC Family on the way) get more comfortable with the Internet distribution method, I believe they will begin to offer subscriptions directly to consumers. Cut out the Cable TV providers. At some point, and every Cable/Internet/Phone provider (Comcast, Charter, Verizon) know this, they will be only a pipe to our house, like the water department or electric company. They will be providing us with bandwidth, and the infrastructure, and we will be paying Disney directly for access to their content anywhere we are, on any device we want.
It is going to take a while, but it is coming.
Maybe a premium movie channel, such as HBO, is in more of a position to start this, as their revenue essentially does rely directly on consumers.
You know, since the FiOS App for iPad came out recently, I have actually been watching cable TV now. I don't normally watch much TV. I can already watch HBO on the FiOS app and HBO Go.
This deal will mainly be to complement cable packages that don't have HBO or that are not allowed to include it in their iOS app.
I am looking forward to dumping my set top box for an AppleTV hopefully an iCloud DVR and SIRI integration.
You know, since the FiOS App for iPad came out recently, I have actually been watching cable TV now. I don't normally watch much TV. I can already watch HBO on the FiOS app and HBO Go.
This deal will mainly be to complement cable packages that don't have HBO or that are not allowed to include it in their iOS app.
I am looking forward to dumping my set top box for an AppleTV hopefully an iCloud DVR and SIRI integration.
DVR?! I don't think so. That's an obsolete technology invented for the old TV channel paradigm playing shows on a schedule. We have streaming video now. Watch what you want when you want.
Now if only Apple could get shows in iTunes when they are aired instead of hours later. No I don't want to watch new episodes of Big Bang Theory the next day at 5am. Ugh
To get HBO Go you need to be subscribing to HBO through your cable provider. Which means you already get HBO and you probably have a DVR to record HBO, so what is the big deal? Pointless and useless.
Honestly, I am starting to get seriously unimpressed by the rubbish quality of the journalists on sites like AppleInsider who seem to be unaware that their audience is worldwide. It is not only US citizens who have access to the internet - that's the great thing about it. Just re-read this article and look at how it should have been re-worded by an intelligent journalist for a worldwide audience. HBO Go is NOT available outside the USA, at least not at present.
To get HBO Go you need to be subscribing to HBO through your cable provider. Which means you already get HBO and you probably have a DVR to record HBO, so what is the big deal? Pointless and useless.
Why do you think that you need cable service to watch video? .
you can watch it when you travel and don't have access to cable.
you can watch it in a room not wired for cable
if they allow you to subscribe that way, you can watch it without having cable/satellite TV at all.
Also, on demand video is 100x better than using DVR where you have to know in advance you want to record it and nave to manage the free space on the DVR.
Why do you think that you need cable service to watch video? .
you can watch it when you travel and don't have access to cable.
you can watch it in a room not wired for cable
if they allow you to subscribe that way, you can watch it without having cable/satellite TV at all.
Also, on demand video is 100x better than using DVR where you have to know in advance you want to record it and nave to manage the free space on the DVR.
To get something like HBO now, you usually have to get a package including other channels that you don't want. So being able to get just what you want from Apple would be great. Perhaps Apple can offer packaged deals. Surely Apple will go after more than HBO.
Note also that a modern DVR does not have to function anything like existing DVRs.
How many US Cable TV Apps exist for iOS today? (Not to mention content providers and international cable TVs and content providers.)
Comcast,
TimeWarner Cable,
Cox TV,
Verizon FiOS,
AT&T U-Verse,
CableVision,
Charter Cable,
New England Cable,
Direct TV,
Dish TV,
They are all there and ready to go.
I think the Apple TV revolution is about to begin and really shake up the industry.
Comments
Gee, Im so excited. Can't wait to not watch it.
Do you not watch Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones man?
Somebody has to pay for free sporting events.
Apple is going about this backwards. Build an App store for AppleTV and they would already have HBO Go and much more content, for the same reason they already have it on the iPad.
We will just have to wait and see....
Maybe Apple will find a way to get a subscription only HBO (and Cinemax??) Go on the Apple TV. Would be great if so.
