[Streaming] Max (né HBO Max)

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:27 pm

hepcat wrote: Sun Oct 01, 2023 8:39 pm No, no trial. I was just curious because you made it sound like it was so overused that it was ruining things for you frequently. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what shows.

I mentioned a few above - Witcher, Dragon Age, Dragon's Dogma, all shows I was excited for, but the art style was such a turn-off that I never bothered to track them down.

Not every quality I mentioned is in every show I've avoided. Some aren't choppy at all! But (for example) the low-detail, barely shaded flat-looking characters, weird overly-geometric faces and hair, large eyes - that whole style is (in my opinion) badly overused. And yes, even if I like the show (like Dragon Prince and Young Justice, both of which have elements of it.) It's not so bad when it's not used to try to portray a realistic look (Lower Decks, for instance.) And yeah - I feel the same way when it's used in comics (which it is, increasingly.)

It's one single art style. It doesn't need to be used for so much. Do artists not remember how to make curved lines?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:40 pm

I went back and watched the trailers for Dragons Dogma and the Witcher and I don’t really see the similarities with this show, let alone each other to any greater extent than Dragons Dogma was closer to actual anime, that you do. I guess I’m just not as discerning.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:07 pm

First hint: If every characters face consists mostly of straight lines.

Second hint: If the characters' hair has spikes that would require using epoxy as hair gel.

Third hint: If shadows on said character also consist mostly of straight lines.

Fourth hint: If the eyes seem to be based on hexagons instead of ellipses, and/or are the size of a small whale's eyes.

If you want to get arguey, there's an entirely separate aesthetic I dislike almost as much. It's easily identified by characters whose hands and feet are the size of their torso.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:47 pm

No need to argue, I’m good with moving on.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 2:10 am

But...

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:55 pm

I received a nice email from Max today informing of the upcoming 'feature changes' that will take effect for my paid account starting on December 5th...

For the same relatively high cost, the number of simultaneous streams is being cut from 3 to 2 for the standard ad-free plan, and they're taking away 4K HDR and Atmos access. Am I going to miss any of these things greatly? No...but yet another service moving features behind an increasingly higher paywall is getting really old. There's no way they'll be getting another $50/year out of me just to get those features back.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:57 pm

Ya I saw that today. They want you to fork over 20 bucks a month if you want 4k. So ya I'm done with them. I think this is pretty dumb as they aren't in a great position.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 1:01 pm

Octavious wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:57 pm Ya I saw that today. They want you to fork over 20 bucks a month if you want 4k. So ya I'm done with them. I think this is pretty dumb as they aren't in a great position.

4K, or 4K HDR as mentioned above? Can do w/o HDR, but you take my 4K away and I’m gone.

It’s hard to go back once you’ve ventured into 4K land (unless you’re watching on a small TV of course).

These services that start out giving you 4K at no additional cost, then later gating it behind an add-on or a new, premium tier can suck a rock.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 1:52 pm

No 4k unless you jump to 20 dollars.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:20 pm

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/m ... 235778362/

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:39 pm

Octavious wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 1:52 pm No 4k unless you jump to 20 dollars.

Gone.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:42 pm

Curious how that will work for those of us who get Max through our cable provider.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:49 pm

I would assume the cable company will raise the price. but maybe there's a longer delay. This is a really shitty way to raise prices on people. Pay the same price and we gut your service. Removing 4K is really appalling as that's pretty much a standard now.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 5:24 pm

pr0ner wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:42 pm Curious how that will work for those of us who get Max through our cable provider.

I think I remember reading on the Slickdeals forum that if you got it through some other service provider (like as a promo or freebie), you won't get the 4K version. Also, if you are "legacy" like my current account, which I guess means grandfathered in under a much older deal, apparently if you renew under the legacy deal, for a year, your first 6 months will continue to be in 4K, but then 6 months in it converts to the second highest tier (meaning not 4K). It's absurd. I also had a horrible experience when I chatted with their CS online....they ended up CANCELING my existing subscription 2 months early (which I had already paid for).

