Yes, you read that right. When HBO GO launched last year, it was mainly directed at Internet users: Those with an HBO subscription could catch up with all their favorite shows right from their Web browser. But the real magic happened when the mobile device version rolled out. Now the GO was truly in play, as you could take your HBO shows with you on your iPad for on-demand viewing anywhere.
Oddly, cable provider Time Warner was not part of the mix. Users were taken aback, perplexed that Time Warner Cable was not included. That will be changing in the coming weeks, as HBO GO for TWC rolls out first in beta and then for everyone.
Time Warner has been keeping users updated on its blog, saying that the beta period will be rather short, and is only in place so technicians can get a good sense that it will give everyone a quality experience.
HBO Go is already available on the Roku set-top box as well as where it began, at HBOGo.com. It also has recently been announced for the Microsoft XBox 360, so fans of that system can have even more programming choices.
HBO GO offers various features and centers around watching your favorite HBO shows. In addition to streaming your favorite HBO shows, you can also create watch lists centered on the shows you want to keep tabs on.
Most of the shows include behind-the-scene features, interviews and show recaps. You can set it up so you receive alerts as new episodes of favorite shows are posted to HBO GO.
The service offers a fairly vast variety, with more than 1400 titles, including every episode of every season of shows such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones.
The expansion is particularly pivotal to Netflix users. HBO has not been an option on the Netflix service (Showtime was for a while, but the network has since pulled back on providing programming), and it has been ramping up its streaming service by working to get into as many devices and set-top boxes as possible.
HBO clearly has one of the leading stables of quality material for a current and back catalog, and it is compelling to those wanting more. Currently, you need to be an HBO subscriber to get HBO GO, but the future could play out differently, when for $10 a month you can get HBO anywhere you want, subscriber or not. Either way, Time Warner customers are anxious to get the service they have been waiting patiently for months to check out.