HBO content to be available via Amazon Prime
April 23, 2014 8:55 AM   Subscribe

"Amazon and HBO on Wednesday announced a first-of-its-kind deal that will make HBO content available to Amazon Prime subscribers. ... Content covered in the new deal includes The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Eastbound & Down, Family Tree, Treme, Band of Brothers, John Adams, and early seasons of Boardwalk Empire and True Blood." No Game of Thrones yet, however. Read more here. And here.
posted by SpacemanStix (158 comments total) 31 users marked this as a favorite
 
But I have so many books to read now that I've worked through my Netflix queue! Dammit!
posted by glaucon at 8:59 AM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


One step closer to dumping cable TV.
posted by HuronBob at 9:00 AM on April 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


I approve of this.
posted by sparklemotion at 9:00 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Is this something I'd need a computer/smartphone/tablet/TV using one of Amazon’s various video-streaming apps to understand?
posted by mazola at 9:00 AM on April 23, 2014 [5 favorites]


No Game of Thrones yet, however.

Seven hells!
posted by Fizz at 9:00 AM on April 23, 2014 [25 favorites]


Pretty interesting in the context of oft-quoted Netflix CEO Reed Hastings quote "The goal ... is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us." Which is probably something he said when he realized Netflix is never ever getting HBO programs.
posted by 2bucksplus at 9:01 AM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


Generally it's stuff that's 3+ years old? Doesn't seem clear if old enough seasons of GoT will be included. Either way, this is a big get for Amazon.

It seems like a lot of people don't even realize Amazon Prime comes with the ability to stream a lot of stuff ... I think this might be what finally changes that.
posted by sparkletone at 9:02 AM on April 23, 2014


No Curb Your Enthusiasm either, plus nothing less than 3 years old, and you can't watch through Chromecast.
posted by DanCall at 9:03 AM on April 23, 2014


Not having Game of Thrones yet is compatible with the plan to make episodes available "approximately three years after airing on HBO."

I wouldn't be surprised if GOT season 1 shows up on Prime next year.
posted by sparklemotion at 9:03 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


The big one I wish was on it that isn't is From The Earth To The Moon. Presumably the older omissions are just because HBO doesn't have the rights to whatever either?
posted by sparkletone at 9:03 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Wow, giving Amazon the Sopranos and the Wire. That's amazing.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:03 AM on April 23, 2014


This is very specifically geared to HBO's "long tail" of content - nothing newer than 3 years old. It's basically just HBO looking to get their less-in-demand content in front of more eyeballs to drive interest in subscriptions. Don't get me wrong - it's pretty cool that a ton of great shows will be more widely available - but the whole point of this is that the stuff people are really, really interested in right now will still only be on HBO itself.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:03 AM on April 23, 2014 [12 favorites]


I really want Deadwood (just because I haven't seen it yet).
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:04 AM on April 23, 2014


I'm guessing this is US-only? I'm hoping not. I've got a Rome itch that needs to be scratched.
posted by fight or flight at 9:04 AM on April 23, 2014


I wonder how stuff like this will affect the idea of spoilers long-term; I totally get that there's a statute of limitations on being spoiled but I wonder if that will change or develop as more things become available to different groups of people at staggered intervals.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:05 AM on April 23, 2014


Apple TV just added three new channel apps; History, A&E, Lifetime. But of course they are still tied to one's cable. Interesting things afoot.
posted by R. Mutt at 9:05 AM on April 23, 2014


Oooh....I would LOVE it if "From the Earth to The Moon" was on it. That was such a great series.
posted by Thistledown at 9:05 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ha, I was just talking to somebody a week ago who was complaining about how HBO wouldn't let individual people sign up for Go, and my take was "the very microsecond they think it will make them more money, they will let people do that." This is clearly the first step.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:05 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


No Sex and the City? I guess because it's running in syndication?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:06 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Oooh....I would LOVE it if "From the Earth to The Moon" was on it. That was such a great series.

That's not even on HBOGo, much to my annoyance.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:06 AM on April 23, 2014


I wish Amazon would bring back the monthly pricing on Prime.
posted by entropicamericana at 9:07 AM on April 23, 2014


I now have no excuse not to finish The Wire. Hmph. Excellent score for Amazon, though, really excellent.
posted by Atreides at 9:07 AM on April 23, 2014


I JUST bought the whole run of The Wire. Dangit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:08 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I've been meaning to rewatch The Wire, so this is great news. Waiting for Netflix to deliver me a disc that has one episode on it is not the ideal way to do that.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:09 AM on April 23, 2014


I really want Deadwood (just because I haven't seen it yet).

it's already on amazon, that's how i watched it.
posted by Dr. Twist at 9:10 AM on April 23, 2014


Meanwhile, Aereo's case went before the Supreme Court yesterday.
posted by R. Mutt at 9:12 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


Grrr... I've got Amazon Prime and just over the last month I've bought the first four seasons of The Wire on Google Play.
posted by Jahaza at 9:14 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Will this include Amazon UK, do you think? Because I could totally get excited over watching Treme on my TV.

Maybe then I'd stop watching Wonderpets so obsessively...
posted by Katemonkey at 9:14 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


(I see Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish has the same problem.)
posted by Jahaza at 9:15 AM on April 23, 2014


Will this include Amazon UK, do you think?

Nope. I guess Sky's grip is too strong over here.
posted by fight or flight at 9:17 AM on April 23, 2014


I'm an Amazon Prime member and usually about three years behind on shows, so this is great for me.
posted by sweetkid at 9:17 AM on April 23, 2014 [11 favorites]


Your public library probably has the DVDs you want to watch if you live in a city. If you are patient you don't even need streaming services.
posted by srboisvert at 9:17 AM on April 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


Now if only Amazon would stop locking down their Instant Video Android app so it's only available on their own devices, I'd be super excited. I keep getting seriously tempted by the Fire TV but I've been so annoyed with how they erect this idiotic barrier to entry for streaming Prime Instant Video that I almost don't want to buy it out of spite.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:18 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


So hopefully there will be other "exclusive" deals cut for the rest of the world?
posted by Sys Rq at 9:19 AM on April 23, 2014


There's an HBO classic package which is now available 24 hours on weekends and plays Beast Master on repeat.
posted by dr_dank at 9:20 AM on April 23, 2014 [11 favorites]


I JUST bought the whole run of The Wire. Dangit.