Otherwise, all is becomes is a replacement for a cable box. Like the Watch ESPN App on XBox. I get ESPN 360 on it only, but if I was a Verizon FiOS TV Subscriber, I would get ESPN, ESPN 2, etc as well. But ONLY if I was ALSO a Verizon FiOS Internet customer. And connected to my Verizon FiOS Internet Modem.
In other words, I could use my XBox, connected to the same TV my FiOS cable box is connected to, in my home, with my XBox connected to my FiOS Internet Modem to watch the same channels I could on my cable box. I fail to see the point in this.
My overall theory? This is the first stage. As content providers, (I'll use Disney as an example, as they have the Watch ESPN, Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney XD, Watch Disney Junior apps currently, and rumored other channels such as Watch ABC Family on the way) get more comfortable with the Internet distribution method, I believe they will begin to offer subscriptions directly to consumers. Cut out the Cable TV providers. At some point, and every Cable/Internet/Phone provider (Comcast, Charter, Verizon) know this, they will be only a pipe to our house, like the water department or electric company. They will be providing us with bandwidth, and the infrastructure, and we will be paying Disney directly for access to their content anywhere we are, on any device we want.
It is going to take a while, but it is coming.
Maybe a premium movie channel, such as HBO, is in more of a position to start this, as their revenue essentially does rely directly on consumers.
in norway, denmark and sweden there is ... http://www.hbonordic.dk
And it sucks. http://www.arcticstartup.com/2013/01/08/hbo-nordics-underwhelms-early-adopters
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
HD programming is only available on Samsung SmartTVs, and they only get SD on anything else.
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2013/01/08/hbo-nordics-underwhelms-early-adopters
Then that obviously sucks and it sounds like a real dumb decision.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
There is no HBO Go only subscription.
Maybe that's what Apple is trying to get them to agree to.
Seems like if anybody could sew-up a deal like this, it would be Apple.
It really would be the "start" of a revolution. And HBO wouldn't look too bad for being a part of that revolution.
Here's hoping.
You know, since the FiOS App for iPad came out recently, I have actually been watching cable TV now. I don't normally watch much TV. I can already watch HBO on the FiOS app and HBO Go.
This deal will mainly be to complement cable packages that don't have HBO or that are not allowed to include it in their iOS app.
I am looking forward to dumping my set top box for an AppleTV hopefully an iCloud DVR and SIRI integration.
Now if only Apple could get shows in iTunes when they are aired instead of hours later. No I don't want to watch new episodes of Big Bang Theory the next day at 5am. Ugh
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
Do you not watch Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones man?
Honestly I never watch TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kent909
To get HBO Go you need to be subscribing to HBO through your cable provider. Which means you already get HBO and you probably have a DVR to record HBO, so what is the big deal? Pointless and useless.
Why do you think that you need cable service to watch video? .
you can watch it when you travel and don't have access to cable.
you can watch it in a room not wired for cable
if they allow you to subscribe that way, you can watch it without having cable/satellite TV at all.
Also, on demand video is 100x better than using DVR where you have to know in advance you want to record it and nave to manage the free space on the DVR.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alandail
Why do you think that you need cable service to watch video? .
you can watch it when you travel and don't have access to cable.
you can watch it in a room not wired for cable
if they allow you to subscribe that way, you can watch it without having cable/satellite TV at all.
Also, on demand video is 100x better than using DVR where you have to know in advance you want to record it and nave to manage the free space on the DVR.
To get something like HBO now, you usually have to get a package including other channels that you don't want. So being able to get just what you want from Apple would be great. Perhaps Apple can offer packaged deals. Surely Apple will go after more than HBO.
Note also that a modern DVR does not have to function anything like existing DVRs.
How many US Cable TV Apps exist for iOS today? (Not to mention content providers and international cable TVs and content providers.)
Comcast,
TimeWarner Cable,
Cox TV,
Verizon FiOS,
AT&T U-Verse,
CableVision,
Charter Cable,
New England Cable,
Direct TV,
Dish TV,
They are all there and ready to go.
I think the Apple TV revolution is about to begin and really shake up the industry.
Time will tell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Maybe that's what Apple is trying to get them to agree to.
Let's hope so. It is the sort of deal that needs to happen to break the stranglehold the cable companies have over TV.