I have never paid more than maybe $5 a month for HBO, and it's always been GLORIOUSLY uncompressed 4K. Well, not uncompressed, but no compression artifacts are visible. Very high bitrate, very good quality signal being pushed through. I will be sad to see it not be available anymore, because they have a lot of great content on there.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 6:53 pm

I know with my Disney bundle (which Verizon pays for), I can pay extra for ad free Hulu separately. Maybe that will be an option for people like me and Max's 4K/HDR/Atmos tier.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 11:51 pm

hepcat wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 2:29 pm November 29th is the premiere date for 30 Coins.

30 COINS

New serie s. The director Álex de la Iglesia immerses you in a world where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted. The protagonist, Father Vergara, is an exorcist, boxer and ex-convict exiled by the Vatican in a parish in a remote town in Spain. Little by little, he will find himself immersed in a global conspiracy: the battle for control of the thirty coins for which the apostle Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus of Nazareth.

Spoiler:
Why am I excited for this? Because Álex de la Iglesia is one of my all time favorite directors. He caught my eye with The Last Circus (which is just utterly amazing...in a beautifully grotesque way) and sealed the deal with such fare as My Big Night (his critically acclaimed comedy about the goings on behind a live TV special...now available on netflix), The Bar (also available on Netflix...it's about what we become when faced with what may be the end of the world), and Witching and Bitching (an over the top horror comedy).

I can't wait to see this.

Season 2 started recently and I’m still digging this show. I was surprised to see they added Paul Giamatti to the cast in a reoccurring role.

They go all out on their depiction of hell, too. It’s very hellraiser with some hellblazer.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Nov 04, 2023 11:52 am

The golden age of streaming, as the other thread calls it, is over. Their approach to solving their problems has guaranteed a new golden age of piracy, and has taught a whole new generation how bittorrent works.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:42 pm

While I'm not a fan of this move, I do see it as inevitable. These services have struggled to figure out how their pricing should work since it all began. They started off as a cheaper and ad free alternative to cable television, but then they started getting into the original content arena and there's just zero way I see that they could maintain low prices while doing that.

I think we're going to see either a rapidly increasing return to ad based streaming, a pay per view model for some of the larger ticket original productions, or just subscription pricing that puts us all back to where we were with cable television costs.

There was an article recently on streaming services and, believe it or not, one of the few services that's actually doing pretty good is Shudder. They're owned by AMC and the AMC+ streaming service has been in a state of free fall for a while now. But Shudder has been turning a profit by being smart and concentrating on a niche, investing in films that are going to be shown in theaters first before coming to their service and by only licensing movies for a few months at a time if they have a higher cost. Then they rotate those in regularly.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Nov 04, 2023 7:47 pm

I don't like it but I'm still paying less, with all my subs, than I was for cable. And unlike the cable company, I don't have to jump through hoops to cancel something.

That said, pay walling 4K specifically really rubs me the wrong way. It's not like it's new tech. I mean if we're going to start tiering quality with dollars, can I just pay you $3 a month for 240p? Bastards.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sat Nov 04, 2023 8:35 pm

hepcat wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:42 pm While I'm not a fan of this move, I do see it as inevitable. These services have struggled to figure out how their pricing should work since it all began. They started off as a cheaper and ad free alternative to cable television, but then they started getting into the original content arena and there's just zero way I see that they could maintain low prices while doing that.

I think we're going to see either a rapidly increasing return to ad based streaming, a pay per view model for some of the larger ticket original productions, or just subscription pricing that puts us all back to where we were with cable television costs.

There was an article recently on streaming services and, believe it or not, one of the few services that's actually doing pretty good is Shudder. They're owned by AMC and the AMC+ streaming service has been in a state of free fall for a while now. But Shudder has been turning a profit by being smart and concentrating on a niche, investing in films that are going to be shown in theaters first before coming to their service and by only licensing movies for a few months at a time if they have a higher cost. Then they rotate those in regularly.

I recently priced YouTubeTV against a current Spectrum flyer price I got in the mail and it’s the same, or close enough considering the significantly better PQ you get with cable.

Many cable companies also now offer no contracts as well since it was such a huge con used against them in the streaming wars marketing.

REALLY wish I could say to some service provider: I want THESE 10 channels, and nothing else, charge me just for that, I would be so happy. But this is not about what’s best for the consumer.