Ouch. Yeah, the proliferation of streaming media and their constant turnover are the two big reasons why I don't "buy" (so to speak) television or movies anymore. I was curious to see the recent Green Lantern animated series, and a few times I almost paid the season fee on iTunes...but fortunately I didn't, because it just showed up on Netflix.

I wonder how much of a future there will be in "owning" media versus subscribing into databases. Unless the studios can create some mythology similar to, "It's better to own your house; renting an apartment is throwing money away"...I don't see it.

Your public library probably has the DVDs you want to watch if you live in a city.

I suspect most people who try this probably lose interest the first time they make it to disc 4 and discover it's scratched.
posted by cribcage at 9:21 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


the Beastmaster channel! just like I got on my cable in the 90's
posted by thelonius at 9:21 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


Now if only Amazon would stop locking down their Instant Video Android app so it's only available on their own devices, I'd be super excited.

On at least some Android devices you can use the Dolphin browser, install Flash, and watch Amazon Prime video using a "desktop" browser user agent, but it's kind of a pain in the neck.
posted by Jahaza at 9:21 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


You can also assemble entire Game of Thrones episodes from Tumblr spoiler memes using this app.
posted by srboisvert at 9:22 AM on April 23, 2014 [19 favorites]


Does anyone know if Carnivale will be included?
posted by drezdn at 9:25 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Does anyone know if Carnivale will be included?

Look kids, a masochist!

*grumble grumble*
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:27 AM on April 23, 2014 [17 favorites]


Does anyone know if Carnivale will be included?

Take it up with management.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:28 AM on April 23, 2014 [25 favorites]


On at least some Android devices you can use the Dolphin browser, install Flash, and watch Amazon Prime video using a "desktop" browser user agent, but it's kind of a pain in the neck.

Yeah, I usually do that, or hook the laptop up to the TV, or as a last resort use their terribly slow Wii app, but all of those are awful workarounds. Though if their other apps do the same thing the Wii app does, where they show every individual season of a show as a separate entity in search results and categories for you to slog through instead of grouping them under a single show like a sane designer would, even that wouldn't be a great solution.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:29 AM on April 23, 2014


This is some good news for me. For i am cable-free, wish to watch certain selected gems from the world of Television, yet am cheeeeep cheap cheap about renting them.
posted by desuetude at 9:31 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ha, I was just talking to somebody a week ago who was complaining about how HBO wouldn't let individual people sign up for Go, and my take was "the very microsecond they think it will make them more money, they will let people do that." This is clearly the first step.

HBO is owned by Time Warner, Inc. Time Warner doesn't want you just paying for HBO, when it could make you pay for all of its other cable channels as well as HBO. See also: ESPN and all of the other channels ABC requires you to pay for along with ESPN.
posted by sideshow at 9:36 AM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


early seasons of Boardwalk Empire and True Blood

Awfully kind of them to protect people from the less-than-stellar later seasons.

(I liked the latest Boardwalk Empire more than my wife did, but I'll admit that it was a bit ... slow.)
posted by uncleozzy at 9:44 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Your public library probably has the DVDs you want to watch if you live in a city.

Public library DVDs + MakeMKV + Handbrake + old laptop running Plex on Ubuntu + Roku = cheap but pretty time consuming end-run around content restrictions.

If your laptop has HDMI out you can probably skip Plex and the Roku, and if you just torrent the shows you skip the DVD, MakeMKV, and probably the Handbrake components.

None of this is as easy as Netflix or Amazon prime streaming though. Getting the right MakeMKV and Handbrake settings for ripping and transcoding is particularly annoying.
posted by Aizkolari at 9:51 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


Despite this actually giving me a huge reason to keep both Prime and Netflix, the more competitive streaming options, the better for the consumers so this is great fucking news.

And, yes, now I too can stop pretending that I've seen all of The Wire, which is a relief.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:51 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I wish Amazon prime streaming worked on Chromecast because I didn't want to have to buy another special device. I even tweeted at them (ironically the day before the Amazon box announcement) about this and got a reply from a real person that would add this to the feedback or requests or something.

Casting the tab doesn't work well enough to watch whereas native casting would.
posted by McSockerson The Great at 9:53 AM on April 23, 2014


(I liked the latest Boardwalk Empire more than my wife did, but I'll admit that it was a bit ... slow.)

I really liked the way S2 ended and I'm pretty content to leave the story there. Are S3 and S4 worth it?
posted by griphus at 9:56 AM on April 23, 2014


SKEET SKEET SKEET SKEET SKEET SKEET!
posted by Renoroc at 9:56 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


No John From Cincinnati?
posted by naju at 10:00 AM on April 23, 2014 [5 favorites]


I wish Amazon prime streaming worked on Chromecast because I didn't want to have to buy another special device.

Yeah, now that the Videostream extension is there, to cast local mp4s natively and transcode other filetypes, Chromecast is my absolute favorite set top solution by far. Amazon is the one thing I want to make it complete because the tab casting is just such a shoddy solution.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:04 AM on April 23, 2014


Here's the list of available programming from HBO's press release:
Beginning May 21, Amazon Prime members will have unlimited streaming access to:

- All seasons of revered classics such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Rome and Six Feet Under, and of recent favorites such as Eastbound & Down, Enlightened and Flight of the Conchords
- Epic miniseries, including Angels in America, Band of Brothers, John Adams, The Pacific and Parade’s End
- Select seasons of current series such as Boardwalk Empire, Treme and True Blood
- Hit original movies like Game Change, Too Big To Fail and You Don’t Know Jack
- Pedigreed documentaries including the Autopsy and Iceman series, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and When the Levees Broke
- Hilarious original comedy specials from Lewis Black, Ellen DeGeneres, Louis CK and Bill Maher

The multi-year deal will bring additional seasons of the current series named above, along with early seasons of other series like Girls, The Newsroom and Veep to Prime members over the life of the deal.
This news makes me happy that I locked in Amazon Prime at last year's lower rate and that I invested in a DVD set of the complete Mr Show with Bob and David, which HBO apparently continues to neglect as though it's a tradition.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:07 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


I really liked the way S2 ended and I'm pretty content to leave the story there. Are S3 and S4 worth it?

