Want HBO, but there’s no freaking way in hell you’re going to get cable? And your friends hate you and refuse to let them scam their HBO GO password? And you think piracy is wrong—or you’re just too chickenshit to try it? You are not necessarily out of luck! Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal about cable companies finally reading the writing on the wall, and realizing they need to offer packages that are limited to just internet, basic TV and HBO. Apparently, however, the trick is in knowing what secret words to say….
Several [big cable companies] now will sell a package that include just Internet, HBO (and HBO Go) and the most basic of TV. You’re not exactly without cable TV, but you’re with much, much less of it.
It’s like ordering off the secret menu at In-and-Out Burger — you have to know what to ask for:
Comcast: “Internet Plus”
Time Warner Cable: “Starter TV+HBO and an Internet plan”
Verizon: “50/25 Mbps + Local News and Sports + HBO (or Showtime)”
AT&T: “HBO Internet Plus”
Read the rest here for more tips and dealing with persnickity and pushy cable sales representatives.
Like everything Comcast does, there are hidden obstacles to this deal.
Primarily the deal does not include HD, at least that is what they now tell me. I had it with HD for 6 months, and then they decided to disable it & inform me that I need to pay extra to turn it back on!
Also us fools who pay money to Comcrap, are limited in how we can watch HBOgo. They block it on a number of set-to-boxes, including Roku. So if you want to see it on your in HD on your TV you must either use the provided cable box (that you are forced to pay a rental fee for) or use your computer or mobile device and fling it via a Chromecast or HDMI cable.
Add to this the fact that the internet is never anywhere near as fast as their ads claim, and often goes down in the middle of the night, and I’m left screaming “I can’t wait for Google Fiber!!”
I got this option by hanging up once and calling back again. So far so good. I play through Xbox. They just sent me an HD cable box or something? Haven’t unpacked it yet.