ROKU, HBO GO

I can just as easily run an HDMI from my PC to my television.  The point of the Roku for me is that I can still use my pc for other things (such as homework, research for papers, email, oh, just about anything) while I am watching the tube.

That's what you can do with the Chromecast...while I don't have mine yet, from what I understand, you tell the Chromecast device, via PC/tablet/phone, what to stream, and IT does the streaming while you do other things with your PC/tablet/phone (in other words, it is NOT "screen mirroring").  And in the mean time, if you like, you can use your PC/tablet/phone (android or iOS), as a remote for the Chromecast...play, pause, etc.

While there are specific "apps" for the Chromecast, like Youtube, Netflix, etc, with many more to come in the near future, you can also watch anything that you could normally stream in a Chrome browser on your PC/tablet/phone.

To me, that sounds like HBO Go, xFinity, etc etc etc.

Comcast could always charge per roku authenticated per month. 5 bucks would be my guess. Thats what a box rental is i believe. They could also limit them to connect through specific IP addresses to keep people from using them away from their house. Then again with those restrictions people wouldn't use them anyway.

Also, wouldln't the same apply to Xbox and Apple TV: anyone can share their HBO sign-in with anyone else? Comcast authenticates on both of these. So why not Roku?

But that doesn't make sense, because all the other major cable providers DO allow access through the Roku. Verizon and Time-Warner are just as money-grubbing as Comcast and they allow it! Comcast is extra evil for sure.

Point taken.  But i can't see any other reason.  I guess i can argue Roku is popular and sells a lot of units.  They can stand to forego the profit margins from those other things mentioned above, i.e. Apple, Xbox, but the profit margin loss from Roku would exceed the percentage that they've estabilished since they've done their homework and realize that Roku sales are up there.  Don't know, just rationalizing.  But what ever the case is, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's profit driven.  I'm on this thread now because as i went through my roku apps and saw Hbo go, and thought i'd be able to use it since i have comcast and i'm already paying for HBO.  I was surprised to find out that Comcast / Xfinity wasn't on the list for activation companies on the page for  www.hbogo.com/activate  WTH!!

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@delid2 wrote:

Lets face it guys.  Comcast is about the money.  Lets take Netflix for instance, you can use someones Netflix account in any home and anywhere so Netflix is losing millions of dollars because you can give your friends your account ID and password and they can watch free movies at home without paying for a netflix account.  Why would Comcast let you stream movies through Roku so you can give your ID and password to anyone else with a Roku box and let them have access to HBOgo for Free!!!  See where i'm going with this?  Comcast didn't become wealthy by giving free movies away.   :o/

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Does it work that way?  Comcast should know if a non-Comcast customer is logging on, plus, isn't it tied to a specific device?  You have to enter a code onto your Comcast account which matches the code that comes up on the TV when you attempt to gain access.

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@saltzy57 wrote:

why on xbox and not on roku or other streaming devices?

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$$$$$$$$$$ would be my guess. 

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@delid2 wrote:

Lets face it guys.  Comcast is about the money.  Lets take Netflix for instance, you can use someones Netflix account in any home and anywhere so Netflix is losing millions of dollars because you can give your friends your account ID and password and they can watch free movies at home without paying for a netflix account.  Why would Comcast let you stream movies through Roku so you can give your ID and password to anyone else with a Roku box and let them have access to HBOgo for Free!!!  See where i'm going with this?  Comcast didn't become wealthy by giving free movies away.   :o/

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Actually, Netflix limits the number of devices that can concurrently watch programming. Depending on your account type, you can have 2 or 4 people viewing at any time among all devices, including PC or iPhone. It is not difficult to restrict the number of concurrent viewers on an account.

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@wsalopek wrote:

I can just as easily run an HDMI from my PC to my television.  The point of the Roku for me is that I can still use my pc for other things (such as homework, research for papers, email, oh, just about anything) while I am watching the tube.