I've only seen up through season 3, but at times it felt like the whole series up that point was laying the groundwork for just that season, and I have no idea how they had any plot left to put into season 4. But I can understand feeling the same way at the end of season 2, so....

I think season 3 has probably the most "character being an absolute badass" scene yet in the show, not having seen season 4.
posted by LionIndex at 10:08 AM on April 23, 2014


Yeah, now that the Videostream extension is there, to cast local mp4s natively and transcode other filetypes

Does this mean if I have a movie file that i downloaded on my laptop, I can cast it to my chromecast with Videostream?
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 10:08 AM on April 23, 2014


Does this mean if I have a movie file that i downloaded on my laptop, I can cast it to my chromecast with Videostream?

Yep! It's really slick. Link!
posted by jason_steakums at 10:09 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


No one's excited for Oz? I'd be excited for Oz, if Amazon.ca had the streaming.

*Dons 'I'm A Beecher' t-shirt*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:10 AM on April 23, 2014


wooo thanks!
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 10:11 AM on April 23, 2014


i'm super stoked for this. i'm often years behind on shows (i'm finally making it through veronica mars!) so this is perfect.
posted by nadawi at 10:12 AM on April 23, 2014


This is as good a time as any to recommend watching Enlightened. Watch Enlightened.
posted by naju at 10:13 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


I liked the latest Boardwalk Empire more than my wife did, but I'll admit that it was a bit ... slow.

The most recent season made me realize that, at this point, I'm pretty much just watching it for the hats.
posted by Scoo at 10:15 AM on April 23, 2014 [6 favorites]


None of this is as easy as Netflix or Amazon prime streaming though.

I went through a Handbrake phase. My plan was to digitize everything I liked, put it all on an external hard drive, and eventually connect that to an Apple TV. Then I could just sit back and enjoy a library of all my favorite shows, free of (future) charge and without worrying about any corporation being able to shut off my supply. I stockpiled maybe half a terabyte of content, which is pretty sizable with lossy encoding.

But you know, I lost interest. I discovered that I don't want to sit around and just watch TNG seasons over and over again. There's constantly new stuff coming out that I want to watch. And going forward, I do not want to spend X-hours of my time every month on media conversion. For every show I want to watch, it ends up being 42 minutes per episode plus conversion time...and just, no. My time is more valuable than that. For me, I'm willing to commit to watching media but not to converting it.

I still have most of my stockpile. I've pruned it a few times, but I won't actually flush it until I need the storage space. The only thing I use it for? When I'm flying somewhere, I load a few movies or TV episodes onto my iPad to watch on the plane. That helps me fly. But when airlines begin providing free WiFi service, or through whatever other means I am able to access my streaming apps in flight, then I probably won't even do that anymore. I'm willing to pay Netflix or Amazon to stockpile media, because I really just can't be bothered. Having tried it, I think it's a waste of my time.
posted by cribcage at 10:15 AM on April 23, 2014 [14 favorites]


Did anyone else read this thread's title as "HBO is satisfied with being available on Amazon Prime"? Given a choice my brain will always read "content" as an adjective before reading it as a noun.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:15 AM on April 23, 2014 [6 favorites]


I'm an Amazon Prime member and usually about three years behind on shows, so this is great for me.

I'm even further behind, so by the time I'm only three years behind hopefully HBO will have cut some deal to allow watching more recent shows without a cable subscription. This is great news and definitely means I'll be continuing our Amazon Prime subscription for another year.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:20 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I JUST bought the whole run of The Wire. Dangit.
Ouch. Yeah, the proliferation of streaming media and their constant turnover are the two big reasons why I don't "buy" (so to speak) television or movies anymore.

Yep, just recently I hit that realization that the time for buying dvds has passed. I didn't see that happening. Just like the time for buying CDs passed years ago. I couldn't believe that one either. I'm done buying physical media, even with the significant downside of them pulling back availability whenever they want. What's the acronym? Something like everything available at all times? I know there was an FPP on it some time ago. In the future I wonder if they will look at piles upon boxes of records and cds and tapes that we carried from home to home, and marvel.

Has there been any science fiction film or television that showed a future without physical media? The closest thing I can think of is, remember that one commercial from around 1999 where the guy checks into a hotel, and it's a dump. And he essentially asks what's the big deal about the hotel then, and the woman behind the desk says they have every movie ever made in every language any time, day or night. At the time it aired I thought about how unbelievably awesome that would be, but it would never happen, thinking back to monochrome screens on Apple IIc's where even contemplating having video on them was far-fetched. Now, between streaming services, youtube, and the internet, it isn't even that big of a deal. I can think up a movie I want to see and be watching it in a few minutes. Amazing.
posted by cashman at 10:23 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


I discovered that I don't want to sit around and just watch TNG seasons over and over again.
What?!
posted by Flunkie at 10:24 AM on April 23, 2014


Ohhhh... so like TOS and DS9 and so forth too. Never mind.
posted by Flunkie at 10:25 AM on April 23, 2014 [5 favorites]


Yeah, it was kind of a calculated risk to buy DVDs of any show, but the odds of HBO coming to a streaming platform other than HBO Go seemed so remote as to barely enter into the equation.

(Also, I am also in a "Handbrake phase" but almost exclusively for movies. Ripping discs is so much easier when you don't have to mess around with episode breaks.)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:32 AM on April 23, 2014


From the Earth to the Moon

Episode One: Can We Do This?
Episode Two: Apollo One
Episode Three: We Have Cleared the Tower
Episode Four: 1968
Episode Five: Spider
Episode Six: Mare Tranquilitatis
Episode Seven: That's All There Is
Episode Eight: We Interrupt This Program
Episode Nine: For Miles and Miles
Episode Ten: Galileo Was Right
Episode Eleven: The Original Wives' Club
Episode Twelve: Le Voyage dans la Lune

All on Dailymotion.

