It should be noted, I chose the pay for both option because I already have access to MAX through my cable package at no extra charge. With arhat not being an option for the poll, I just went with “paying for both”, but in fact, I won’t have to spend any more money than I already am
I also picked both DC and HBO Max because I was already doing so.
I rarely watch anything here anyway. I mainly use this site for the community threads and for reading old comics that I do not own.
I just picked up HBO Max for 6 months. It made my sister (I shared it with them) very happy.
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My plan is to stay with DC Universe Infinite only.
I might someday go to DC Universe Infinite with HBO Max. But, that depends on several factors.
1: Cost. HBO Max with no long term discount is expensive in my eyes. I live with my parents and I work at a customer service desk. I recently took an hours cut and moved from cashier to front counter because of rotator cuff pain in my left shoulder from being a cashier for basically seven years. I do have bills to pay and frankly other entertainment products to buy (computer games, movies, and such.) So, while $6 and something cents a month is a great deal for access to 25,000+ comics. I don’t yet see $15 or so dollars a month as really a great deal for HBO Max Currently. I don’t like video streaming in general, right now, because I’ve yet to really see a video streaming service cost justify itself. I also do not have Netflix, Hulu, or anything else like that. They’re all so expensive and, honestly, if I wanted their content bad enough I’d just buy the movies or TV shows of the things I do want to see. I spend more money on gaming than I do on movies and television anyway. I like 1980’s horror more than anything else video wise and I already own all those classics. I’m currently working on getting them in 4K UHD HDR as they roll out at about $15-$20 a pop.
2: Quality. Because of compression and bandwidth, even the same resolution is always a superior quality on physical disc because of the amount of compression needed to hit the 10 to 15 MBPS ‘sweet spot’ that streaming feels would benefit most of America’s Internet Connections at this time; which is increasingly obsolete as America has been slow to adopt fiber optic. Especially also considering that you can’t even opt to download video on most streaming platforms to watch later at any better a compression ratio than they offer for streaming; as the same file is used either way. I wouldn’t mind so much if I could just tell my computer to download a movie at full disc quality ahead of time before I watch it. But, I can’t stand to be paying money to rent or own a product that is inferior in its quality to what I can buy on a disc. I didn’t buy a 4K TV to watch video compressed more than it has to be. It’s basically like the difference between a lossless and lossy audio track. Only here video is compressed on both streaming or disc. But, even then, the disc is compressed less and is therefor always better for quality.
3: Availability. For what I do stream, I stream on Roku currently. If HBO Max can’t get on Roku, I’d have to get a Chromecast Ultra to stream it. Even compressed, I still want 4K if I’m going to stream things. My Roku is 4K. So, if they can’t get Max onto Roku that’s going to incur a significant hardware investment cost on my end that I’m not sure I really feel like paying right now. I’ve been thinking of maybe trying Google Stadia. If I do that, and like it and get the Chromecast Ultra in the combo pack with the Stadia Controller, then that hardware cost gets eaten into me already having one for gaming; so that would then become a negligible cost.
4: Content. I already will have watched pretty much all the major Batman related content on DC Universe by the time it shuts down and relaunches as DC Universe Infinite. So, I’m kind of already in the ‘been there, done that’ boat. At this point, I’m already using DC Universe as mostly a comics reader because I’ve already been through the parts of its video library that already interest me. Max isn’t much better. As I’d only really be interested in the DC Stuff. Of which, even if all of the video goes from here to Max; only the Stuff on Max right now is stuff I’d be interested in because I already watched everything on here that I’m interested in DC wise. So, basically just the newer movies and Harley Quinn Season 3. And, while I do very much love my Harley; I’m not going to Max for just Harley. I’ll wait until she comes on home video if that’s the only thing I’m super interested in on HBO Max; and right now, she really is the only thing over there that’s tempting me to go to Max at all. As far as not DC stuff, I already watched all of Rick and Morty and the original Boondocks. I’m kind of interested in the new Boondocks. But, that’s it. So, I do want to see Harley and Young Justice. I would enjoy seeing the new Boondocks. And I’m kind of interested in the newer DC movies. But, none of that is currently screaming $15 a month to me.
What would it take to get me to switch to having both DC Universe Infinite and HBO Max? Well, that’s largely your call AT&T. It’s called bundle!
Right now you have an introductory bundle offer. That’s great and everything as an introductory thing. But, then that runs out. Then it’s not so great for me anymore.
Offer a long term bundle for people who buy both. Also, try to get on Roku if you can. The Roku part kind of depends on if I end up getting a Chromecast Ultra with a Stadia Controller or not. But, otherwise, that’s another cost to me to switch.
But, right now, $15 a month for not a whole lot I’m actually interested in and haven’t already seen before really isn’t a good deal at all for me. ‘Too rich for my blood.’
