HBO MAX - what a joke

12 June 2021, 01:12 PM

We have a subscription to HBO and HBO Max as part of our cable package. We've been trying to watch "Mare of Easttown" (which I highly recommend if you have access), but we've been unable to finish it. Why....? Because stupid HBO Max doesn't work. We try to cue up anything on that platform and we get stuck with the "In the Heights" trailer. We can't get past it. When we hit play for anything, it takes us to the In the Heights trailer. We even thought we needed to just watch it (the trailer), which we did--only to have it freeze at the end and not revert back to the menu.

Then we discovered that it only was an issue for our primary TV in the living room. Our secondary cable box worked just fine.

How odd.

Off to deal with comcast on this. I'm taking a bedroll and provisions.

12 June 2021, 01:39 PM

QuirtEvans

We get it through Roku. There are some hiccups, but it's not too bad.

I had an issue last week where HBO Max (and only HBO Max) wasn't working, I'd get in but it wouldn't let me into any of the shows (something about my account, it said). The issue was solved by simply unplugging the Roku from the power outlet for 10 seconds.

12 June 2021, 01:53 PM

Steve Miller

I just got a Roku. For as little as it costs it seems to work very well!

12 June 2021, 03:08 PM

Mikhailoh

Good thing we are going to watch In The Heights tonight.

The stage show was great. You could see the genesis of Hamilton in it. Hope the movie is too.

12 June 2021, 04:21 PM

Nina

We're having a family dinner/viewing tonight as well. We were lucky enough to have seen it in its first run on B'way with LMM in the lead role. At the time it was groundbreaking because it incorporated rap. It's very good--can't wait to see it again tonight!

12 June 2021, 07:36 PM

QuirtEvans

It was very good. There were differences from the stage version ... some I liked, some I did not. But mostly it was faithful to the stage version.

After people have seen it, we can discuss the differences, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

12 June 2021, 11:22 PM

Mikhailoh

We liked it too. The changes were mostly of scale because they could do such bigger scenes, but it was pretty faithful.

Loved all the cameos.

13 June 2021, 09:34 AM

Cindysphinx

What is this thing you call a cable box?

YouTube tv works well, all the time. And no boxes.

13 June 2021, 10:10 AM

QuirtEvans

quote:
Originally posted by Mikhailoh:
it was pretty faithful.

They did downplay some story lines, and minimized some characters. They wound up eliminating one song I liked, and the ending was different.

You could see LMM's hand in the changes, though.

13 June 2021, 02:17 PM

Mikhailoh

Yeah, the lottery ticket thing was underplayed, as was LMM's shaved ice guy. He kind of served as a narrator in the stage show.

13 June 2021, 02:20 PM

Mikhailoh

I liked the ending, even being different. Saw it coming, but still liked it.

15 June 2021, 01:02 PM

Mikhailoh

Annnd cancel culture eats it's own.

https://www.rollingstone.com/m...qBS_wP_gwuKbtMblcWf8

15 June 2021, 06:35 PM

Nina

Still haven't seen it....

And this HBO Max thing is driving me up a wall. I can't figure out a reason why it only malfunctions on the primary TV set. Comcast says not their problem, because it's a "third party app." There's no way to get customer support for HBO Max. I can watch from our other TVs, from computers and even cast from a computer to the (nonfunctioning) TV. But I can't figure out why it won't work and it's driving me bananas.

I've rebooted a bunch of times, powered down, waited, powered back up, reset the gateway (whatever that is), and finally we even got a new cable box. It worked the first time we used it with the new cable box, and now it's back to refusing to queue up and play anything we select.

Any ideas?

15 June 2021, 06:43 PM

wtg

Apparently you aren't alone. Maybe something will pop up in this Reddit thread if the one suggestion doesn't pan out for you...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Comca...iculty_with_hbo_max/

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

15 June 2021, 07:55 PM

Steve Miller

We watched Heights the night it came out. I enjoyed it, but thought the pacing was a bit frenetic and I hard a hard time following what was being said.