I was planning on making a post at some point....
posted by zarq at 10:33 AM on April 23, 2014 [32 favorites]


"No John From Cincinnati?"

No, and they just recently disappeared "Luck" from HBO Go too!
David Milch's two weird but compelling shows. I guess the "Go" part
has more than one meaning.
posted by Chitownfats at 10:36 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


What, no Arli$$?
posted by kewb at 10:38 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


None of this is as easy as Netflix or Amazon prime streaming though.

I went through a Handbrake phase.


Hey, it's a club! I went with the AnyDVD HD + Handbrake model, mainly for blurays. And yes, after countless hours of encoding, paying for increasingly large amounts of storage (9GB per encoded movie), and buying multiple devices for the playback, it's not worth the effort. Unless I really like series, it's a matter of time before one of the streaming services has it.

It doesn't hurt that my interests are in anime, which is basically on an accelerated track as far as streaming services go. I think 4 series are not being simulacast this season, out of dozens. Many simulcast. How does it make sense to wait 8 months or so, when 13 bucks or so will get you pretty much everything being broadcast, on demand, in HD?

(Also, I am also in a "Handbrake phase" but almost exclusively for movies. Ripping discs is so much easier when you don't have to mess around with episode breaks.)

*Sobs* Why can't they be consistent on the whole titles versus chapters thing?
posted by zabuni at 10:39 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


usually about three years behind on shows

When I get done watching everything on Pub-D-Hub, I will think about trying this Amazon/HBO thing.
posted by JanetLand at 10:52 AM on April 23, 2014


So is True Blood hellbent on making Dexter's reign as Worst Final Season ever only a year long? The trailer for the new episodes looks just awful.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:53 AM on April 23, 2014


Public library DVDs + MakeMKV VLC + Handbrake + old laptop

This is how we avoid cable. We have netflix, amazon prime, and the library. It's amazing. Sweet jesus, thats alot of time though. You guys need to hop on over to OSX; With the VLC + Handbrake combo, you can rip a whole dvd in like 15 minutes.

Except for Disney movies. My three year old curses that endlessly.

But seriously, this is just time-shifting. We order up a couple movies at a time, rip them all over the week, and return them ASAP. Then we have a nice fat library to choose from when we run out of TV shows to watch on netflix.

All around, this is fantastic news. Three years is quite some time though. Slightly obnoxious.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:55 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


When I get done watching everything on Pub-D-Hub, I will think about trying this Amazon/HBO thing.
Is there a list of content available? I haven't yet found one. Or do I have to sign up for an account to see it?
posted by Flunkie at 10:57 AM on April 23, 2014


Are S3 and S4 worth it?

Honestly, I thought S3 and S4 were unnecessarily violent and dark. I understand why they had to go that way, but at a certain point you're just being dragged through a lot of unpleasant stuff without much satisfaction.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:58 AM on April 23, 2014


Flunkie: If you add Pub-D-Hub to your Roku channels you can browse that to see the free programming -- you have to browse on the Roku though; the website is quite terrible and lists nothing. The "gold" pay account basically has more of the same.
posted by JanetLand at 11:02 AM on April 23, 2014


Somebody just tell me what happens at the end of Dexter already, because I really enjoyed the first two seasons, and can't imagine sinking in another six just to get fucked.
posted by phaedon at 11:11 AM on April 23, 2014


*Sobs* Why can't they be consistent on the whole titles versus chapters thing?

I stopped trying to digitize my anime collection after Giant Robo. God, that was a nightmare. No title breaks, a totally random number of episodes per chapter, and even the audio labeling is wonky. Uuuugh.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:14 AM on April 23, 2014


I'm confused. I have Amazon Prime Instant Video in the UK, but that's because I used to have Lovefilm, and Amazon bought them and rebranded the whole thing.

I wonder if I'll get all these tasty shows... Hmmmm....

*googles*

Goddamn, would it kill them to write a clear press release?
posted by Happy Dave at 11:15 AM on April 23, 2014


What happened was that writers knew that Deb had to discover Dexter's true identity for the story to move on, but could not figure out what should happen next ... so they let the discovery happen and spent every episode remaining swinging at a pinata they could never hit.
posted by MattD at 11:16 AM on April 23, 2014


In the final episode, the pinata swings back and hits them in the face with such force that the entire creative team is knocked clear into the Monty Python lumberjack sketch.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:20 AM on April 23, 2014 [9 favorites]


On the one hand, I'm glad that I bailed on Dexter two episodes into the final season. On the other hand, I should have bailed two episodes into the previous season.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:22 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


Ha, I was just talking to somebody a week ago who was complaining about how HBO wouldn't let individual people sign up for Go, and my take was "the very microsecond they think it will make them more money, they will let people do that." This is clearly the first step.

At this point, I'm pretty convinced that HBO can't let people sign up for Go as a standalone because they know it's going to collapse under any big event (True Detective, Game of Thrones) and if people were paying for it they couldn't just tweet out shit saying "hey go watch this on cable for now!"
posted by the agents of KAOS at 11:23 AM on April 23, 2014


Prime gets more and more tempting. If they get John Oliver, I'll pull out my credit card.
posted by MrGuilt at 11:26 AM on April 23, 2014


tl;dr this current model of hbo content distribution isn't working for me. this is a step in the right directly, but there's got to be a better way.

This has been gone over a number of times both in past threads here and in think pieces on various sites. HBO's business model depends on money they make from cable providers. Whatever Amazon's paying them is ancillary income at best. They will surely upset that apple cart the moment they think it's the right move, but there's no indication that that's going to happen any time soon.

For all the talk of cord cutters (and I'm one of them), we are a minority and they can't make up the loss in revenue without charging us something fairly exorbitant if at all.
posted by sparkletone at 11:34 AM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


you can't watch through Chromecast

Roku.
posted by valkyryn at 11:42 AM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Prime gets more and more tempting.