That's what you can do with the Chromecast...while I don't have mine yet, from what I understand, you tell the Chromecast device, via PC/tablet/phone, what to stream, and IT does the streaming while you do other things with your PC/tablet/phone (in other words, it is NOT "screen mirroring").  And in the mean time, if you like, you can use your PC/tablet/phone (android or iOS), as a remote for the Chromecast...play, pause, etc.

 

While there are specific "apps" for the Chromecast, like Youtube, Netflix, etc, with many more to come in the near future, you can also watch anything that you could normally stream in a Chrome browser on your PC/tablet/phone.

 

To me, that sounds like HBO Go, xFinity, etc etc etc.

 

 

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Thanks for the clarification. I still dont' see the added value for the Chromecast though, I *already* own a Roku--why should I need to buy more equipment?  Easier to switch to a provider that does not limit my viewing options.

 

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Does it work that way?  Comcast should know if a non-Comcast customer is logging on, plus, isn't it tied to a specific device?  You have to enter a code onto your Comcast account which matches the code that comes up on the TV when you attempt to gain access.

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You can authenticate HBOGo on multiple Roku devices, and the beauty of Roku is that it is not tied to your home IP address or company. I watch Roku in hotel rooms all over the country, including HBOGo.  I take it to my son's house when we go there (although I just bought my daughter-in-law one, and their cable company Brighthiouse authenticates with HBOGo).  However, it would not be difficult to restrict concurrent logins and viewing.

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@rwspears wrote:

Comcast could always charge per roku authenticated per month. 5 bucks would be my guess. Thats what a box rental is i believe. They could also limit them to connect through specific IP addresses to keep people from using them away from their house. Then again with those restrictions people wouldn't use them anyway.

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You are correct, that would be a deal breaker for me. I was already paying for HBO, the Roku was mine, and not theirs to  bill for. Using the Roku to stream HBOGo would not be using Comcast resources, they would have had no right to bill me an extra charge to do so. I suspect they are getting money from MS for every xBox live subscriber connected to HBOGo through Comcast authentication.

One reason I like Dish is not only can I watch HBOGo from anywhere I can get an internet connection, I can watch live televsion using my pc, iphone or tablet from anywhere I can get an internet connection, including on I95 connected to 3G travelling to my son's house or in a hotel room where the available programming does not include the channels we want to watch. I do not have to pay an extra fee to stream live television as I would have had to do with Comcast, nor am I restricted to streaming on a tablet connected to my home wireless network.

This whole subject is just ridiculous at this point. Shame on Comcast. Here is the bottom line:

1) There is no reason to block it when it is allowed on the Apple and Xbox. Maybe they are paying Comcast a kickback. Who knows.

2) Using Comcast's On Demand is a joke. If I had the full HBO catalog, maybe there would be no cause to complain, but they only offer a small portion of the catalog.

3) There are lots of workarounds, but at the end of the day I want HD and I want 5.1, not SD mono or stereo streaming. I don't want browser based or dongle based devices.

4) I just went ahead and bought an Apple TV. Now I get HBOGo in HD and 5.1 over Optical. And I also get Netflix in 5.1, which is an added bonus (the Roku only streams Netflix 5.1 in DD+ over HDMI).

So the only thing Comcast succeeded in doing was forcing me to spend an extra $100 on a 3rd party box. And of course with making me 100% certain that I will vote my position on my HOA board to scuttle a deal with Comcast next time we are up for renewal. Congrats to ComCast.

Of course, I still have to use my Roku, because Apple TV doesn't allow Amazon. It would have been nice to have 1 universal streaming box, but I have concluded that will not be possible. Everyone has their turf to protect and so long as that is the case they will exclude solutions that threaten them in some way.

Deal with it.

I don't want...dongle based devices.

That's what all these "boxes" are...Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, etc...it's just that the Roku and Apple TV are bigger dongles than the Chromecast.

Xfinity does not support HBO Go via ROKU. 

Why not?

Are there any plans to support it in the future? If so, when?