DirecTV may have been the first US television provider to announce plans to provide HBO GO mobile video apps for iOS and Android, but it won’t be the only company to do so. In a video teaser posted on YouTube, HBO promises that HBO GO will soon be available on tablets and tablets as well as laptops.
The short video gives us a decent look at the upcoming iPad app and a brief glimpse at an Android smartphone app.
The app will let HBO subscribers view every episode of HBO programs, as well as movies. The iPad app appears to have a touch-friendly grid or programs to choose from, with tabs for all shows, features episodes, and family shows. Movies can be sorted alphabetically or by genre or you can view featured videos or collections.
It sounds like a great value-added feature for HBO subscribers. I’d love to see HBO offer a subscription option for people who don’t want to sign up for an expensive cable plan just to watch the latest episodes of True Blood and Boardwalk Empire though.
So if Mom get’s HBO, but I don’t, can I get her credentials and watch on my iPad? I sure hope so!
I’m curious to see if this is tied in to your cable provider. Suddenlink isn’t on HBO To GO’s list right now, so i can’t view it online. I wonder if i will be able to on the app.
GeorgeO, probably… To test HGOGo, I used my mother-in-law’s credentials.
Nick, it’ll be based on which television providers work deals with HBO.
Personally, I’m more interested in a similar Showtime offering. I’ve already seen the HBO content I want to (The Wire, Deadwood) whereas I need to catch up on United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie.
“To test HGOGo, I used my mother-in-law’s credentials.”
Did you ever test it lean-back style with your Revue, Dave? Still curious about PQ…
(I’ve tested HBO GO lean-back myself via Safari on OS X. The PQ was lousy, but I’ve noticed that’s standard behavior for all lean-back content viewed with Safari. For example, if I watch a Netflix 720 movie with Safari, the PQ is considerably worse than watching the same movie on the same TV with the same internet connection than it is via Netflix on TiVo…)
—–
“Personally, I’m more interested in a similar Showtime offering.”
It already exists. It’s called “Netflix”.
“I’ve already seen the HBO content I want to (The Wire, Deadwood)”
Go further. Treme, Rome, Mildred Pierce, and even Carnivale are high quality stuff. And some of the comedies are pretty top notch too. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bored to Death, and Flight of the Conchords are all quality humor. Hell, a lot of boys who like toys even find Entourage a guilty pleasure.
Yeah, sort of tested it. Actually, I was unable to other than determining it’s a webpage versus an app. Eh. It’s blogged over on Dice who we’re doing some cross pollination with – but will show up here in the next day or so, perhaps with a few edits.
http://news.dice.com/2011/04/20/revisiting-the-google-tv/
Showtime has started removing content from Netflix, unless you’re referring to optical media – in which case, I could try that. :)
It’s unlikely, I know, since money’s involved, but I would love to see a time-trading kind of community spring up around this as it did for SlingPlayer. The only show I watch on HBO is Real Time, and I could see myself sending someone a few bucks a month over sending good ol’ RCN $20 a month for eight “premium” channels I couldn’t care less about.
“Showtime has started removing content from Netflix”
Well, at least as I understand it, they’re just increasing the windowing delay on current seasons from one season to two, not actually removing series…
“I need to catch up on United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie.”
You can buy the first two seasons of VOD Nurse Jackie in HD at Amazon for $29 each, and watch ’em on your TiVo in full 1080 non-rebuffering glory.
That’s how I caught up with Mad Men…