I have been wishing to subscribe to HBO directly for years, and living without HBO entirely or visiting friends to see the excellent shows without paying for a hugely overpriced bundle of crap from a cable company… and finally HBO Now is available. It launched in Apple’s iTunes App stores earlier today (April 7th, 2015) and will allow HBO content in AppleTV, iPad, and iPhone (possibly iPod Touch as well). Although my AppleTVs are older, I am hoping I can airplay the content or update them to play the new service. Everyone expects HBO Now to become available on Roku in about 3 months, and other devices will follow after that. This is a huge win for “cord-cutters” who want HBO’s excellent programming and don’t want to wait until the shows come out on DVD a few years after they first show.
I wish it was a little cheaper (the stand alone service will be $14.99/month) and you have to already have internet access and a device (iPad, iPhone, AppleTV – eventually Roku, etc) – but this is exactly what I have been asking HBO for, so time to pony up and subscribe.
To get HBO Now for yourself, open up iTunes on any Mac or Windows computer, and go to the App Store, search for “HBO Now” and download the app. On your IOS device, install and start the “HBO Now” app, and sign into your iTunes account. It looks like billing will be through Apple iTunes Store, at least initially (though HBO has you sign up as well – so I suspect that may separate some day).
Update The new HBO Now channel does not show up directly on my older 2nd generation AppleTVs, but I can AirPlay from my iPhone and iPad to the 2nd generation AppleTV just fine, and the resolution is beautiful.
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