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uptown

Seems like they're finally embracing the philosophy to fighting piracy from Kim Dotcom:

How to stop piracy:

1. Create great content

2. Make it easy to buy

3. Same day global release

4. Works on any device

5. Fair price

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Pirates will only move to new arguments, that's all. Before theses arguments became mainstream, my friends simply said that they didn't care, now they use theses arguments, it's not accessible, it's not a "fair price" (hard to be fair when free exist). I still remember when Breaking Bad came on Netflix, I was so happy to believe that now I won't be the only one I know that use Netflix! I was wrong to believe in their ethics... torrents were too good for them.

You don't think there is a group of people who will, when confronted with the choice of hunting down a torrent every time or paying $10 a month to watch GoT/True Blood/Last Week Tonight/etc, could decide to pay?

Especially considering outside of the US where the choice is: pirate it or don't watch it.

It seems silly to just leave those money on the floor, even if 90% of the people will still pirate content.

Torrents provide a superior service than Netflix. I regularly download shows even when they are on Netflix. Better control over sound, subtitles without Netflix's schizophrenic language restrictions, ability to fix audio/video (move the video frame, brightness, volume), etc.

> 4. Works on any device

that probably means no DRM

Because DRM never gets cracked on day one anyways. And because DRM totally stops you from using a screen recorder to save the content in a DRM-free format.

Maybe with something like video games it can net a few extra days of sales before torrents go online, but ripping music and video is so simple. In that case, DRM is just a joke that makes the executives and lawyers happy, wastes money and time developing, and can cause trouble for the consumer.

he was talking about a legal source that works everywhere... I know that DRM doesn't stop piracy, it only inconveniences law-abiding customers (inconvenience is probably too light of a word).

They should bring this to Australia FIRST. There's a reason we lead piracy world wide for HBO shows, and it isn't (just) because we're all descended from convicts.

Did you see something asserting point 4?

Maybe it won't work on your Android-powered toaster, but the devices they currently support are fairly comprehensive:

http://www.hbogo.com/#devices/

What is missing for me is Apple TV, but I suppose that cuts too deep into HBO's income.

Apple TV is supported by HBO Go.

Apple TV supports HBO Go.

https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/06/19HBO-GO-WatchESPN-...

It's not about just the device, it's about the device + provider; see PS3 and Comcast.

if OpenELEC, or Wii U were on there I would sign up immediately.

I can't even read that page without Flash installed. That's a pretty bad sign already.

Well,

  To access HBO GO℠, you must reside within the fifty states of the United States of America.

HBO Nordic covers all of Scandinavia (and has been around for more than a year). They started out with an expensive monthly and less expensive 6-month subscription but have now a uniform monthly price of around USD 14/month. It's usable from various devices and supported TVs (e.g. newer Samsung series). http://hbonordic.com/how-to-watch-hbo

Not sure about the other countries, but in Sweden it's $11/month (79 kr). Netflix is also 79 kr/month, and the (in practice) mandatory TV license which pays for (awesome!) public service is roughly twice as much at 173 kr/month. All have decent streaming services which covers the devices I care about.

There is very little reason to pirate TV in Sweden today, I think the only major shows you can't get are AMC's.

From the linked article:

"This service will be offered in the United States and there are also plans to bring it overseas."

I canceled my Hulu+ subscription once they started telling me I wasn't allowed to watch shows on my iPad... The ENTIRE reason I signed up for it in the first place. I even put up with them still showing me ads, but "web only" shows were the last straw.

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