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HBO programming available on Amazon Prime
- endersshadow 12y agoWow. While it's not the latest and greatest shows that are on Prime, that's an impressive collection they've put up. I'm both a subscriber of HBO and of Prime, and I'll actually be using this. You see, I have a Roku, and Comcast won't allow HBOGO over Roku, but they do allow Prime Instant Video. So, woohoo for that! I'm wondering if Amazon ran into these limitations with their new Roku-killer and decided to end-around them by brining HBO series into the fold.
- cmelbye 12y ago> Comcast won't allow HBOGO over Roku Wait, what? Do they seriously do that? Can Comcast please die any more quickly?
- emehrkay 12y agoA very un-sarcastic "thanks Obama" seems to be in order edit: strage downvotes considering that Obama specifically stated that this type of behavior is something that he wouldn't condone (once in office) and given that net neutrality is topical...
- IanDrake 12y agoWhen it comes to unilateral actions, the president is mostly Commander in Chief of our military. Meaning, he could pull all our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and close Gitmo tomorrow just by saying so. I assume he has similar command control over the NSA, the FBI, and the CIA. It's important to separate well meaning rhetoric that's out of his hands from the actual lies he's told about the things he has power over.
- emehrkay 12y agoWe all understand that, but we all know that the boss is the face of his workers' shortcomings/winnings.
- dragonwriter 12y ago> When it comes to unilateral actions, the president is mostly Commander in Chief of our military. Meaning, he could pull all our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and close Gitmo tomorrow just by saying so. Unless, for instance, any of that required spending money, and Congress explicitly forbade spending money for the purpose. Or Congress otherwise prohibited the military from doing what the President wanted to direct. Commander-in-Chief doesn't mean "dictator", it means that Congress' power to "make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces" is limited so as not to allow them to vote to have someone other than, and independent of the authority of, the President direct how the military will operate within the rules Congress has set, it doesn't give the President independent authority to set the rules on his own, or to direct the military in a manner contrary to the rules established by Congress.
- bratsche 12y ago> Unless, for instance, any of that required spending money, and Congress explicitly forbade spending money for the purpose. Or Congress otherwise prohibited the military from doing what the President wanted to direct. Wait, can Congress do that? I know that they approve budgets obviously, but I thought all they could do was allocate it to different departments. I didn't think they could say, "here's this money but you can only use it for this purpose.. you absolutely cannot use it for this other purpose". I thought their only way of stopping some part of the government from doing something was to create a law removing that authority. And it's hard to imagine them removing the military's authority from withdrawing from a war. :)
- dragonwriter 12y ago> Wait, can Congress do that? Yes. > I know that they approve budgets obviously, but I thought all they could do was allocate it to different departments. I didn't think they could say, "here's this money but you can only use it for this purpose.. you absolutely cannot use it for this other purpose". Not only can they do that, that is usually how they allocate money. Even when there is some flexibility in how the funds are spent, that flexibility is defined in the law appropriating the funds. > And it's hard to imagine them removing the military's authority from withdrawing from a war. Withdrawing from a war is an unlikely thing for Congress to act to bar, sure, but that's not because they couldn't, just because they would be unlikely to choose to. Closing the detention facility at Guantanamo, well, that's a different story. While they haven't exactly prohibited it, they've removed funds for it from budgets and prohibited the specific steps the administration proposed to take to do it (such as transferring prisoners from Guantanamo to the US.)
- e40 12y agoYou're getting downvotes because "Thanks Obama" has become a joke meme. That's looked down upon here at HN.
- wil421 12y agoYes they do. I recently switched from AT&T back to Comcast and I was horrified when I tired to connect my roku to HBOGO. The message pretty much said my only option was to use the Comcast box and watch On Demand.
- ecoffey 12y agoBut don't worry, they're committed to Net Neutrality without the need for regulation :-)
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- MiguelHudnandez 12y agoCan you get a screenshot of the message? That is basically the net neutrality debate summed up in one photo. Edit: I found this: http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2011/11/comcast-not-supporting-roku-hbo-go-channel-.html http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2011/11/comcast-not-supporting... So, if this is the same issue: it's not that Comcast is using packet inspection to prevent HBO Go from working, it's that they have not partnered with HBO to allow authentication. So you are paying Comcast for HBO but you are not getting them to vouch for that fact.
- NoPiece 12y agoThat is weird because you can authenticate HBO Go on a PC with Comcast, so they have done some integration already.
- wmf 12y agoIt sounds like some kind of architectural mistake led to needing separate authentication code for every ISP-device combination.
- MiguelHudnandez 12y agoThat seems more damning than if they just did not "play" at all with HBO Go.
- zachlipton 12y agoYep. See http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140305/14254626446/comcast-still-blocking-hbo-go-roku-now-playstation-3-incapable-explaining-why.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140305/14254626446/comcas....
- ProAm 12y agoWow, how is that legal? (honest question). If you are a paid subscriber to both Comcast and HBO GO I don't see what the issue is?