My wife and I order stuff on Amazon like every other week in no small part because we've got free 2-day shipping on everything. The fact that it also acts as a pretty decent Netflix replacement makes it indispensable.
posted by valkyryn at 11:43 AM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


rar and i spent how much on every episode of the wire rar
posted by angrycat at 11:46 AM on April 23, 2014


If they get John Oliver, I'll pull out my credit card.

while it's not the new show, amazon does have john oliver's new york stand up show, which is absolutely fantastic in places, and pretty good most of the time.
posted by nadawi at 11:55 AM on April 23, 2014


Mod note: Comment removed; if you're frustrated about a major recent spoiler, it's okay to just talk about the fact that you're annoyed about being spoiled without actually saying what the spoiler is, particularly in a thread not specifically about that one show.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:56 AM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Well this is good. I was hoping there'd be some new content since they are raising the rate.
posted by Big_B at 12:12 PM on April 23, 2014


I'm an HBO subscriber but our rural cable carrier (which is a rural telephone coop) can't get HBOGo, so this is going to work well for us. There are several of the old series I'd like to catch up on.

I was in the clinic yesterday, getting a cast taken off my foot. I brought my own boot and told the doctor I got it off Amazon. After confirming that it was about $200-300 cheaper than what the clinic charged, the doctor said, "was it eligible for Prime?" The conversation took a tangent on how it was impossible to live a civilized life out here without Amazon Prime.
posted by Ber at 12:18 PM on April 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


If they sign a deal with Showtime and get Episodes and Nurse Jackie, I'll be one happy watcher.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 12:39 PM on April 23, 2014


As others have said, a step closer to utopia, for me. It's funny that, coincidentally, I was just thinking about this topic yesterday, longing for the day when I can shed the whole of cable television that I don't even use.

I don't even watch HBO outside of HBO Go, and most of the time not even through my TV. Pulling up HBO On Demand through Xfinity last night—a rare occurrence for me—showed me why. I was looking to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones, so I navigated the 15 screens of Xfinity On Demand to get to it. And while episode 3 was there for watching, the only other S4 episode available was E2. The S4 pilot wasn't even available to watch, three weeks into the season. What kind of stupidity is that?

I've been ready for so many years now for the need for cable to vanish. I'm glad things are moving inexorably toward that conclusion, but man, I wish they weren't moving so cursedly slow to get there.
posted by Brak at 12:43 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


No Real Sex? Guess I'll have to keep my subscription to the New York Times if I want my fill of made-up trends.
posted by yerfatma at 12:44 PM on April 23, 2014 [5 favorites]




Bah, why did it have to be Amazon?

C'mon, Netflix, this was a contract you really shouldn't have lost.
posted by madajb at 12:58 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


honestly, i'm betting netflix wasn't offered this - it seems like a fuck you to them, probably over original programming.
posted by nadawi at 1:07 PM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Where is my Amazon app for Apple TV? :(
posted by entropicamericana at 1:11 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


If so, that's a backhanded fuck-you to Amazon's original programming department, no?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:12 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


yeah - but a justified back hand, really - amazon is not competing with hbo for the big awards.
posted by nadawi at 1:16 PM on April 23, 2014


Prime gets more and more tempting.

Even at $99 it's a steal, particularly if you have a kid. Compare with Netflix streaming for a year ($95.88) (plus they have the Nickelodeon content that Netflix "declined" to resign). Plus a free ebook (rental) each month. Plus (for an additional $3 per month) I can 'rent' about a thousand kids books and several hundred kids apps on the Kindle. Plus, oh yes, the free shipping.
posted by anastasiav at 1:23 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


(I liked the latest Boardwalk Empire more than my wife did, but I'll admit that it was a bit ... slow.)

Interesting. I feel it really picked up after season 2.

I really liked the way S2 ended and I'm pretty content to leave the story there. Are S3 and S4 worth it?

Totally. Best show on television at the moment. Sadly only one season left.
posted by juiceCake at 1:24 PM on April 23, 2014


prime just sent me moving supplies cheaper than uline. i love them.
posted by nadawi at 1:24 PM on April 23, 2014


I'm going to guess that Amazon makes a lot more business sense for HBO than Netflix. Netflix is perceived as a direct competitor to cable television, with people being vocal about cancelling their cable because they have it. Amazon, while it could be similarly argued, feels like a more diversified product with other primary selling interests. Additionally, if someone likes what they are watching, it's just a couple of clicks away to buy the box set, which is additional revenue for HBO.
posted by SpacemanStix at 1:25 PM on April 23, 2014


Even at $99 it's a steal, particularly if you have a kid. Compare with Netflix streaming for a year ($95.88)

And Netflix is about to raise prices.
posted by cashman at 1:28 PM on April 23, 2014


Is that just for new customers?
posted by SpacemanStix at 1:28 PM on April 23, 2014


For the time being, yes.
posted by cashman at 1:30 PM on April 23, 2014


Y'know, if you actually look in the Sears catalog instead of just putting it in the outhouse, you'll see that they have all the best Tele-Vision shows available for mail order. Just pick the Tele-Vision show you want to see, write them a letter, and in as few as two weeks your new Tele-Vision show will be hanging in the mail bag at the train station.
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:30 PM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


About a month ago I bought some books from Amazon and they sent me a "free" TP-Link box and cable to plug into my computer. For all these "free" videos. I haven't plugged it in yet. Amazon's windows into my psyche are pretty freaking huge as it is and I might never plug it in.

Maybe netflix should mail out free tinfoil helmets.
posted by bukvich at 1:52 PM on April 23, 2014


YES SIX FEET UNDER! Counting down to a rewatch...
posted by warm_planet at 2:07 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm curious if this means we're finally going to get a better than DVD quality way to watch the first couple seasons of six feet under, which as of now are only available in 4:3 and it's kind of a depressing conversion to disc.

