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HBO Max to Completely Overhaul Buggy Apple TV App By End of Year
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I think the problem is the devs want to provide a platform-agnostic UX for their apps, and there's a valid argument for that. Someone who's using Netflix on their LG Smart TV, Netflix on their Samsung Tablet, Netflix on their iPhone wants to be greeted with the same Netflix interface, not a different one for each platform. Trouble is then you break the platform's design guidelines...
After the ten thousandth time that Peacock asked me who was watching, I gave up using the app.
If you guys can't figure out how persistent storage works, you're unlikely to be able to provide a service I care about...
Oh no, not close! Someone clearly has never used the Spectrum app...
You want bad UI? How about
- always launch the app into your PoS Spectrum 1 channel that no sane human has EVER chosen to watch?
- use an utterly incomprehensible and non-standard set of taps to finally get to the on-demand services
- override "step backwards" with a completely useless "pull up the TV guide while I am watching an on-demand movie" because clearly that makes sense
- randomly forget where you are in content -- or randomly forget the entire UI so that not even pause works, and you have to kill and restart the app
- don't use Dolby Digital. OK you don't have that content, sure, but deliberately FORCE aTV not to output an HDR/Dolby signal, so that every switch between your PoS app and any other app involves 10 seconds of the TV resetting itself.
etc etc etc
This is good, but how are they compensating users for having paid for the buggy experience thus far?
For me HBO Max as a streaming service just offers too much content without it being segmented into easy to understand content categories. It would have better to have several channels within the app that group like video content by genre, rather than push all old movies to be part of TCM as one example.
Peacock's scrubbing is rough. Thought it was just something wrong with my last gen remote for the ATV for the longest time.
I haven’t seen the problems other people are reporting, but all these apps are subpar.
What really drives me nuts, though, are (the multiple) services that include search results I don’t have access to without paying additional money.
Can you say more about this? I thought it had the same content. I should've known since that would be too convenient. How much am I missing?
ESPN+ isn't ESPN either. Disney+ isn't the Disney Channels either. It's becoming too common.
What dumbtwat management to bungle the link to a major part of their audience by rushing out a defective app built upon a legacy app.
Sonebody thought they would save what? A hundred grand? Now after bad press they have to spend it anyway but probably more because it’s needed in a hurry.
Sonebody thought they would save what? A hundred grand? Now after bad press they have to spend it anyway but probably more because it’s needed in a hurry.
I pay for the HBO, Showtime etc AND download the latest episodes from 3rd party sources for playback in Plex.
Am I the only one?
Am I the only one?
It's just as bad on all of their platforms. I mainly use it on the PS4, and really miss the stability of the HBOGo app. The fact that there *was* a stable client for years just makes it all worse.
I went to report the issues through their support site, and half of the devices they support aren't even selectable when filing a bug.
This is not how to do software, HBO.
I went to report the issues through their support site, and half of the devices they support aren't even selectable when filing a bug.
This is not how to do software, HBO.
They can only act like douches against those they have some leverage or power against, like consumers and independent developers. When it comes to the streaming content market, Apple (under Eddy Cue) have all but abandoned any innovation on the hardware/software side, focusing entirely on content deals. Meanwhile, there's now a slew of devices competing with the Apple TV and all the services are available on all the devices, so Apple has almost ZERO leverage against the content owners. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if Cue secretly hopes the Apple TV fails so he can focus entirely on business deals and less on the things he sucks at: user facing hardware and software.
If you think their app is bad, you should try the Prime Video one! That needs an overhaul like… desperately!
Agreed - Peacock is also using some nonstandard video player crap that is absolute junk.
why do these companies do this?
I am not holding my breath. Here’s the thing, it’s not just the TV apps that need work. Remember when you could watch HBO content on your iPhone, in full screen, without letterboxing on 👏ALL👏FOUR👏 SIDES?!?. Charging for service and providing a buggy interface to interact and view said content, and then taking the same amount of time it took for Pangea to turn into the continents we know today before fixing it, will undoubtedly drive people to less acceptable ways of viewing that content.
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