- zachlipton 12y agoHBO Go (in the US anyway) doesn't have "paid subscribers." Comcast customers who have subscribe to HBO as part of their TV packages get access to HBO Go as an additional service. Comcast authenticates subscribers to tell HBO Go whether to allow users access to the service. But in this case, they aren't supporting their authentication on Roku devices.
- fryguy 12y agoIt's legal in the sense that you are buying an inferior version of HBO from Comcast than you are from other providers. Comcast isn't blocking HBO Go. It's just not giving it to you. Unfortunately, the only way to get HBO Go is through your TV provider (unless they've changed it recently).
- uncleruckus 12y agoHBOGo is also blocked on Samsung TVs
- krisdol 12y agoMay be comcast-only. It works for TWC
- zachlipton 12y agoOdd. It works for me on a Samsung Smart TV. Was able to authenticate to my account (Comcast sub) with no problem.
- thoughtpalette 12y agoI'm also able to log in to HBOGO on my Samsung Series 6 TV. Not sure where you're getting that from.
- mesh 12y agoComcast also does not allow HBOGO via the PS3.
- balls187 12y agoActually, The Wire is the greatest show HBO has ever made. Latest, no. Greatest, YES. Comcast also doesn't allow their Comcast iOS app to stream via Airplay.
- psychometry 12y agoAs the old adage goes...there are two types of people in the world: those who think The Wire is the greatest TV show ever made and those who have never seen The Wire.
- Touche 12y agoSeen it, didn't like it.
- dublinben 12y agoYou've watched the entire series, and you didn't like it?
- jwoah12 12y agoWhy would anyone watch the entire series if they didn't like the episodes they started with?
- ohsnapman 12y agoBecause The Wire is not about instant gratification. It's layers on layers that pay off in multiples by the time you're into the later seasons. Even season two, by far the weakest season, is a total treat the second time you watch it and know what you're looking for.
- CJefferson 12y agoThe problem is that there are too many things in this world which people assure me will be amazing if I just stick with them, and not enough time to try them all out. Got to season 3 of the Sopranos -- still hated it. Used vim for 9 weeks as my only editor -- still hated it.
- ultimoo 12y agoHow is HBOGO different from Xfinity On Demand? If you subscribe to HBO, all content is anyway available OD, so there is no real need for a separate 'client' for watching it.
- dangrossman 12y agoBecause Roku is a one-time purchase, where additional cable boxes are monthly fees. I already own the Roku. By taking away HBO Go access on it, I can no longer watch HBO in that room at all. Last I checked, all the content wasn't available on-demand either. There was a larger selection on HBO Go versus On Demand. OD only has the last 1-2 seasons of the series it has at all, and has fewer movies. HBO Go has all the seasons of all the series.
- evanm 12y agoMy iPad was a one-time purchase and Comcast doesn't have a problem with me streaming HBO Go content on that. So why the Roku?
- stonemetal 12y agoComcast doesn't sale or rent iPad competitors so they don't feel the need to cripple the iPad.
- Ricapar 12y agoIs your iPad permanently hooked up to your TV? Many people have rather large HDTVs and would much prefer to watch on there rather than on a tiny screen you have to carry around or dock somewhere.
- nitrogen 12y agoMaybe your question is genuine, so I'll reply with my genuine response: why not? What business is it of Comcast if someone wants to watch an Internet service they've paid for on their Roku or Playstation or Linux PC?
- emehrkay 12y ago
- moskie 12y ago> I'm both a subscriber of HBO and of Prime, and I'll actually be using this. You see, I have a Roku... I'm in a similar situation, but I use a Chromecast instead of a Roku. Why oh why Amazon doesn't implement Chromecast support baffles me so much. I would spend a good amount of money on their streaming content that way. Instead, my money goes into the Google Play store.
- blktiger 12y agoMaybe because they want you to buy a Fire TV? :P Amazon Prime is already on a lot of devices and I'm sure that they just haven't had enough pressure to implement chromecast support yet.
- dublinben 12y agoThis was announced almost a month ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7634133 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7634133
- plunchete 12y agoAll of them seem being available for free if you have Amazon Prime (I do). It's pretty awesome!
- 3rd3 12y agoIs it available world-wide?
- touristtam 12y agonot in the uk it seems.
- xutopia 12y agoNot in Canada and it does not include Game of Thrones or other recent shows I'd pay to watch.
- bredman 12y agoTo clarify, you can already pay to watch past seasons of Game of Thrones on Amazon Video on Demand in the US. It's just not included for free with Prime which as I understand is the change that's happening for a subset of HBO content.
- clamprecht 12y agoNope - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7780325 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7780325
- cmapes 12y agoThis is a nice step in the right direction, but I'd be willing to pay $/mo extra to get the latest episodes of Game of Thrones.
- wil421 12y agoCan you even subscribe to HBO with out paying for a TV subscription from a provider? The only thing thats keeping me from pulling the plug is access to new shows/episodes and seeing shows as they air (for the first time).
