CBS All Access Apple TV Channel subscription will work with Paramount+

AppleInsider

The rebranding of CBS All Access to Paramount+ will use Apple TV Channels, it has been revealed, with existing subscribers automatically migrating to the new service at the time of launch.

The March 4 update to the CBS All Access platform to update its name and overall branding will naturally involve a number of changes. However, existing CBS All Access subscribers via Apple TV Channels won't have to lift a finger to switch over to Paramount .

In a preroll video ad campaign, spotted by @madizzn on Twitter, viewers are advised they "don't have to do a thing" to make the transition. "You'll have full access to Paramount+ via your existing Apple TV Channels subscription."

Just verified Paramount+ will be available via TV Channels!!

"you don't have to do a thing. You'll have full access to Paramount+ via your existing Apple TV Channels subscription."@davemark @jdalrymple @gruber @9to5mac @appleinsider @MacRumors @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/CKJWB9xn49

-- MadXD (@madizzn)

February 13, 2021

The ad spot confirms not only a continued use of Apple TV Channels, but also a seamless experience for customers on the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.

Not all CBS All Access subscribers will have such an easy ride. On February 9, it was revealed third-generation Apple TV owners won't be able to access Paramount+ directly, but instead will have to rely on AirPlay to stream video from the iPhone or iPad app.

As part of the rebrand, Paramount+ will add more content to the service, including around 20,000 TV show episodes and content from ViacomCBS channels including BET, Comedy Central, and MTV. Films from Paramount's catalog will also be available, as well as original programming.

daalseth

Good news. CBSAA is the one service we've been staying with.

sdw2001

I’ll say it again.  Give me all the star trek movies in 4K.  And all the series.  Then I’m in.  Otherwise, nope.  

japhey

If anyone cares, Paramount is offering 50% of an annual subscription as long as you subscribe before they switch over on March 4. 

bluefire1

I have a CBS All Access subscription that includes Showtime. I’m assuming that will continue to be part of my package after it’s rebranded.

edited February 2021

jbilgihan

sdw2001 said:

I’ll say it again.  Give me all the star trek movies in 4K.  And all the series.  Then I’m in.  Otherwise, nope.  

The movies were recently restored to 4K and the physical discs have HDR on them.  It is likely those will make it to the commercial free tier.  Discovery and Picard are in HDR already. 

The Original Series has been restored and is live on the site.  TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, DS9 were shot on video in standard def and doing a 4k Uprez on them without significant investment in restoration would look like crap.

mad42

jbilgihan said:

TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, DS9 were shot on video in standard def and doing a 4k Uprez on them without significant investment in restoration would look like crap.

Not necessarily… Joel Hruska of ExtremeTech posted many articles on his DS9 Upscale project. Using AI-based upscaling software, he was able to produce incredible improvements on his original DVD source video.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/314653-remastering-deep-space-nine

He upscaled the entire series for his own personal viewing and posted many examples of his progress: https://youtu.be/BpMawGAevEU

I’ve been watching DS9 on CBSAA and would love to have been treated to such an AI-driven upscaled version. Many scenes are extremely difficult to make out in SD (much less compressed SD). The reason we don’t have remastered versions of DS9 and VOY is that these were the first Trek series to be edited in SD and use CGI, which was only rendered in SD. The film used for shooting lacks edits and all CGI effects used in the series.

TNG and TOS were recorded and edited on film using practical special effects; remastering required a more basic rescan, not re-rendering of old effects. I’m sure that most, if not all, of the CGI resources for DS9 are long gone.

Enterprise, while not available in 4K, was shot and released in full 16:9 HD—I don’t know if it has a practical path to 4K. Watching ENT seemed great on a 4K TV via CBSAA.


The point is that there are now capable AI-driven upscaling techniques—efficient enough to be executed by a hobbyists. If a studio such as CBS put their light into the same process, they could breathe new life back into their SD catalogs. It would cost them a fraction of traditional remastering budgets (I think I’ve read that it cost over $100k per episode to remaster TNG).

One day all media will have the option to be upscaled at the touch of a button—SD to 4K and beyond—and all on-the-fly. What a killer feature that would be for a future premium TV (hint, hint, Apple… show us your ML processing prowess ߘ驡

edited February 2021

22july2013

In Canada we don't get any episodes or movies of Star Trek on CBSAA. I doubt that Paramount+ will change any of this. And the worst part is that we still have to watch ads for Star Trek in the other TV shows on CBSAA that I watch. So they constantly taunt us with programs like Star Trek but refuse to let us see it. That's adding insult to injury. And we have to pay more than Americans do, not just because of the dollar conversion, but because we don't get the same bundle pricing as Americans do. So we pay more for less.

Despite blunders such as these, I still pay for it and find it okay-ish. Although I read the news about CBSAA carefully, I'm still not exactly sure how March 4th switch will affect Canada. Their communication skills lack a lot. If they bungle the deployment in Canada I will cancel.

edited February 2021

12strangers

jbilgihan said:

"The Original Series has been restored and is live on the site.  TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, DS9 were shot on video in standard def and doing a 4k Uprez on them without significant investment in restoration would look like crap.”

Actually, all of the Star Trek series and movies, including all the spin-offs were shot on film*. The original series suffers a little because the quality of the lenses, film, video transfer and other technical aspects were not near what they were for the spin-offs which were shot a couple of decades later on super 35.  The film stock, lenses and sound recording both on set and in sound post these days are a couple of orders of magnitude better.
* Except for "Discovery" which is/was shot in 8k on an Arri Alexa, but the producers choose to shoot at a fairly wide ratio. It’s not a standard ratio.  I a few of the post sound guys and I remember thinking “that seems odd” but I never asked about it. I only hope that they air it/stream it in that ratio.

sdw2001

jbilgihan said:

sdw2001 said:

I’ll say it again.  Give me all the star trek movies in 4K.  And all the series.  Then I’m in.  Otherwise, nope.  

The movies were recently restored to 4K and the physical discs have HDR on them.  It is likely those will make it to the commercial free tier.  Discovery and Picard are in HDR already. 

The Original Series has been restored and is live on the site.  TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, DS9 were shot on video in standard def and doing a 4k Uprez on them without significant investment in restoration would look like crap.

To be clear, it’s the movies I’m interested in....4K. I do not see any discs available in 4K except for the reboot movies.  Star Trek II UHD is also available on Prime for $16.99. If I’m missing something, please feel free to point it out.  

seniorchief

This is good, I so despise the Peacock experience, or rather, my wife does and she calls on me to "fix it".  Once we are done with the series she is watching, it will not be renewed.  Wish more of the streamers would embrace channels.  Think Apple could help themselves out if the worked with the other services to come to a mutual understanding.  I am sure there are profits to be had by cooperation.

noisearchive

As long as they fix the sound issue, I don’t care what they call the service.