HBO Putting Shows Online, at No Additional Charge

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What do you guys think of this new HBO on Broadband thing? I mean, I obviously like the downloading part but having to install a program to view the content and not being able to transfer it to a mobile device doesn’t make much sense to me.

While most networks have embraced browser-based streaming video, HBO’s programming is to be watched in a separate computer application that downloads shows to the hard drive. It may face several hurdles: the program is available only on Windows PCs initially; the downloaded content cannot yet be transferred to portable devices; and the content expires four weeks after being downloaded.
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They want everyone to watch it, but no one can share it with eachother, go figure.
 
i wonder if they just want a way to have control over the media so that they can put the usual tv ads in and make sure you can't just fast forward. seems like a good way to do just that. then you'd have tv on demand on your computer really.

meh, someone will hack it
 
HBO?

People still pay for that garbage. Imagine that. I thought they died years ago.
 
While I love HBO and their shows, I am not very excited about having to install another 3rd party app to watch their programs. That would be the deal killer for me as a consumer.
 
Makes perfect sense. Observe:

HBO is a subsidiary of Time Warner.
Time Warner is testing a usage-based Internet cost system.
“There are a lot of people, particularly young people, who are watching TV through the PC. We wanted to create a product for them,” said Eric Kessler, a co-president of HBO.
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Cha-ching.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Makes perfect sense. Observe:

HBO is a subsidiary of Time Warner.
Time Warner is testing a usage-based Internet cost system.


Cha-ching.
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Wonder if that had anything to do with it. That is funny and sad at the same time.
 
Cranky One,

Until they raise prices it's just an extra free benefit they're giving us. Where is the greed?

I'm okay with it. I mean, I already pay for HBO and get to watch it on my TV, plus I get HBO On Demand. If they want to add an additional way for me to get access to their content I'm all for it. It would be kind of dickish to complain that they're doing it, but just not in the format you'd like so they're jerks. They could just not do it at all.
 
pxc said:
Awesome! :cool:
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Same here. This won't have a big impact for me since I subscribe to the full premium TWC package (dopping them once FIOS gets it's TV act together). Other folks who don't subscribe will possibly get a chance to see some pretty decent programming. I say possibly because I didn't read the article so I don't know what it is exactly that they are offering for free. Either way, they are offering up programming instead of sitting on it.
 
benfinkel said:
Cranky One,

Until they raise prices it's just an extra free benefit they're giving us. Where is the greed?

I'm okay with it. I mean, I already pay for HBO and get to watch it on my TV, plus I get HBO On Demand. If they want to add an additional way for me to get access to their content I'm all for it. It would be kind of dickish to complain that they're doing it, but just not in the format you'd like so they're jerks. They could just not do it at all.
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Exactly, free just isn't free enough for some people. These days more and more people want things free and open. For the most part they have a point, but a good majority would just abuse the privilige. They want products without paying for it as if shit just materializes out of thin air, with no effort required to produce it. Somehow, everything should just be available, subsidised by the apparent fools stupid enough to actually pay for the product. They hide behind the idea of things being open and I disagree with that.

I am against companies gauging the consumer just becuase there is no other choice. I am definately against all this DRM format stupidity for the sole purpose of control when in the end they lose it anyway. DRM gets cracked and content is stolen then distributed, can we please do away with the myriad of formats and DRM schemes. Usage limitation is fine. If the market doesn't mind, so be it. But it'd be nice if they would settle on a format that can be used across a multitude of devices. Apple would probably make more money or make money with their store if their content played on more devices. I know that is not likely but it's reasonable, moreso than just selling it without the DRM. I don't see them losing hardware customers for now, although that's a whole 'nother discussion.

Yay for free HBO programming, and let's hope Time Warner doesn't set some stupid ass precedent by offering metered access. An investigation needs to be launched to look into actual ISP capacity, advertisement and subscription practices to get an idea about what is really going on. Although I think that would probably be seriously tainted.
 
This is useless because you have to have Time Warner or Roadrunner cable in select markets... bastards
 
It will be made available only to people already subscribing to HBO, and it will be marketed and delivered through cable operators.