Your public library probably has the DVDs you want to watch if you live in a city. If you are patient you don't even need streaming services.

My partners a librarian, which taught me that in my city(seattle) the library has most of these shows not just on dvd, but on blu ray.

1080p at eleventy billion mbps with pure/lossless audio(DTS master, etc) is better than any streaming service is going to get until we all have 1gbps fiber to all of our houses. And you don't have to pay for anything either, you just have to go for a walk and maybe wait a couple days for someone to check the disks back in if it's a popular show.

This is superior to even pirating if you have a bit of patience.

At this point, I'm pretty convinced that HBO can't let people sign up for Go as a standalone because they know it's going to collapse under any big event (True Detective, Game of Thrones) and if people were paying for it they couldn't just tweet out shit saying "hey go watch this on cable for now!"

That isn't an issue. As far as i know, HBO go uses amazons servers just like netflix does(which is likely why amazon prime streaming exists, they saw netflix making $$$ using their servers and went "what the fuck? I want money"). The more people who watch, the more servers get dynamically spun up to serve content.

I don't think any service like this actually uses their own servers anymore, for likely anything besides their main website that doesn't serve much of anything but still images and static stuff. They're all just a cute website and app that point to someone elses sublet server farm in "the cloud".

I'm going to guess that Amazon makes a lot more business sense for HBO than Netflix. Netflix is perceived as a direct competitor to cable television, with people being vocal about cancelling their cable because they have it. Amazon, while it could be similarly argued, feels like a more diversified product with other primary selling interests. Additionally, if someone likes what they are watching, it's just a couple of clicks away to buy the box set, which is additional revenue for HBO.

It's also that netflix is sort of the apple of streaming. It's the one everyone gets clicks writing about, and the one that the cable companies and others focus their hatred on. Amazon, meanwhile has basically(and ironically) pulled a frank underwood by not really taking any of the heat and working their way up quietly in the background. Totally content to let tv remotes get "netflix" buttons while they also got pounded from all sides by cable companies and ISPs.

So yea, part of it is that HBO can go "hey, we didn't partner with netflix! it's not that big of a deal" to the cable company execs who probably don't really know anything other than netflix bad! about this kind of shit and think it's just something cute like them partnering with blockbusters dying streaming service or something. Meanwhile, amazon is working their way up to getting slotted in as vice president...
posted by emptythought at 2:41 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]



Your public library probably has the DVDs you want to watch if you live in a city. If you are patient you don't even need streaming services.


I think "No, go to the library" is the "Do I need a television to understand this" equivalent in an Amazon Prime streaming HBO shows thread.
posted by sweetkid at 2:44 PM on April 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


The fact that server virtualization makes it easy to scale up your services does not mean it gets done. Ask anybody who relies on HBO Go how reliable it actually is.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:54 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


No mention of it on amazon.ca sadly.
posted by peppermind at 2:54 PM on April 23, 2014


No mention of it on amazon.ca sadly.

The press release makes it seem like amazon.ca is included.
posted by cashman at 3:04 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


the "Do I need a television to understand this" equivalent

Whereas "I just torrent everything starting about a second after the show finishes airing, start watching it before the HBOGo servers fail over and start working, and never buy or save anything because I trust the internet to do it for me" is probably the "lol just use Linux dude" equivalent so I'm glad I didn't say that.

posted from my beowulf cluster of iPods
posted by hap_hazard at 3:12 PM on April 23, 2014 [10 favorites]


That fancy new Amazon streaming box was just the wrong side of good enough - I just about to send it back. But this is certainly more than enough justification to hang on to it. While there's confirmation in this very thread that I could get anything I want from the local library on bluray, I desperately hate borrowing and/or renting things.
posted by wotsac at 4:07 PM on April 23, 2014


I think "No, go to the library" is the "Do I need a television to understand this" equivalent in an Amazon Prime streaming HBO shows thread.

Except for the part where you can still watch the exact same shows without paying anything you are absolutely correct. So if you find your pleasure in the very act of streaming rather than the watching you should ignore me.
posted by srboisvert at 4:16 PM on April 23, 2014


And you don't have to pay for anything either, you just have to go for a walk and maybe wait a couple days for someone to check the disks back in if it's a popular show.

Heh, a couple of days...
At my library, Boardwalk Empire has 20+ holds, The Sopranos is in the teens, and 30 some-odd people waiting for True Blood.
posted by madajb at 4:24 PM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Also, not everyone has a DVD player. Not everyone has time to go to the library or considers the time saved by streaming to be an advantage over the money saved going to the library. Also some people might already have Amazon Prime for shipping things and this is a perk. Also nothing about this is about libraries, and it's hard to read it as anything other than a "have you guys even heard of libraries? They are the Amazon for people who like things that are free, see" derail.
posted by sweetkid at 4:29 PM on April 23, 2014


So if you find your pleasure in the very act of streaming...

Or if you don't feel like dealing with the various hassles of library borrowing. Disc 4 is scratched. Season 3 is missing. The loan is only two weeks and you're not a binge-watcher. The library is on the other side of town, it's only open until 4 pm, and you work 9–5. Et cetera. No, it was a good analogy: tsk-tsking about libraries in this thread is very much like high-horsing about not owning a television set. You have a library card and that's awesome for you. We want instant gratification. Go USA.
posted by cribcage at 4:32 PM on April 23, 2014 [3 favorites]


Basically: my time is worth money.
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:36 PM on April 23, 2014


No Real Sex? That was quite an education for teenage me whenever we had a free HBO preview weekend.
posted by davros42 at 4:41 PM on April 23, 2014


Having signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime just to watch Orphan Black, I have to say it's a pretty sweet deal. Plus, they have season three of Veronica Mars, the first two seasons of which I got from the good ol' D.C. library, referring back to that conversation, and, yes, when disc 3 of season 2 looks like wolverines used it for claw sharpening, that's annoying.

I don't order that much from Amazon, so the free shipping isn't that great an inducement, but I'm wavering on the video offerings to which I've been exposed.