- AndyNemmity 12y agoYou can't. I've bought all the episodes through Season 3, but I can't get Season 4 yet, and HBO Go isn't an option because they won't let me pay for it.
- res0nat0r 12y agoThey will happily let you pay for it, you just need to have a cable subscription first. They are going to keep all of their money maker current programming exclusive to their platform for now unfortunately as this is how they currently can afford to make new episodes of Game of Throes for $6 million an episode. This is a good step though as there is some old content I've been wanting to watch forever which I now can do.
- cmapes 12y agoYeah, you can't. I don't watch cable television, I just use the internet access. So unless I feel like donning a standard cable television package + HBO for $120+/mo I can't get access to HBO Go. It's a shame, I'd certainly be willing to pay for just HBO.
- jaredsohn 12y agoYou can get it through Comcast as a part of the Internet Plus package ($49.95/mo for me in CA for twelve months and then you should call them to prevent them from upping your rate to $69.95/mo.)
- squigs25 12y agoReally cool! But why is this on Hacker News?
- brokentone 12y agoThe Netflix country expansion is here as well. Seems interesting on a technology and media level.
- squigs25 12y agoIf people had a problem with this comment: 1. This was removed from the homepage shortly after I posted this comment. 2. An answer explaining to me why this is appropriate would have probably been more helpful.
- whacker 12y agoBand of Brothers! Yay!
- tunap 12y agoI looked at the offerings & they seem pretty expansive. Sounds great and all but I could not locate a principal factor that is important to the equation: PRICE! I clicked help, get started and even searched... I do not want a free trial, I do not want to sign up & I do not want any more spam UNTIL I have deemed the terms agreeable. I am sick of this obfuscation bullshit. Terms are terms, games are for suckers & marks. TLDR: No price, no sale.
- spicyj 12y agoI believe it's included in Amazon Prime for $99/yr.
- sgarman 12y agoIt's $99 a year. I agree it could be more clear but it was also not impossible to find. https://www.amazon.com/gp/prime/pipeline/prime_gifting_landing?ie=UTF8&formSubmit=Submit https://www.amazon.com/gp/prime/pipeline/prime_gifting_landi...
- tunap 12y agoThanks, I understand it is buried somewhere, I found the price by Googing it. Sounds like a great deal. However, I vote with my dollars, and I am less inclined to give them mine when they treat their customers like marks in a confidence game. If a product is worth it's salt(as this is), why not be forthcoming? Perhaps because customers may be more apt to notice when 99 becomes 109 then 119 then 129....? behavioral economics isn't my forte, I just hate mealy mouth BS and won't abide it nor fund it. YMMV.
- libraryatnight 12y agoamazon.com's homepage has a letter outlining this change/new content and ends with: Amazon Prime is the best deal going at just $99/year. This HN entry links directly to the 'Learn More' or 'Start your free month' link provided in that letter (button is variable depending on if you're a member), which is an index of content. Also, if I go to a amazon.com/prime from a browser that doesn't have me signed in automatically to my Prime account (otherwise it gives me a 'give the gift of prime option since it sees I'm already a member), it shows me a 30 day free trial button and says directly under the button: "After your free trial, Amazon Prime is just $99/year. You can cancel anytime. " I don't feel the price is obfuscated. It's not perfect, but I don't get the impression there's bullshit afoot.
- wj 12y agoOh man. I need to forget this happened. I can see myself going on a Deadwood marathon.
- Semaphor 12y agoBoardwalk Empire! Only S1 is on Prime but better than nothing :)
- clamprecht 12y ago"We have detected that you are not located within the US. Due to licensing restrictions, Amazon Instant Video customers must be located in the United States when viewing videos online." Oh well, back to kickass torrents for now. (I'm a US citizen currently in Argentina).
- nostromo 12y agoPutting Amazon Instant on the main shopping website is such a befuddling experience. I'm on Amazon Instant. I see they have some HBO stuff, so I search for Game of Thrones. The auto-suggest immediately directs me to the books, ignoring my context. So, I skip auto-suggest and search just in HBO, and I'm prompted to buy Season 1 for $40. Huh? Meanwhile I'm always being distracted by recommendations to buy those solar panels I searched for a month ago. I think it was a bad idea to conflate the contexts of "shopping" and "looking for entertainment" so throughly. I don't think Netflix has anything to worry about.
- erikpukinskis 12y agoI often wonder how amazon has gotten so far with such little focus on usability. I wonder if they don't actually WANT you to get lost in layer upon later of stores. Like how the mall makes it hard to pop in for a quick purchase.
- PaulKeeble 12y agoDoesn't seem to apply in the UK, can't seem to do anything other than pay a quite high sum of money for a season (£26). Is this a deal only in the USA?
- DonGateley 12y agoHD with Amazon Prime is only available on these devices: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices/ref=atv_dp_hd_dev http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices/ref=atv_dp_hd_de... which does not include a PC. Trial cancelled. They make it so that the only way to find that out is to subscribe first and try it. I consider that false advertising.
- leanthonyrn 12y agoWatch Deadwood for the first time and the Wire for the second.