An eye-catching content variety, but a bit disappointing streaming experience.
I rate HBO Max an 8.5/10 for its extensive content catalog and the wild Studio Ghibli collection. Existing HBO customers who gained a lot more movies and TV shows without signing up for anything new will still find HBO Max to be a nice boost. Thanks to respected brands like Studio Ghibli and the Criterion Collection, HBO Max may be enough to persuade people like me to keep their HBO membership. I just raised HBO Max's score because it now supports Roku and Fire TV, as well as 4K HDR for very few blockbusters. However, the ad-supported tier should have fewer restrictions, and both plans are still pricey compared to competitors' offerings. Even though HBO Max is a better value than HBO Now on its own, Netflix remains my preference.
HBO Max subscription package
HBO Max's package is more extortionate than most of its competitors with monthly costs of $9.99 and $14.99.
- When you obtain HBO Max through most pay-TV providers, it costs $15 per month, the same as HBO's conventional channel.
- HBO Max with Ads, a $10-per-month subscription that includes ads, was launched to the service in June 2021.
- The ad-free and ad-supported levels cost $149.99 and $99.99 per year, respectively, for an annual subscription.
- It's perplexing, but you can learn more about how it all works by reading our HBO Max FAQ on the official website.
- Despite its extensive library of films and television episodes, HBO Max’s price is most among the expensive streaming services available — Netflix's basic plan costs $9 per month, while Hulu's ad-supported option is $6 per month.
- The HBO Max with Advertisements package, which costs $10 per month, promises four minutes of ads per hour of programming watched.
- The quantity you see, though, is dependent on what you're seeing.
- HBO Max is not offering any free trial currently. However, you can check out 5 ways to start HBO Max free trial.
HBO Max features
User Interface:
- The online interface for HBO Max is beautiful and dark, with purple and white accents. HBO Max can be accessed through a left-hand menu.
- Unlike the Coming Soon page, which lists when new content will be available, the Last Chance section does not include dates for when episodes and movies will be no longer available.
Vast content library:
- HBO Max's extensive library of content is equivalent to Disney's, which is to say it is vast.
- The service mixes current and old HBO episodes, new original HBO Max series, and select shows and movies from Warner Bros.
- AT & T has revealed plans to spin off WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery to become Warner Bros. Discovery, a specific public business.
Simultaneous Streams:
- HBO Max subscribers can stream HBO Max on three devices at the same time. There is no restriction on the number of devices you can log into.
- Only three videos can be broadcast at a time to a single account.
HBO Now v. HBO Max:
- HBO Max is the 3rd streaming service to bear the HBO branding. HBO announced that HBO Go would be discontinued on July 31, 2021.
- Customers of HBO Go will be transferred to HBO Max. HBO Now has been renamed HBO.
- If you want HBO's original material, HBO is the service to get.
Parental Controls:
- The parental control tools in HBO Max should please parents.
- The first step is to create a Kids profile, which requires you to create a secret PIN and provide your child's birth month and year.
- The profile may then be customized with suggested content limits by HBO Max.
VPN Compatibility:
- I attempted streaming HBO Max material on both a desktop browser and an Android test device while connected to the Top 10 Premium VPN server in the United States and have not faced any trouble viewing content.
What does it lack?
Offline viewing:
- Most smart TVs, streaming devices, and video gaming consoles do not offer offline watching.
- Each HBO Max account is limited to downloading 30 HBO Max movies and videos simultaneously, and they all expire after 30 days.
Human recommendation:
- One of HBO Max's promises was that, rather than relying entirely on a recommendation engine to surface new material for consumers, it would also have celebrity-curated content to give it a more human touch.
- However, these suggestions are still unavailable.
4k content:
- For the time being, the majority of the service's content does not support 4K resolution.
- However, Warner Bros. has added 4K capability to its Warner Bros. feature films scheduled for release in 2021.
Conclusion
If you currently have an HBO Now subscription, the free upgrade to HBO Now is a no-brainer. You get a lot more material for the same monthly fee. HBO Max is on the higher end of the streaming service price scale for new subscribers. Plus, you can now create your profiles, which you couldn't do before HBO Go and HBO Now were sunset.
