Tags
Related Posts
Share This
Who Cares about Chromecast & HBO?
Today I saw the “announcement” that HBO Go is now compatible with Chromecast. Who cares?
If you’re not familiar, Chromecast is a device that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV and allows you to “cast” YouTube videos and your Chrome browser window to your TV.
HBO Go is the service that allows you to watch HBO content on your mobile device only if you subscribe to HBO through your cable or satellite provider.
Now you can send HBO shows from your mobile device to your TV. Here’s the flaw… you have to have a cable or satellite subscription to HBO to get HBO Go. So, presumably, if you have a cable or satellite subscription, you’re already able to watch HBO on your TV and have no need to “cast” it from your mobile device.
Chromecast… thanks for nothing. Please start adding some better capabilities, like mirroring of my mobile device (would it be too much to ask for you to do this even with iOS?).
Subscribe via email
I think your missing the point… now I can watch on tue tv in the den, or garage, or the motorhome, or at moms house or any number of places where the cable in my home and the attached cable box can’t reach…..
I think you’ve missed the point. HBO GO gives subscribers on-demand access to all of HBO’s original programming (The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones) and many movies and other content as well. Previously, you could only access this content on a mobile device or a compatible TV streaming device. Since none of the TV streaming devices I own offer HBO GO, I could only access on-demand content on my iPad or iPhone. Now I can finally watch it all on my HDTV, and I’m VERY happy about that!
It’s true that you still need to be a cable or satellite HBO subscriber to use HBO GO. If you were hoping for an a la carte HBO option like Netflix, this isn’t it. But for current HBO subscribers, this is a big added value!
As for “Chromecast… thanks for nothing,” this update is from HBO, not Google. So you’re right. I’m not thanking Google for anything today. Just HBO.
My feeling is that if you have an HDTV and a cable/satellite subscription, it’s extremely likely you have a box attached to it to it that allows you to use that service’s on-demand features. Based on your examples, I can see some instances where you don’t have an on-demand box hooked up to your HDTV, where this would be beneficial. I guess I wasn’t considering those folks who are rolling in the dough and can afford an HDTV in their den, garage, and motorhome. JK Adam. 😉