The collection of 25,000+ comics are way more comics than I could ever easily get through. For the price of DC Universe Infinite; this is a great deal. If I read two to three comics a month I’ve already more than made use of my money for the platform already. Add onto that, that great events cost justify the platform even more. I got a great Harley Pin set and two $5 off coupons for the DC store from the last event. With how many comics I’ve read and with the great event I am a very, very happy DC Universe customer. Without a doubt I plan to be a very, very happy DC Universe Infinite Customer.
But, truth is, I don’t watch that much newer video media. I almost never go to theaters. The last two new movies that interested me enough to go to theaters to see were IT Part 2 and Halloween 2018. I will say that I should have seen Joker in theaters. But, I enjoyed Joker in 4K on disc well enough anyway. I do plan to see The Batman in theaters in 2021.
I also don’t get that many new movies on home video either. Mostly just old stuff upped to 4K. I don’t like the style of most new media nearly as much as classic 80’s stuff in most cases. So, you’re asking me to pay what is a lot of money to me for stuff I’m mostly not interested in for HBO Max. Bundle the price down with DC Universe Infinite to be for a permanent annual bundle at $6 or $7 or so a month for HBO Max and then I might give it a try.
I could see if I was really into modern video where $15 a month isn’t really a bad price. But, for someone like me who could easily take or leave most movies and TV after the 1980’s; $15 a month for stuff that’s too focused on modern tastes that I don’t usually like so much is a lot of money to loose for something I’ll hardly ever use or enjoy.
I said other because I get Max with my cable package and I’ll still be around when this place goes Infinite.
I got the HBO Max Discount and use my HDMI cable to put it on my laptop and then to my TV.
That’s likely how I’m going to be using DC Universe Infinite. Unless I do end up getting a pad computer and somehow casting it to a Chromecast Ultra.
Does anyone know if it’s going to be possible to cast a comic book to a Chromecast this way with DC Universe Infinite? Or, is that only for video?
I really do enjoy reading my comics on the big screen with Roku and I’m going to miss that. I understand them not wanting to pay to be on Roku with the video going away. But, is there any other way to get the comics on the big screen without plugging my Laptop into my TV?
I primarily came to DCUniverse for the original series. The combination of their reader and the access to the film and TV catalogue made the $74.99 worth it. But they’re removing a major portion from the content and asking me to add a subscription to HBOMax on top of that? Discounted or not. I’m not considering it. If they had reduced the cost of DCUniverse Infinite maybe, but as it stands. NO.
What discount?
It expired over a month ago. DCU users got it for 1/3rd the price for 6 months.
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Thanks
I’ll be deleting this then
So, I ended up getting both. I have enjoyed the comics here for over a year now and I just got HBO Max today. I have been finding a lot of things to watch and I have been having a lot of fun. I am looking forward to Season 3 of Harley; definitely a draw for me for Max. I just got to watch Wonder Woman and it was really good. I will be watching the sequel soon.
I remember originally trying out DC Universe thinking we wouldn’t keep it long.
Video media subs are best done a few months at a time. Once you’ve seen everything you want to see, just cancel and subscribe to something else for a while. It’s the only way to handle dozens of services carrying exclusive content.
We were also in the middle of buying everything we wanted to watch on Prime Video. That way we wouldn’t have to deal with shows we watch moving from one service to another, having to choose whether to cancel one service for the other or not.
So, we got DCUniverse, and figured once we watched the animated movies and things we wouldn’t buy on Prime, we’d move on to the next thing.
However…
When we subscribed, DCUniverse was in a transition period and they were adding DC’s full backlog of comics to the service.
Needless to say, it didn’t get cancelled. And we’ve had it since.
While I used it mainly for comics from that point on, the Doom Patrol launched and became my favorite show since Firefly.
I was able to convince my other half that DCUniverse was worth keeping when it came time for our periodical culling of digital services, on the strength of Doom Patrol alone.
I’ve had to go up to bat for DCUniverse once the Roku app was removed.
“Why are we paying for this now? Isn’t it shut down?”
“I’m still reading comics on it, and it’s much cheaper than buying them…”
“Oh… Hmmm…”
I don’t plan to get rid of DCUniverse (Infinite) anytime soon.
As for HBO Max. We considered it.
It’s a bit pricey, but I can see why now that it’s been revealed that they’ll be doing same-day theatrical releases on the app this year. Which is also the reason they no longer have free trials -so people won’t subscribe during a theatrical release and basically ‘go to the theater’ for free.
We decided to just wait until Doom Patrol season 3 is released, then get HBO Max for a month. Then cancel again until season 4, if there is one.
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Hmmm alot of interesting replies thanks for the input