But why does no one have any of the '30s Big Broadcast movies? Not Warner Archive, not Netflix (whose musical holdings are sparse anyway) and not Amazon? Generally speaking, '20s and '30s movies are in short supply, and I figured the content providers would be giving them away. /niche tastes
posted by the sobsister at 4:41 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


This is such great news. And I like the Roku Amazon app just fine.
posted by mneekadon at 4:42 PM on April 23, 2014


Having signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime just to watch Orphan Black,

Yes, season 1 is free on Prime, and I was delighted to see that (at least) episode 1 of Season 2 was FREEEEEE!!!

Not sure if that will last for the rest of the season, though, but I'm hopeful.

I wonder if this means these shows will never be available on Netflix Streaming, or if there will be a much longer delay for that?

)I was reluctant to sign up for Prime, but now that I have it, I take full advantage, both through Amazon Instant, and through the two-day shipping.)
posted by MoxieProxy at 5:24 PM on April 23, 2014


Yep, just recently I hit that realization that the time for buying dvds has passed.

I'm a heavy user of streaming -- not just Prime, but Netflix as well -- and I do love the convenience. But the thing about DVDs is the extras, incl. the commentary tracks. While I completely recognize that these are just juice to sell the core media, the cinemaphile community really is actually interested in a lot of the ancillary material. But with streaming, good luck. I worry what this means, just as the streaming availability issue affects what we see. I'd hate for the concept to die out entirely.
posted by dhartung at 5:49 PM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


Meanwhile, Aereo's case went before the Supreme Court yesterday.

Supreme Court Discussion In Aereo: At Least The Justices Recognize The Harm They Might Do
posted by homunculus at 6:25 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


the cinemaphile community really is actually interested in a lot of the ancillary material

This. There may be VOD producers such as Warners, which controls so much of the classic catalogue, that'll continue to produce box sets for the cinemaphile, such as their archival work with Vitaphone shorts and their Busby Berkeley sets. But the end of the DVD could very much mean the end of specialty film. Will Netflix or Amazon commission the spadework necessary to uncover and restore early sound musicals or Western serials? I really don't think so.

Warners streams some of its Archive series, but I wonder if the margin on that is comparable to selling a hard copy of a five-disc set. And is streaming lucrative enough to justify wading into the murky waters of rights determination for 80-year-old films that have bounced from owner to owner or that involve multiple estates?

I hope that the old business model continues to be sufficiently attractive for producers such as Warner Bros., Criterion, Kino Lorber and the others that focus on preserving classic film and all its ancillary material. Because I don't know if the streamers' tail is that long.
posted by the sobsister at 6:49 PM on April 23, 2014


Little while back, I watched the first episode of Hannibal on Prime because they were pushing it so hard. Got hooked, watched the rest of season 1. Then I had to re-read Red Dragon so I got it for Kindle. After that, might as well read Silence of the Lambs again, so another Kindle buy. By then I was crazed, so I bought the season pass for season 2 and the Hannibal novel. I am Amazon's business model, personified.
posted by Banish Misfortune at 7:28 PM on April 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


But the thing about DVDs is the extras, incl. the commentary tracks. While I completely recognize that these are just juice to sell the core media, the cinemaphile community really is actually interested in a lot of the ancillary material. But with streaming, good luck. I worry what this means, just as the streaming availability issue affects what we see. I'd hate for the concept to die out entirely.

I agree completely. And then there are things like the locations map in The Big Lebowski extras. Or, say, the The Police Squad commentary track, which is almost as funny as the show. I'd probably pay a little extra for streaming access to that stuff, even.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:53 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


While I can understand the fear that money would be lost for things like restoration, adding extras like commentary tracks to digital versions/streaming versions doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to do. Other bonuses are sometimes tacked onto the end of the digital version (For example, Amazon's Frozen has 30+ minutes of extra stuff)
posted by drezdn at 8:30 PM on April 23, 2014


Those are thorny issues. On one hand, I'm glad that extra stuff is available for people who want it. On the other hand, I personally don't want it, so when you tell me that stuff is the reason Iron Man 3 costs twenty bucks instead of five...yeah, not impressed. And if the studios can't charge X0,000 people for it, they probably won't produce it for the X,000 who want it. That makes me a little sad. But not sad enough to pay fifteen extra bucks.
posted by cribcage at 8:44 PM on April 23, 2014






Um....I've already seen these shows through other means years ago. Um, big whoop that they're putting old to very old properties on for streaming?

Yeah, call me when they start putting current Game of Thrones up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:11 PM on April 23, 2014


There are some seriously honest people in here, and I mean that most sincerely. If there was that much media out there that I wanted to consume and had to jump through so many hoops to get it, I'd be up and torrenting tout de suite. No Handbrake to convert to playable media, etc, etc. Still won't shame me enough to stop torrenting. Yum, tasty pirating.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 2:42 AM on April 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


Please update the title to specify that it's only Amazon Prime in the US.
posted by salmacis at 3:15 AM on April 24, 2014


Purposeful Grimace, I completely agree.

Though my reasoning is my job takes me out of streaming/wireless/decent Internet range for months at a time + I need digital copies of shows, movies, radio, and books to keep myself sane during that time period, and also, for sanity and for how fast I consume it, I need a LOT of media.

I definitely still buy a lot of media (I still randomly buy CD's, heh). But I also make a split donation over time to, say, a radio show and then go torrent their first 300 episodes.

Because I. Ain't. Got. Time.
posted by DisreputableDog at 3:40 AM on April 24, 2014


There are some seriously honest people in here, and I mean that most sincerely. If there was that much media out there that I wanted to consume and had to jump through so many hoops to get it, I'd be up and torrenting tout de suite.

Yeahbut, you have little control over quality when you're downloading off the intarwebs and finding files that include commentary tracks is nigh on impossible. So my medium term plan is to rip all our dvds, rather than download copies of them, and shove them on a server with a few TB.