BOOOOOO!!!
 
cesium666 said:
This is useless because you have to have Time Warner or Roadrunner cable in select markets... bastards
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Read the article and I will never get those few minutes back from typing my intial response. I'm filing this under "Whatever". If they really want to offer the content to their customers they should be targeting portables, Apple and or otherwise and they can DRM it all they want. I might even pay $5 a month extra for the privilege. If I'm a subscriber already I shouldn't have to pay more money PER episode to view it on my iPod/Zune/Whatever when my subscription already covers production costs (my assumption). If they are going to offer up full screen downloads the little bit of extra storage to offer PMP sized files wouldn't be an extra strain, although some creative bean counting could be used to prove otherwise. Like I said earlier, whatever.

Someday, companies will actually give us what we want/need.
 
tesfaye said:
Exactly, free just isn't free enough for some people. These days more and more people want things free and open. For the most part they have a point, but a good majority would just abuse the privilige. They want products without paying for it as if shit just materializes out of thin air, with no effort required to produce it. Somehow, everything should just be available, subsidised by the apparent fools stupid enough to actually pay for the product. They hide behind the idea of things being open and I disagree with that.

I am against companies gauging the consumer just becuase there is no other choice. I am definately against all this DRM format stupidity for the sole purpose of control when in the end they lose it anyway. DRM gets cracked and content is stolen then distributed, can we please do away with the myriad of formats and DRM schemes. Usage limitation is fine. If the market doesn't mind, so be it. But it'd be nice if they would settle on a format that can be used across a multitude of devices. Apple would probably make more money or make money with their store if their content played on more devices. I know that is not likely but it's reasonable, moreso than just selling it without the DRM. I don't see them losing hardware customers for now, although that's a whole 'nother discussion.

Yay for free HBO programming, and let's hope Time Warner doesn't set some stupid ass precedent by offering metered access. An investigation needs to be launched to look into actual ISP capacity, advertisement and subscription practices to get an idea about what is really going on. Although I think that would probably be seriously tainted.
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I'm can't speak for previous posters, but I think he meant the fact that Time Warner was frowning on the increase bandwidth usage and wishes to curb it by metering, yet on the other hand, they offer broadband TV...

It just reeks of trying to leech money out of people and being irresponsible about the so-called bandwidth crisis they claim we're having. Having the cake and eating it, if you will.

If you're going to preach something, you need to stand by your words or they don't mean jack squat. If a net neutrality supporting judge had some smarts, he would see this and deny Time Warner's request to meter the internet in Time Warner's "noble" attempt to save our bandwidth!
 
Azhar said:
I'm can't speak for previous posters, but I think he meant the fact that Time Warner was frowning on the increase bandwidth usage and wishes to curb it by metering, yet on the other hand, they offer broadband TV...

It just reeks of trying to leech money out of people and being irresponsible about the so-called bandwidth crisis they claim we're having. Having the cake and eating it, if you will.

If you're going to preach something, you need to stand by your words or they don't mean jack squat. If a net neutrality supporting judge had some smarts, he would see this and deny Time Warner's request to meter the internet in Time Warner's "noble" attempt to save our bandwidth!
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No argument there I was getting the same impression but wasn't entirely sure.

How about this, let's say TWC isn't entirely evil (yeah yeah, I know) and in fact there is a bandwidth shortage, they could be gauging usage of this service to figure out how it would fit into the overall picture. Not so much to charge for the bandwidth to consume the content initially but how much to meter general internet access while offering their own media and more than likely ad content. In the end though, they will probably charge a little something extra per month for some tiered online media delivery scheme (upper tiers of it, free to get you down with the program). Again, $5 a month for guaranteed media streams would be fair in my book, I pay for TV delivery, bandwidth, servers and maintenance for internet delivery costs money, this isn't something you just throw out there for free so a small fee is reasonable. This could all just be my salary increases talking but it seems fair to me.
 
Ah, yes. The Ebbs and Flows of DRM.

I guess HBO hasn't been paying attention...
 
Once "The Wire" concludes it's series there will be no more need to have HBO.

All the good stuff is gone...

The Soprano's.
Oz
The Wire.
Deadwood (what a dumbass move it was not renewing that show).

All that's left is a bunch of movies that have been out for 2 years already.

HBO has lost ALL of it's creativity. Buh-bye!

I do believe I will save my $13 a month after The Wire goes away.



ICOM said:
HBO?

People still pay for that garbage. Imagine that. I thought they died years ago.
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