The production of HBO’s horse racing drama Luck has been particularly hard on its equine cast members, with three horses dying on the show’s watch — although not during filming or racing scenes. Under pressure from animal rights groups, HBO has canceled the series. [More]
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Why Is It Taking So *&%# Long To Get Good 3D Content On TV?
By 1.10.12
Anyone who owns a 3D TV probably knows that there is not exactly an overwhelming amount of 3D programming available to merit putting on the glasses. The media and manufacturers keep saying that 3D is the next big thing to be coming-at-ya, but will there ever be content that justifies buying a 3D TV? [More]
If Netflix Wants To Rent Out HBO DVDs, It Will Have To Get Them Elsewhere
By 1.5.12
The war of words between HBO and Netflix may have just escalated into an actual slap-fight, with HBO announcing that it will no longer be selling DVDs of its shows to the rent-by-mail company. [More]
Xbox 360 Finally Getting More Live & On-Demand TV
By 10.5.11
It’s been reported for quite some time that Xbox 360 users would eventually get access to more streaming video options. Earlier today, Microsoft announced that it has partnered with a number of content providers to bring content from HBO, SyFy and even more for Comcast and Verizon FiOS subscribers. [More]
All I Want To Know Is Where HBO Is On My Stupid TV, Cox
By 9.21.11
Andy is a Cox Cable customer, and an HBO subscriber. When the channel lineup shifted recently, he couldn’t find HBO in high definition. The information wasn’t online, and the channel wasn’t in a logical place. Figuring that someone at Cox must know the answer, he hopped on customer service chat to ask a helpful customer service representative. The rep had him check to see whether the standard definition HBO channels had magically switched to high definition in the five minutes since he had last checked, then demanded Andy’s account number, name, address, account PIN, and the last four digits of his Social Security number. To obtain information that used to be on the company’s public website. [More]
Knocked $30 Off My Cable Bill Just By Asking
By 9.9.11
I’ve been hearing how the ol’ “threaten to cancel to get your cable bill reduced” ploy is “dead” but I decided to give negotiating with the cable company a shot. I got my monthly bill reduced by $30, and, indirectly related to my conversation with them, somehow also got free HBO. Schweet. [More]
HBO Go To Expand To Video Game Consoles, Web-Connected TVs
By 8.4.11
While HBO Go, the premium cable network’s online streaming service, has already expanded to make itself available on computers and smartphones, it hasn’t made the leap to being available on gaming consoles, which would allow you to watch the HBO archive on your TV without having a computer connected. But the CEO of parent company Time Warner says that will soon change. [More]
HBO Go Finally Available To DirecTV Subscribers
By 4.12.11
In the year since HBO launched its HBO Go streaming service as a bonus for Verizon FiOS subscribers, it’s also become available to Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable customers. And now, DirecTV subscribers will finally be able to watch HBO programming on-demand on their computers. [More]
Spike TV: Home Of The 10-Minute Commercial Breaks
By 9.13.10
How long can a cable channel run commercials before viewers forget what they were watching and — literally — tune out? That’s the question that the folks at Spike TV appear to be tacitly asking their audience, as it stretches the length of some of its commercial breaks well past existing standards — some to as long as 10 minutes. [More]
HBO Shows Too Good For Streaming On Netflix
By 8.18.10
Were you late to the True Blood game and hoping to catch up by streaming old seasons on Netflix? If so, you’ve got a long wait ahead of you since HBO’s Co-President has poo-pooed the idea of bringing the network’s catalog of shows and movies to Netflix’s Watch Instantly library. [More]
HBO To Start Gouging PS3 Owners As Well As Pay TV Customers
By 5.25.10
HBO is putting its shows up for download on the PlayStation 3, NASDAQ reports, but its $3-per-hourlong episode pricing is even nastier than its monthly charge for cable and satellite subscribers — about $20 on Comcast in my neck of the woods. [More]
HBO, Verizon Fios Team Up For 'HBO Go' Online Service
By 2.17.10
While most of the major TV networks and several basic cable channels have been ramping up the amount of programming they make available online, premium cable channels have steered clear of the Internet. That could change with today’s announcement that Verizon Fios and HBO have teamed up to create HBO Go, a service that makes the pay channel’s offerings available online. [More]
By 6.11.09
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Looking for some inexpensive entertainment this weekend? It’s HBO and Cinemax free preview weekend at a number of major cable providers, including Charter, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and Verizon FIOS. If that doesn’t include you, keep an eye on the FreePreview.tv site to learn when your provider’s previews are coming up. [FreePreview.tv] (Thanks, Tim!)
Make Time Warner Pay For Shoddy Service By Demanding Free Premium Channels
By 10.5.08
According to a tipster, Time Warner Cable resets their complaint list every three months, allowing users with shoddy service to continually request perks like free premium channels year-round without reprisal.
Canceling HBO Costs $1.99 But Canceling Comcast Is Free, Which Do You Choose?
By 5.29.08
Reader Jonathon wanted to cancel his HBO so he contacted one of Comcast’s infamously useless online customer service representatives. CSR Adam informed Jonathon that to cancel HBO would cost him a fee of $1.99. He asked to speak to a supervisor to get the fee waived but CSR Adam said that would be impossible. The CSR then pointed out that there would be no charge to cancel Comcast’s service altogether. Decisions, decisions. Jonathon’s letter and chat log, inside…
HBO Using Tivo's Macrovision DRM To Restrict "John Adams" Miniseries?
By 3.19.08
When Dean recorded HBO’s new Tom Hanks-produced miniseries “John Adams”—which is not a pay-per-view or on-demand program—he was surprised to see it was flagged by Tivo’s Macrovision software, which controls how many times you may watch a program and how long you can store it before it’s automatically deleted. Now the question is, was this a mistake on the part of HBO or Dean’s cable provider Comcast? Or—considering HBO’s infamous anti-consumer stance on time-shifted programming—is it the beginning of a sneaky “back-door” approach to locking down all their content, something Tivo’s own people said would probably not happen when they added Macrovision to their recorders in 2004?
Comcast Drops "West Coast" Feeds On The East Coast?
By 8.2.07
Reader Steve says Comcast has dropped the west coast feeds on his premium channels without telling him about it. Now his sadness can not be quantified.
HBO Backlash: Subscribers "Crash" HBO's Website Complaining About Sopranos Finale
By 6.11.07
This was whimpering. If you’re angry at wasting an hour, complain with your wallets.
The Sopranos finale was most notable to this website because it was being used in a thumbscrew-like fashion to “suggest” that analog cable subscribers switch to digital. Comcast, in particular, took HBO off analog cable to coincide with the finale, in the hopes that analog subscribers would switch. Now, oh boy, are people mad.