Blurays stay on disc because they look too good to mess with.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:42 AM on April 24, 2014


Just as library tsk-ing is a derail in this thread, it's probably also a derail to talk up how you're forced into piracy due to your individual "need" for massive amounts of media. Maybe y'all could check out the copyright tag for some thread where you can redirect those brilliant sentiments.
posted by cribcage at 7:41 AM on April 24, 2014 [2 favorites]


homunculus: "HBO Demands Takedown of Game of Thrones Screenshots"

HBO hosts their own screenshots, wallpapers, etc., for the show. They'd probably prefer that people download from them directly.
posted by zarq at 7:55 AM on April 24, 2014


If there was that much media out there that I wanted to consume and had to jump through so many hoops to get it, I'd be up and torrenting tout de suite.

My experience over the last few years is that there is enough good content out there that between Netflix, Amazon Prime, and OnDemand that spending time (and even cheap media storage) torrenting and storing/burning is a waste* because I simply don't have time to be totally caught up on everything I want to watch anyway.

Um....I've already seen these shows through other means years ago. Um, big whoop that they're putting old to very old properties on for streaming?


It took me a more than a decade to finally watch The Sopranos, and I just finished disc one of Deadwood so I think that's a pretty dismissive attitude to take about a premium channel that many people don't have and that keeps their content locked down as tightly as HBO does. But that goes to my earlier point; even if I wanted to watch Game of Thrones there's enough content out there that I can easily fill my days until it comes out.

finding files that include commentary tracks is nigh on impossible.

Yup.

*I download from Usenet, which admittedly may be more labor intensive than torrenting. I'm also totally open to the suggestion that when it comes to time-shifting TV I am Doing It Wrong.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:25 AM on April 24, 2014 [2 favorites]


For me, the appeal of DVD/Blu-Ray extras will never beat the appeal of "no heaps of plastic in my home" that streaming/downloading offers. I think back to how my entire home used to be held hostage by physical media and it makes me shudder.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:29 AM on April 24, 2014


even if I wanted to watch Game of Thrones there's enough content out there that I can easily fill my days until it comes out.

For sure. But watching a popular series years after the fact is a very different experience than watching it along with everybody else. I'm not into either Game of Thrones or True Blood, but those are two examples of shows that are very social. Every week their fans are lighting up Facebook and Twitter. Each episode becomes the subject of popular memes and gets parodied on SNL and South Park. Et cetera. If you're waiting three years, then you get to experience the plot and characters but not so much the cultural experience of the show.

This is more of a factor for some shows than others. I don't mean to suggest True Blood can't stand on its own as a good show after a decade. (I wouldn't know.) But it definitely seems to me that part of the experience of watching True Blood is the shared experience of being into it at the same time everybody else is. You could go back right now and watch the Patriots' 2007 season and appreciate all those games in some sense, but it wouldn't compare to the experience of New Englanders together watching that season unfold.
posted by cribcage at 9:54 AM on April 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


At my library, Boardwalk Empire has 20+ holds, The Sopranos is in the teens, and 30 some-odd people waiting for True Blood.

I waited months and months for Up On Poppy Hill, a film even the director didn't want to see that badly. Popular shows/movies: unless you jumped on the hold list the minute they added it to the catalog, you're not getting that for a year or two.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:10 AM on April 24, 2014


If you're waiting three years, then you get to experience the plot and characters but not so much the cultural experience of the show.

Yes, I agree with this 100%. I think I even made this point here back in an old MeFi TV pony MeTa. (And don't even get me started on trying to stay spoiler-free for a decade!) But I do think there are only a few shows that grab the zeitgeist the way a Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad does. I keenly missed that experience as I watched The Sopranos but I don't expect that will happen when I finally get around to watching Eastbound & Down.

I caved and got cable when the Lakers signed an exclusive deal with TWC for home and away games, so I understand the passion GoT fans have for Finding A Way to watch. The distinction in my mind is that HBO is really a luxury for a lot of people, while it's relatively easier for basic cable show like Breaking Bad because even if you have to wait a day or two you can still participate in the communal watching experience, whether you watch via DVR, OnDemand, or pirating.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:16 AM on April 24, 2014


Please update the title to specify that it's only Amazon Prime in the US.

Ah yes, looks like there is no Prime Instant video in Canada.
“Unfortunately, Prime Instant Video is not available in Canada at this time. The HBO content we announced today is only available in the US,” according to Sally Fouts, a PR representative for Amazon"
Why is that?
posted by cashman at 10:18 AM on April 24, 2014


Yes, I agree with this 100%.

I agree as well. It's something that I miss out on as someone who doesn't have cable and who watches shows in big chunks when they are available on DVD or streaming from Netflix or Amazon, much later than they have aired. (Just like the cost of cable isn't worth it to me, neither is the hassle of torrenting, plus for whatever reason I take pleasure staying legal on this one issue and knowing that some tiny fraction of my subscription payments are going to the content creators.)

It's a cost I'm fine with, and it's been interesting to see what shows still seem worth watching once the zeitgeist has moved on, but I have also enjoyed being able to watch shows like House of Cards and Oirange is the New Black in real-time, rather than a couple of years behind the cultural conversation.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:00 AM on April 24, 2014 [2 favorites]


24 hours on weekends and plays Beast Master on repeat.

That movie made me want a ferret. (I got over it)

Also, the bat-winged people eater things *still* scare me.

No love for KRULL? Or F/X
posted by DigDoug at 12:52 PM on April 24, 2014 [2 favorites]


No love for KRULL?

I read this as KROLL, in which case, YES.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:20 PM on April 24, 2014


- Epic miniseries, including Angels in America, Band of Brothers, John Adams, The Pacific and Parade’s End

BUT WHY NOT GENERATION KILL

sob
posted by elizardbits at 3:27 PM on April 24, 2014 [2 favorites]


Krull was the best. Remember the video game?
posted by cashman at 6:45 AM on April 25, 2014


Hell, remember the activity book, The Puzzles of Krull?

Because I do, in that hazy-but-crystalline way of early childhood memories, oh, man, easter morning, ignoring my bounty of chocolate eggs and peeps because there was five-pointed blades that needed coloring in, mazes to be solved.
posted by cortex at 7:21 AM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]


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