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 1:24 pm

I am watching Scavangers Reign, animated series. Clearly an adult show, group of space travellers who have crash landed on a wierd planet. It gets heavy into horror after a couple episodes. Sort of a - being killed is NOT the worst thing that can happen to you - vibe.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 1:56 pm

I watched the first episode last night and I loved it. Since Raised by Wolves went off the air, I've been missing science fiction stories that are so over the top you can't predict what's going to happen next.

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 2:17 pm

I've been loving Scavengers Reign. The last three episodes should be out this Thursday.

It's a very hostile, very alien world. At first I was curious about the TV-MA rating (I'm always looking for something to watch with my 13yo daughter who likes animation) as the first episodes were OK besides some language but it gets pretty gory later episodes. A woman is briefly topless one episode too.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 2:22 pm

Daveman wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2023 2:17 pm A woman is briefly topless one episode too.

If you listen closely, you can hear JeffV dropping his coffee mug and diving for the remote....

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 1:49 am

Question. Is there a way to tell or confirm if I'm even getting 4k on Max right now? I have a 4k tv but I'm not sure I'm even seeing anything in 4k.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Nov 07, 2023 10:56 pm

Punisher wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2023 1:49 am Question. Is there a way to tell or confirm if I'm even getting 4k on Max right now? I have a 4k tv but I'm not sure I'm even seeing anything in 4k.

Other than a very visible difference in PQ, most TV’s or streaming devices will show you the current resolution showing if you click ‘info’ or equivalent button. Possibly ‘Display’

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 9:52 am

If you are paying for the "Ultimate Ad Free" plan at $20/month you are getting 4K. If not, then you are not.

If (like me) you are getting the "Ad free" plan (in my case I get it for free with my over priced AT&T Gigabit internet) at $16/month then you are not getting 4K.

I wish Google Fiber would come to my hood (it is widely available in other parts of the city) since it would save me $30/month, but I am not holding my breath. I will say I have had very little problem with AT&T's internet (other than the price), and the installer I got was fantastic. (This is very much luck of the draw.)

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:10 am

JCC wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 9:52 am If you are paying for the "Ultimate Ad Free" plan at $20/month you are getting 4K. If not, then you are not.

It's not that black and white, unfortunately. There are a few more plans than those two options, namely all the grandfathered ones that are still available if you are/were an existing client, and they (HBO) are SUPER unclear (probably intentionally) about what is what, and what you will get if you re-sub under one of those plans.

6 monhts of continued 4K for grandfathered plans, which then switch to NON-4K, 6 months into your sub (for those paying annually). Madness.

The golden age of streaming is officially dead (has been for a while I guess), and it's only going to get worse from here.

Somewhat related: WBD (Warner Bros. Discovery, who own MAX) stock opened down 13% this morning due to a loss of subscribers (although profit increased).

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:20 pm

I'm not sure if I entirely like 4k. It's great for sports, but for regular TV it reminds me of videotape.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:59 pm

Jaymann wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:20 pm I'm not sure if I entirely like 4k. It's great for sports, but for regular TV it reminds me of videotape.

That's not due to resolution: turn off that very crappy motion smoothing option in your TV settings.

You're welcome!

More details if you want it, but it's pretty dry, and has to do with FPS, refresh rates, etc. Basically, the reason your shiny new(ish), expensive TV makes beautifully shot films look like a soap opera from the 90's is due to...marketing.

Turn that shit off and enjoy movies and TV the way they were shot.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:40 pm

Warner Bros D stock currently down a whopping SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN percent as of 2:38 EST. Wow. I bet all the other streamers are shitting the bed right now. If there's any shit left in them. The first bed-shitting was when Netflix announced their subscriber losses last summer, and everybody realized that the bubble was bursting.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:13 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:59 pm
Jaymann wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:20 pm I'm not sure if I entirely like 4k. It's great for sports, but for regular TV it reminds me of videotape.
That's not due to resolution: turn off that very crappy motion smoothing option in your TV settings.

You're welcome!

Excellent advice! Motion smoothing is awful.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:21 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:10 am The golden age of streaming is officially dead (has been for a while I guess), and it's only going to get worse from here.

