HBO Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Other services=== ====HBO HD==== [[File:HBO HD.png|right|220x220px]] HBO HD (originally called HBO HDTV from March 1999 until April 2006) is a [[High-definition television|high definition]] simulcast feed of HBO that broadcasts in the [[1080i]] resolution format.<ref name="hbohd">{{cite web|title=HBO: About: Frequently Asked Questions: HBO HD|url=http://www.hbo.com/about/faqs/products/hbo-hd.html|website=HBO|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc. (Time Warner)|access-date=April 3, 2016}}</ref> HBO maintains high definition simulcast feeds of its main channel and all six multiplex channels. HBO HD is available on all major cable television providers including, among others, Charter Communications (including systems once owned by former HBO sister company Time Warner Cable); Comcast Xfinity (which, in 2016, began downconverting HBO, Cinemax and other cable channels transmitting in 1080i to [[720p]]60);<ref>{{cite web|title=1080i Channels are Being Changed to 720p60 Channels|url=http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Non-X1-Service/1080i-channels-are-being-changed-to-720p60-channels/m-p/2783308#M183323|access-date=April 1, 2018|archive-date=December 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217014057/http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Non-X1-Service/1080i-channels-are-being-changed-to-720p60-channels/m-p/2783308#M183323|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cox Communications and [[Optimum]]; as well as [[DirecTV]]; [[AT&T U-verse]]; and [[Verizon FiOS]]. From the 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the HBO multiplex feeds until the mid-2010s, the majority of pay television providers that carried HBO HD generally offered only the main channel in high definition, with HD carriage of the multiplex channels varying by market. {{As of|2020}}, most providers transmit all seven HBO multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier separate from their SD assignments or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to launch a high-definition simulcast feed on June 12, 1997, with initial plans for a rollout to television providers as early as the Summer of 1998, when electronics manufacturers planned to begin retailing their initial line of HD-capable television sets.<ref name="vty-hbohdsetslaunch">{{cite web|title=HBO plans high-def startup by 1998|url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/hbo-plans-high-def-startup-by-1998-1116680165/|author=John Dempsey|periodical=Variety|date=June 12, 1997|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HBO began transmitting a high definition simulcast feed on March 6, 1999, becoming the first American cable television network to begin simulcast their programming in the format. For the first 23 months of its existence, the HD feed only transmitted theatrical films from the network's programming suppliers (initially accounting for about 45% of its available feature film output, expanding to around 60% by early 2001) and HBO's in-house original movies in the format, as existing widescreen prints of those films were already scalable in the 16:9 widescreen [[Aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] and could readily be upconverted to HD resolution.<ref name="vty-hbohdsetslaunch"/><ref name="HBO HD">{{cite web|title=HBO ready to go with HDTV|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53675563.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508063136/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53675563.html|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 25, 1999|access-date=March 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013}}</ref> Original programming began to be made available in HD on January 14, 2001, when the network commenced a 13-week Sunday "encore" presentation of the second season of ''[[The Sopranos]]'' in remastered 1080i HD. (HBO had been requiring the producers of its original series to film their episodes in widescreen—subsequently downconverted for the standard definition feed—to fit [[Aspect ratio (image)#4:3 stamdard|4:3]] television screens since 1996, to future-proof them for remastering in HD.) The third-season premiere of the mob drama, "[[Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood]]", on March 4 was the first first-run episode of an HBO series to be transmitted in high-definition from its initial telecast, with all subsequent episodes being delivered to HBO exclusively on HD videotape (and downconverted for the main standard-definition feed). Bob Zitter, then the network's Senior Vice President of Technology Operations, disclosed to ''[[Multichannel News]]'' in January 2001 that HBO elected to delay offering its original series in high definition until there was both sustainable consumer penetration of high-definition television sets and wide accessibility of HDTV equipment on the retail market.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sopranos Hit Hi-Def|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/sopranos-hit-hi-def-95869|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 7, 2001|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBOs Sopranos Goes High-Definition|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbos-sopranos-goes-high-definition-133506|author=Monica Hogan|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 7, 2001|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Sports telecasts were upgraded to HD on September 25, 2004, with an ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' fight card headlined by [[Roy Jones Jr.]] and [[Glen Johnson (boxer)|Glen Johnson]].<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Going All-HD for Boxing|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-going-all-hd-boxing-337708|author=R. Thomas Umstead|periodical=Multichannel News|date=September 12, 2004|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HD programming can also be broadcast in [[Dolby Digital|Dolby Digital 5.1]]. The network began transmitting its six multiplex channels in high definition on September 1, 2008, when DirecTV began offering HD simulcast feeds of HBO2, HBO Family, HBO Signature, and HBO Latino.