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So, we're all waiting to see what "Max," the replacement for HBO Max, will look like. Count me as one of those who's pretty worried. HBO's streaming service, no matter what it's called, has suffered blow after blow at the hands of its new corporate parent. The new app promises to deliver more reality-based content and, by eliminating the HBO name, seems to distance itself from quality TV.

It wasn't always like that

HBO's first venture into streaming only was called "HBO NOW." It was essentially a clone of the company's HBO GO service, which was aimed exclusively at cable and satellite subscribers. HBO NOW launched in the spring of 2015. Not that people were really surprised, since there had been rumors about it for some time. In fact, working on articles from others, I personally predicted it over a year before launch. I also predicted that it would lead to other paid a la carte services, which has been borne out by Starz and Showtime launching their streaming-only services and CBS strengthening theirs with original content.

And then the roller coaster began

HBO NOW gave rise to HBO Max. As rebrands go, it wasn't the smoothest. The app didn't launch for all platforms at the same time, and some pay-TV subscribers were left behind for a while as contracts were signed. The app wasn't the most stable when it launched, either. But the content… the content couldn't be questioned. A great selection of stuff from the past and present, plus a whole suite of original programming.

But, things got better tech-wise, and the content kept flowing. Throughout the dark days of 2020 and 2021, people counted on HBO Max to keep them entertained.

Will "Max" have the same launch problems?

For absolutely no reason that I can discern, Discovery (HBO's new parent) is revamping and relaunching the app as "Max" in just a month or so. Originally, this was sold as a single source for all your HBO and Discovery+ content, but they seem to have backed off that promise a bit. The Discovery+ app was supposed to go away. That doesn't look like it's going to happen. So, it's not clear whether some content will stay exclusive to Discovery+ and if it will be worth paying for.

Discovery has also said that within 6 months, people who want shows in 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, will have to pay four dollars more. It's not clear what you'll get if you authenticate through your pay-TV provider. It's also not clear if there will be any sort of upgrade option. Since practically all new TV shows are too dark and too moody to watch in HD SDR, it's really just a money grab for them.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see

I hope that I can write another article like this in five more years. Hopefully I can say that all my fears were unfounded. But, that's still yet to be seen. Until we see the results, we're all holding our breath. Let's hope it's worth it.

The post THROWBACK THURSDAY: That time I told you about "Max" before it launched appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.

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