EDIT: Users on Reddit have confirmed that “match frame rate” and “match dynamic range” are broken on the Apple TV version of the Max app. The workaround, if desired, is to force the video setting to 4K Dolby Vision @ 24Hz.
The remainder of the article is presented as originally written.
“Max”, the latest iteration of the streaming HBO concept, launched today. This is a “hot take.”
The good news: it seems to work
The app didn’t crash on me. It didn’t make me log in again, or authenticate. I thought it was supposed to auto-update, but it didn’t. I was able to play something. So the app does get high marks for the basics. But, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to say much else good about it.
The bad news
First things first. I get my Max subscription as an HBO subscriber through DIRECTV. This is my personal experience. Yours may differ. In fact I hope it does. And further, I hope this is all just some bug, some teething pain that will get sorted out in the next few days. But something tells me it’s not.
Problem 1: No 4K
Pre-release articles about Max said that everyone who paid for an ad-free plan would get 4K streaming for at least six months. It was never clear if that included those who got the app as part of a pay-TV subscription. Now it seems we have an answer.
Plain and simple: There is no 4K. There is no Dolby Vision. There is no Dolby Atmos. At least not for me. If you get your Max through a TV provider and it works for you, please leave a comment below. I’d really love to think that it was “just me.” But I don’t think it is.
I think this is a deliberate move, but what I don’t understand is why they’re not taking the opportunity to get more money out of me.
By the way, it also seems that the HD versions are 30 frames per second, at least on the things I tried. I prefer to watch films at 24fps and my TV refreshes at 120Hz so I don’t get any pulldown effects.
Problem 2: No way to upgrade to 4K
There’s no path where you could pay an extra $4 and get the 4K you want. I’d consider it, since it seems I’ll be able to ditch my Discovery+ subscription. But there’s no option for that. My only option would be to pay the full boat $20 a month just to get 4K. That doesn’t seem very friendly. I’m more likely to simply skip the 4K, although I wish I had another option.
Problem 3: Where the heck did everything go?
I’m sure I’ll be able to understand the vastly simplified menu structure eventually. It seems that in a total disregard for current UX trends, the choice of “hub” has moved away from the left side and is now part of the main scroll. Unlike Discovery+, the content is organized by network, which doesn’t make a huge amount of sense. But at least I can still search for what I want and the app seems to have everything I search for.
There are a couple of other little things, good and bad. They took away the ability to upload your own profile photo. But, they did add the ability to turn off auto-playing previews. They didn’t completely remove TCM as I suspected they would. The “continue watching” list brought up things I’d already removed, but at least it did carry over from HBO Max. It didn’t carry over from Discovery+, though.
A path forward?
Maybe this is just launch day blues. Maybe it will all shake out properly in the coming week. And honestly it’s not like my world is going to come to an end if I don’t get 4K Dolby Vision. But, with every new show being so dark, it seems like you need to have some sort of HDR just to make it look decent.
Maybe, like any time two real people move in together, it’s going to take a minute before you figure out what the boundaries are. But then, more than half of people who move in together or get married end up splitting up. So maybe that’s not a good metaphor.
Folks, I sincerely hope you’ll consider leaving a comment with your experiences. I only have so many different devices I can use to test, and so far they’re all coming up with zero 4K. Just curious if you see it any different.