<ref>{{cite web|title=All HBO, Cinemax channels to be in HD|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/all-hbo-cinemax-channels-be-138691|author=Kimberly Nordyke|agency=Associated Press| periodical=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 13, 2007|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> ====HBO on Demand==== HBO on Demand is HBO's companion [[video on demand|subscription video-on-demand]] (SVOD) service that is available at no additional cost to subscribers of the linear television service, who regularly pay a premium fee to pay television providers to receive access to the channel. VOD content from the network is also available on select virtual MVPD services (including [[DirecTV Stream]], [[YouTube TV]] and [[Hulu]]), and through HBO's dedicated [[Roku#The Roku Channel|Roku]] video channel. HBO on Demand offers theatrical feature films from HBO's distribution partners and original programming previously seen on the network (including weekly series, documentaries, sports magazine and documentary programs, and concert and stand-up comedy specials). The service's rotating program selection incorporates newer film titles and episodes that are added to the platform following their debut on the linear feed, as well as library content (including complete seasons of the network's past and present original programs).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Television Will Be Revolutionized|author=Amanda D. Lotz|publisher=New York University Press|location=New York City|page=132|year=2007|author-link=Amanda D. Lotz}}</ref> HBO on Demand, the first SVOD service to be offered by an American premium service, launched on July 1, 2001, over then sister company Time Warner Cable's [[Columbia, South Carolina]], system.<ref name="HBO On Demand">{{cite news|title=Time Warner to Add HBO Video-On-Demand to Digital Cable in Columbia, South Carolina|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507135455/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2013|agency=Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News|date=June 21, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> The service was developed to allow HBO subscribers access to the channel's programming at their choosing, thereby reducing the frequency in which viewers were unable to find a program they prefer to watch and limiting cancellations to the service because of that issue. On January 3, 2011, HBO became the first pay television network to offer VOD content in [[3DTV|3D]]; initially available to linear HBO subscribers signed with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS, 3D content consisted of theatrical feature films available in the format.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Pops Cork on 3D Video-On-Demand|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/cable-operators/hbo-pops-cork-3d-video-demand/328081|author=Todd Spangler|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 3, 2011}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, a domestic version of HBO on Demand was launched in 2015 to subscribers of [[IPTV]] provider [[TalkTalk TV]], which provides HBO's program offerings through the provider's [[YouView]] set-top boxes via a standalone VOD subscription. {{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} ====HBO Go==== {{Main|HBO Go}} [[File:HBOGO.svg|HBO Go logo|right|220x220px]] HBO Go is an international [[TV Everywhere]] streaming service for broadband subscribers of the linear HBO television service. It was accessible through play.hbogo.com, and through apps for [[iOS (Apple)|Apple iOS]] and [[Apple TV]] devices;<ref name="gigaom.com">{{cite web|title=HBO Go Now Available on iPad, iPhone and Android|url=https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|author=Ryan Lawler|website=[[Gigaom]]|publisher=GigaOmniMedia, Inc.|date=April 29, 2011|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023114236/https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=HBO GO Finally Arrives on Apple TV|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/06/hbo-go-finally-on-apple-tv/|author=Roberto Baldwin|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices and [[Android TV]];<ref name="gigaom.com"/> [[Amazon Fire TV]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Hits Amazon Fire TV, May Bring Cord-Cutting Service Too|url=http://readwrite.com/2014/12/16/hbo-go-amazon-fire-tv-maybe-cord-cutting|author=Adriana Lee|website=[[ReadWrite]]|publisher=[[SAY Media]]|date=December 16, 2014|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Chromecast]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Launches on Chromecast as Mobile Video Mainstreams|url=http://www.ooyala.com/videomind/blog/hbo-go-launches-chromecast-mobile-video-mainstreams|author1=Jim O'Neill|website=[[Ooyala]]|publisher=[[Telstra]]|date=November 22, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[PlayStation]] consoles ([[PlayStation 3]] and [[PlayStation 4]]);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Available on PS4 Later Today|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/03/03/hbo-go-available-on-ps4-later-today/#sf7775869|website=[[PlayStation]]|publisher=[[Sony Interactive]]|date=March 3, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Xbox One]] consoles;<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go, Twitter, Vine Coming to Xbox One By End of 2014|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbo-go-twitter-vine-coming-to-xbox-one-by-end-of-2014/1100-6420087/|author=Eddie Makuch|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Roku]] devices;<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing Roku LT and a Sneak Peek at HBO GO|url=http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|website=[[Roku]]|date=October 11, 2011|access-date=May 12, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020182330/http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and most [[Samsung]] Smart TV models.