I agree that times have been better for streaming, but I still think it's a net gain for the consumer compared to the old days of cable subs being the norm. While I am stuck paying for live TV during football season, I let it go for the remaining 7-8 months of the year.

As to all the different streaming services, it takes minimal effort and a bit of discipline to just sub to 1-2 at a time, watch what you want, and then switch to other services. The only "hardship" is avoiding spoilers for shows you are excited to see. Password sharing is still an option with friends/family, particularly if you live within (very) close proximity. (This is how I have Hulu/D+ and never pay a cent for it.)

Now if you watch sports and/or news year round, then you are shackled to live TV. Thankfully, I only care about CFB so I don't have to keep that added expense once the season is over.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:28 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 2:59 pm
Jaymann wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 1:20 pm I'm not sure if I entirely like 4k. It's great for sports, but for regular TV it reminds me of videotape.
That's not due to resolution: turn off that very crappy motion smoothing option in your TV settings.

It's coming back to me now. I did turn off motion smoothing on the TV in my man cave. Where I saw it was the huge TV in the livingroom that the rest of the family watches. Heck, they may even like it.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:30 pm

JCC wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:21 pm
Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:10 am The golden age of streaming is officially dead (has been for a while I guess), and it's only going to get worse from here.
I agree that times have been better for streaming, but I still think it's a net gain for the consumer compared to the old days of cable subs being the norm.

I’m in the same boat as you wrt football and live tv, unfortunately.

But things are going to get worse, apparently. Prices for all these services will be rising much more than where they are now, and they will create and retain much less content.

I listened to about half of a Planet Money show on NPR this morning talking about it in depth, and I highly recommend it to anyone if interested.

Bottom line: streamers have been subsidizing much of what we’ve had access to for the past several years, but that gravy train is screeching to a halt as the companies turn from a ‘increase subscribers at any cost’ mentality to ‘make as much profit as possible’ bc shareholders are tired of losing money.

Less shows created.
More shows cancelled earlier
More shows removed from existing ‘libraries’
Higher sub rates.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:21 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:40 pm Warner Bros D stock currently down a whopping SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN percent as of 2:38 EST. Wow. I bet all the other streamers are shitting the bed right now. If there's any shit left in them. The first bed-shitting was when Netflix announced their subscriber losses last summer, and everybody realized that the bubble was bursting.

Maybe. They'll likely be watching what happens over the next few months very closely once the 'angry leavers' finish their exodus. Especially what happens a few weeks after the release of the Next Big Thing. It's likely a good number of angry people will find they miss it and resub.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:23 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:30 pm Less shows created.
More shows cancelled earlier
More shows removed from existing ‘libraries’
Higher sub rates.

Worse, in my opinion:

Fewer experimental shows that don't follow a proven formula
Which means...
More derivative shows that are just like "______", but in New York (or rural Iowa, or the 90s, or whatever.)

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:23 pm
Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:30 pm Less shows created.
More shows cancelled earlier
More shows removed from existing ‘libraries’
Higher sub rates.
Worse, in my opinion:

Fewer experimental shows that don't follow a proven formula
Which means...
More derivative shows that are just like "______", but in New York (or rural Iowa, or the 90s, or whatever.)

Yep, they addressed this in the show as well...excellent, quirky shows that had a niche audience were greenlit because (and they listed a few different very sound reasons, considering the goal at the time). Those days are also definitely over (for now), according to "them".

Hope you like yet another spinoff of The Walking Dead!

Or just taking the most successful, run-into-the-ground-and-stomped-on franchises and smashing them together: The Walking Dead + The Bachelor = ???

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 6:18 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:53 pm Or just taking the most successful, run-into-the-ground-and-stomped-on franchises and smashing them together: The Walking Dead + The Bachelor = ???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Set

But as far as I can tell it is not available to watch or purchase anywhere.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 6:40 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:53 pm Hope you like yet another spinoff of The Walking Dead!

I'd be willing to be that we get fewer speculative shows with things like makeup and effects, and start seeing the return of the 'unscripted' category of shows which are among the cheapest to make, just like we did 20 years ago. I hope you like yet more variants of Pawn Stars, Kardashians, Survivor, Top Chef, American Idol...