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HBO Max App Update for Apple TV Brings Back Native Video Player

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HBO Max has updated its Apple TV app to fix problems with its video playback interface that came to the fore last week following its introduction of a custom video player.

hbomax1.jpeg

The new update reinstates the native tvOS video player UI, which means users should no longer face the issues with fast-forwarding and rewinding video that the custom player was seemingly responsible for.

"We just released an update to our Apple TV app, restoring the native tvOS video playback experience you know and love, with more improvements to come," HBO Max announced in a tweet. "Ensuring HBO Max viewers have a quality experience is our top priority and we missed the mark here. Thank you for your patience."

As pointed out by The Verge, some users on the HBO Max subreddit are still reporting some other issues to do with subtitles and thumbnail previews after updating, but the general consensus is that reverting to the native video player interface has made the app a lot more responsive to Apple TV Siri Remote inputs.

Article Link: HBO Max App Update for Apple TV Brings Back Native Video Player
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/09/hbo-max-app-update-apple-tv-native-video-player/
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The biggest sin on ATV is Apple not enforcing their design guidelines.

Everything started great. Consistency across all media apps, smooth, fast and responsive.

Now it’s turned into a $10 Chinese android stick experience with all manner of web based apps. And jesus wept are they clunky, especially with the swipe remote.

The damn platform is a disgrace.
 
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companies want to show off...make their products look distinct and promote their "brand"...works if it works...when it doesnʻt, they look so stupid. hbomax rightly admitted their sins and fixed it...
 
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Well we know they're not spending money on this for fun, and they're probably not doing it to "show off." Branding is a possibility, features that the native player doesn't have is another. However HBO Max has recently sucked video-wise.
 
contacos said:
I do not understand why those companies even bother to invest money to come up with their own player interface when Apple gives them a finished product right there that people are already used to instead of having to deal with customer complains and wasted money.
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My guess: Probably something to do with being able to track user behaviour in-app.
 
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Good move.

If only YouTube and Twitch did the same... 😕

Twitch has made every single control custom and I simply don't understand why. This app is SO ridiculously annoying to use on the Apple TV, and it feels like an app from 10 years ago. I can't believe such a wrong design doesn't impair its popularity.
 
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contacos said:
I do not understand why those companies even bother to invest money to come up with their own player interface when Apple gives them a finished product right there that people are already used to instead of having to deal with customer complains and wasted money.
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They don't. They buy in some garbage 3rd party cross platform thing so one team can do apps across multiple platforms. And they sell that as being a 'consistent' experience. It's like Flash all over again.
 
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Maybe the "glitch" was in place just long enough to encourage people to go out and buy the new Siri Remote without that glass trackpad on it. At least, that's what I did, haha. Thanks HBO Max!
 
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PsykX said:
Good move.

If only YouTube and Twitch did the same... 😕

Twitch has made every single control custom and I simply don't understand why. This app is SO ridiculously annoying to use on the Apple TV, and it feels like an app from 10 years ago. I can't believe such a wrong design doesn't impair its popularity.
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Probably would impair popularity if ATV had significant Twitch viewership market share. As it stands, they basically don't care. Mobile, PC, and console is Twitch's bread and butter.
 
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TrenttonY said:
Maybe force all apps on iOS, macOS, Safari, and tvOS to use the default video player UI?
Obviously they would need to incorporate features like preview when’s scrubbing and what not.
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Apple really is in a no-win position on this one.

A large number of posts about this were blaming Apple for the problem when it was the update to HBO app that broke things. It is a battle the have to fight with every user interaction - HBO, any other streamer that uses custom video player, any app installed actually.

As for mandating HID compliance - there a many who would likely argue them enforcing the guidelines to the point of forcing native component ABC over a developer’s custom one is abusing their position. We already hear that about WebKit. The fact that WebKit is tuned and actively supports and enforces privacy control updates notwithstanding. They would probably have another antitrust complaint or lawsuit.
 
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Applesnoranges99 said:
Disney Plus runs on the native player. You can tell because you can swipe down for audio and subtitle and it supports dynamic and frame rate matching. A core feature of the native player. They just have a skin on top for their overlay design. This is probably what screwed scrolling on the new atv remote.
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Ha.. AFAIK, the Amazon Prime app also supports swipe down, but still they insert the silly promo's (you can't skip). So, ads can be done with the native player ?
 
mw360 said:
They don't. They buy in some garbage 3rd party cross platform thing so one team can do apps across multiple platforms. And they sell that as being a 'consistent' experience. It's like Flash all over again.
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Well with Flutter getting developers (and cost saving managers) all hot on bothered expect a flurry of sub-standard apps to show up. Being a Android/iOS dev what I can tell you is most folks see their app as the platform, missing that the user see's their phone... aka iOS or Android as the platform... and that deep integration into that not only platform and eco-system is expected... especially with Apple's... but folks want to buy into the idea of getting cheap devs to write a single app that everyone will love and will run everywhere.

Not to mention with Flutter if Larry Page wakes up in a wrong mood one random day, or a manager loses a political battle, Flutter can instantly become a dead-end... it's the Google Way.
 
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Muzzakus said:
The biggest sin on ATV is Apple not enforcing their design guidelines.

Everything started great. Consistency across all media apps, smooth, fast and responsive.

Now it’s turned into a $10 Chinese android stick experience with all manner of web based apps. And jesus wept are they clunky, especially with the swipe remote.

The damn platform is a disgrace.
Click to expand...
I wish they could enforce use of the native player without folks then accusing them of being anticompetitive. A lot of apples actions while not loved by some developers and competitors often lead to better user experience
 
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contacos said:
I do not understand why those companies even bother to invest money to come up with their own player interface when Apple gives them a finished product right there that people are already used to instead of having to deal with customer complains and wasted money.
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Because egos and justifying their employment..
 
briko said:
Thank goodness for that!

I was watching the new Conjuring movie, and I thought a ghost was playing with my Apple TV remote. It’s like the scrubber had a mind of its own. 👻
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Lol, that’s what I was thinking too
 
Muzzakus said:
The biggest sin on ATV is Apple not enforcing their design guidelines.

Everything started great. Consistency across all media apps, smooth, fast and responsive.

Now it’s turned into a $10 Chinese android stick experience with all manner of web based apps. And jesus wept are they clunky, especially with the swipe remote.

The damn platform is a disgrace.
Click to expand...
I agree. The experience on the no apps hockey puck was significantly better, chiefly because the UX teams at 99% of streaming app companies seem actively hostile towards paying users.

But you know what? Having used an Amazon Fire TV Stick, various game consoles, and two Roku TVs, the Apple TV is still the best somehow. Some apps clearly get more love on Apple devices, and Apple is the only company putting a capable SoC in their devices besides gaming consoles.
 
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