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go now available on select Samsung Smart TVs|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/17/2804413/hbo-go-samsung-smart-tv|author=Andrew Webster|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=February 17, 2012|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Content available on HBO Go included theatrically released films (sourced from the network's pay television contractual windows for recent studio releases and from library content agreements with film distributors) and HBO original programming (including scripted series, made-for-cable movies, comedy specials, documentaries, and sports documentary and magazine programs).<ref>{{cite web|title=Eyes-on with HBO GO|url=http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|author=Ben Drawbaugh|website=[[Engadget]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925090432/http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|archive-date=September 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> HBO Go, along with companion service HBO Now and HBO Max, did not provide live simulcasts of the seven linear HBO channels. (HBO and Cinemax are the only American premium television services not to include live network feeds in their proprietary streaming VOD platforms.) Based on the prototype HBO on Broadband service that was originally launched in January 2008 to linear HBO subscribers of Time Warner Cable's [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] and [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] systems, HBO Go launched nationwide on February 18, 2010, initially available to existing HBO subscribers signed with [[Verizon FiOS]].<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO GO heads to FiOS|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-go-heads-fios-20758|author=Georg Szalai|periodical=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> Initially carrying 1,000 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition, the on-demand streaming service was conceived as a TV Everywhere platform marketed exclusively to existing subscribers of the linear HBO television service. (The HBO Go website and mobile apps, including its apps for streaming devices such as Roku and Apple TV, and some [[video game console]]s, required a password accompanying a linear HBO subscription by a participating television provider to access content on the service.) On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Go's mobile and [[digital media player]] apps would be discontinued in the U.S. on July 31, as most traditional and virtual MVPDs have secured distribution deals for HBO Max. Those providers that have not yet made an HBO Max deal continue to allow customer access to HBO Go (mainly [[Altice USA]]'s brands, [[Mediacom]], smaller cable providers, and closed-circuit university television systems which had not had personnel available during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] to contractually transfer their credentials to HBO Max), though only through the HBO Go desktop website. The "HBO Go" moniker remains in use as the brand for HBO's streaming platforms in select Asian markets until it would be also rebranded directly into [[Max (streaming service)|Max]] in fall-2024.<ref name="cnet-bookending">{{cite web|title=HBO is getting rid of HBO Go, renaming HBO Now since HBO Max is live|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-max-is-getting-rid-of-hbo-go-renaming-hbo-now-since-hbo-max-is-live/|author=Joan E. Solsman|website=CNET|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=June 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=April 12, 2023 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils 'Max': Everything Revealed at Combined HBO Max-Discovery+ Streaming Presentation |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/max-streaming-service-hbo-warner-discovery-1235579785/ |website=Variety |language=en-US |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref> ====HBO Now==== {{main|HBO Now}} [[File:HBONOW-logo.svg|thumb|Former HBO Now logo, used from April 7, 2015, until July 31, 2020.]] HBO Now (formally named HBO from August to December 2020) was an [[Over-the-top media service|over-the-top (OTT)]] subscription streaming service that provided on-demand access to HBO's library of original programming and theatrical films, and was marketed independent of a pay television subscription to the linear HBO service as a standalone platform targeting [[Cord-cutting|cord cutters]].<ref name=verge-hbonow>{{cite web|title=HBO Now coming in April for $14.99 per month, Apple TV price cut to $69|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/9/8175619/hbo-now-announced|author=Chris Welch|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=March 9, 2015|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HBO Now was available online and as apps for Apple iOS and Apple TV devices;<ref name="gigaom-hbonow">{{cite web |author=Janko Roettgers |date=March 9, 2015 |title=HBO officially announces April launch of HBO Now at Apple event |url=https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-officially-announces-launch-of-hbo-now-at-apple-event/ |access-date=May 12, 2020 |website=[[Gigaom]] |archive-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309231040/https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-officially-announces-launch-of-hbo-now-at-apple-event/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Android tablets, phones and Android TV devices; Amazon Fire TV;<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Now moves beyond Apple, arrives on Android and Amazon devices|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/16/8911801/hbo-now-arrives-on-amazon-devices|website=The Verge|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Roku]] devices;<ref name="cr-waystowatchhbo">{{cite web|title=All the Ways You Can Watch HBO|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/movies-tv/ways-to-watch-hbo/|author=James K. Willcox|periodical=[[Consumer Reports]]|date=May 11, 2020|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> Xbox consoles ([[Xbox 360]] and [[Xbox One]]);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Now launches on Xbox One, 360, ending winter for Game of Thrones