ROKU, HBO GO

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@BellevueBob wrote:

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I don't really know what a Roku is, but I'm sure all this abour HBO Go has something to do with licensing and specifically about displaying content on a TV versus a mobile device (or PC).  

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A Roku is a streaming media box that can connect to a display via HDMI.  There are various apps available on the Roku, with HBO Go being one of them.

HBO Go requires you to get authorization from your cable provider before they will display the content.  This is not specific to Roku, but also applies to watching HBO Go on a PC, Tablet, Xbox or Apple TV.

HBO Go can be authorized by most major cable & satalite providers in the US, with Comcast being the notable exception.

HBO Go can be authorized on other devices such as Xbox & Apple TV which connect directly to a display device via HDMI.  For some reason (and I'm pretty sure it's not licensing) Comcast do not let you authorize HBO Go on a Roku.

If you want to find out more about the Roku please feel free to google it.

The easiest/cheapest work-around is Chromecast. Amazon has them on sale again for $30 right now. I got one over Christmas. If you connect it to an AVR (instead of your TV), you can get Netflix in DD 5.1. HBOGo currently is not supporting DD 5.1 via Chromecast, regardless of how you connect it, but I would expect that support to come eventually.  That's an HBOGo issue, not a Chromecast / Comcast issue.  My guess is HBO will fix that quickly, with how fast the Chromecast is selling.

Chromecast is a much cheaper solution than buying an Xbox or an AppleTV, if you, like me, are tired of waiting for Roku support, but don't want to switch from Comcast.

Roku authorization would be *better*... in part because it would have saved us all the $30 investment, in part because I'm guessing it would have supported 5.1 right out of the gate, in part because it would be more convenient (no need to switch to yet ANOTHER set of TV/AVR inputs), and in part because there is no hard-wired ethernet option for Chromecast.  But I got tired of waiting for Comcast to give me this functionality, and I decided that $30 was worth it for this *quick fix*.

TheKing -- am I right in thinking that to use a Chromecast you have to use another device (phone, tablet, PC) to start the video and then 'push' it to the Chromcast?

When you do that, does the other device become free, or do you need to keep playing the content you're watching on the Chromecast device?

Raw505,

Could you post that "HBO Team" number please?

Thanks...

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@nvenzon wrote:

Hope this is appropriate for this topic. I purchased Roku for Christmas but streaming is so slow it sometimes will not even load a movie and when it does load and play there are constant interruptions while it pauses to load. I see people are buying modems etc is that necessary? Are the modems supplied by comcast not adequate?

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That might depend on what Cable Modem Comcast is providing and what you internet level of service is?  You do know that you can purchase a Cable Modem on-line that would pay for inself in 6 to 12 months (as Comcast charges $7.00 per month for theirs).

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@FrozenSlime wrote:

TheKing -- am I right in thinking that to use a Chromecast you have to use another device (phone, tablet, PC) to start the video and then 'push' it to the Chromcast?

 

When you do that, does the other device become free, or do you need to keep playing the content you're watching on the Chromecast device?

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Yes, that's what makes Chromecast a viable solution, IMO.  Unlike with AppleTV, on Chromecast HBOGo (or Netflix, or Youtube) is not streaming FROM YOUR DEVICE.  You use your device to go *find* whatever video you want to play (just like you would if your plan was to watch it on your phone/tablet/ect), get the stream going through your router, and then you push the *chromecast* button on the top right corner of the mobile screen to send it to your chromecast.

Once you do that, the video moves from  your phone/tablet to your bigscreen, and your phone/tablet goes into "remote control" mode.  And yes, you can hit the home button, go check your email, send a text, take a phone call... you can even shut your phone/tablet off (I tested... it worked).

I picture it like there being a thousand different ropes laying on the ground.  You use your phone/tablet to select which rope you want to start "pulling" (IE: streaming), and then when you hit chromecast, you basically just tell your chromecast "hey, see this rope that I'm pulling on... now you just keep pulling it".

As others have said, your phone/tablet IS the remote.  So if you shut your phone/tablet off, you can't pause or rewind the video until you turn your device back on and get back into the app.  BUT, unlike appletv, chromecast isn't sucking your battery dry while you sit there streaming video to your mobile.  Just flip the screen off, and your phone/battery just sits there like it always does... open your phone back up, and you can pause/remind/etc.

At $30-$35, it's a pretty cheap, reasonably convenient solution... I personally don't think Comcast has any intention of ever giving us Roku support.  On the other hand, I think google is VERY interested in giving the Chromecast a LOT of support, as it's selling like hotcakes right now.  My guess is you'll see a lot more apps come out for Chromecast over the next 12 months (ShowtimeAnytime?  Slingplayer?  Watch ESPN?).

Mine was buggy also, waiting for replacement. My tablet has HDMI out. HBOgo app supports hdmi out. Bought a mini cable for the tablet, a Kindle Fire HD, and stream tablet to tv via the cable. Not great but a work around till Comcast comes to their senses. Playon media server worked my lappy too hard, it would get very hot even on a cradle. If Comcast wont play with Roku they should add more HBO content to On Demand.

FrozenSlime did a great job explaining how Chromecast works.  However, I'd like to add another advantage of Chromecast for ComCast customers:  Currently, Chromecast works ("officially") with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and HBO GO.  However, I have been able to also call up Xfinity programs for online viewing on my laptop and cast them to a TV using Chromecast.  My schedule is such that I often do not get to watch some of my favorite prime-time programs -- and I'm not a big fan of watching movies or TV programs on my laptop.  So, Crhomecast enables me to "catch up" on programs I've missed on a larger TV screen -- even when I'm staying in hotels or resort lodging.  Pretty neat!

To answer your question, no it does not tie up my PC while watching the HBOGO channel via PlayOn.  It is a process running in the background but I have never had any issues in that respect.  It works quite well overall other than requiring you to log into your Comcast account every other day or so on the PC - but I have that issue anyway with other Comcast apps. 

I dislike Comcast as much as anyone else on this site but this really is an inexpensive work-around to watching HBOGO on a Roku if you have a PC accessible anywhere on your home network. 

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@randerto wrote:

To answer your question, no it does not tie up my PC while watching the HBOGO channel via PlayOn.  It is a process running in the background but I have never had any issues in that respect.  It works quite well overall other than requiring you to log into your Comcast account every other day or so on the PC - but I have that issue anyway with other Comcast apps. 

 

I dislike Comcast as much as anyone else on this site but this really is an inexpensive work-around to watching HBOGO on a Roku if you have a PC accessible anywhere on your home network. 

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Thank you for that clarification. I actually have Dish now, so have full HBOgo content on both On Demand through Dish, and also on the Roku. However, there are other sites I would like to stream to the television, such as the BBC channels through the proxy server.

I recently added HBO to our lineup and our rep specifically promoted the HBO-GO feature, saying you could stream it on ANY device.  HBO-GO is a Roku channel, we just can't activate it because Comcast is not among the extensive list of providers on the activation page.  Baffling that Comcast blocks HBO-GO from streaming on Roku.  Why not, Comcast?