fans|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/hbo-now-launches-on-xbox-one-360-ending-winter-for-game-of-thrones-fans/|website=Ars Technica|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> PlayStation consoles ([[PlayStation 3]] and later);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO and Cinemax Coming to PS Vue, HBO NOW Launching Soon on PS4, PS3|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/09/15/hbo-and-cinemax-coming-to-ps-vue-hbo-now-launching-soon-on-ps4-ps3/|website=PlayStation.Blog|publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]|date=September 15, 2016|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> and select TiVo devices;<ref>{{cite web|title=TiVo DVRs will lose HBO app at the end of August|url=https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/tivo-dvrs-will-lose-hbo-app-at-end-august|author=Ben Munson|website=Fierce Video|publisher=Questex LLC|date=August 27, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123140329/https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/tivo-dvrs-will-lose-hbo-app-at-end-august|url-status=dead}}</ref> and as a premium add-on through Amazon Prime Video, [[Sling TV]],<ref>{{cite news|title=HBO is coming to Sling TV this month|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/1/8326089/hbo-coming-to-sling-tv|author=Chris Welch|website=The Verge|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> AT&T TV and [[Hulu]].<ref name="cr-waystowatchhbo"/> On October 15, 2014, HBO announced plans to launch an OTT subscription streaming service in 2015, which would be distributed as a standalone offering that does not require an existing television subscription to access the content.<ref>{{cite news|title=HBO to offer its programming over the Internet|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-hbo-time-warner-internet-online-program-20141016-story.html|author=Meg James|author2=Ryan Faughnder|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 16, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name="deadline-hbogoitalone">{{cite news|title=HBO To Launch Stand-Alone Online Service, Without Cable, In 2015: Time Warner Investor Day|url=https://deadline.com/2014/10/richard-plepler-time-warner-investor-day-hbo-ceo-presentation-851815/|author=David Lieberman|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=October 15, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name="atlantic-goitalone">{{cite magazine|title=HBO Go-It-Alone: There Goes the Cable Bundle?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/hbo-go-it-alone-there-goes-the-cable-bundle/381489/|author=Derek Thompson|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=October 15, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref> The service, HBO Now, was unveiled on March 9, 2015, and officially launched one month later on April 7.<ref name="gigaom-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow-launched">{{cite web|title=HBO Now launches on Apple TV|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/7/8362229/hbo-now-available-now-apple-tv|author=Chris Welch|website=The Verge|date=April 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="hbonow_launch">{{cite web|title='HBO Now' Goes Live|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/tv-apps/hbo-now-goes-live/389517#sthash.gEGufCmc.dpuf|author=Jeff Baumgartner|periodical=Multichannel News|date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> The service was initially available via Apple Inc. to Apple TV and iOS devices for a three-month exclusivity period following its formal launch, before becoming available for subscription through other participating [[Internet service provider]]s.<ref name="gigaom-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow"/> Available for $15 per month, HBO Now was identical to the former HBO Go in terms of content and features. New episodes of the HBO series were made available for streaming on the initial airdate and usually uploaded at the normal airtime, of their original broadcast on the main linear HBO channel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tech Test: There are plenty of options for HBO online, not enough time|url=http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/apr/26/there-are-plenty-of-options-for-hbo-online-not-eno/|author=Anick Jesdanun|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Columbian]]|date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> By February 2019, subscribership of HBO Now subscribers had reached over 8 million customers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Number of HBO Now subscribers 2019|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/539290/hbo-now-subscribers/|website=Statista|access-date=February 26, 2020}}</ref> On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Now would be rebranded solely as HBO on August 1. Following HBO Max's launch, the HBO streaming service had served as the network's default OTT platform for Roku customers, as WarnerMedia has not yet signed deals to distribute HBO Max on that platform; until its replacement by HBO Max on those platforms in November 2020, it also served as a default HBO OTT service for Amazon Fire and Fire TV customers.<ref name="cnet-bookending"/> As a consequence of an agreement with WarnerMedia announced the day before offering HBO Max on Roku devices starting the following day, the HBO streaming service was discontinued on December 17, 2020.<ref name="wrap-hbomaxroku">{{cite web|title=HBO Max Finally Agrees to Deal With Roku Ahead of 'Wonder Woman 1984' Debut|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hbo-max-finally-agrees-to-deal-with-roku-ahead-of-wonder-woman-1984-debut/|author=Tim Baysinger|website=The Wrap|date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> ====Max==== {{main|Max (streaming service)}} [[File:Max logo.svg|thumb|Max logo|alt=Max logo.svg]] Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is an over-the-top subscription streaming service operated by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment built mainly around HBO's programming and other Warner Bros. Discovery assets. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page