UPDATED March 10 10:30 AM EST with comment from Sharp.
It's finally here. The online, a la carte HBO service everyone's been waiting for — and those with Apple TV, iPhones or iPads are the only ones who can get the $15/month HBO Now.
What if you have a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast or Nexus Player, a game console or a smart TV? Unknown. HBO hasn't announced support for any other devices, nor have any device manufacturers. Tom's Guide inquired with HBO and many of the big streaming-device makers, and none have committed to further plans for the services.
A Roku representative, speaking on behalf of the company but asking to not be named, provided only a philosophical statement. "In general, broad distribution is important for content providers, and especially for a new service where the goal is to gain as many subscribers as possible," the person told Tom's Guide.
Google gave a subtle hint about its future with HBO. "We don't have any specifics to announce around HBO Now," said spokeswoman Veronica Navarrete, "but it is worth keeping in mind that the HBO Go app already works with Chromecast and HBO subscribers can still get content that way." That seems to say: Google is ready when HBO is.
Leaving Roku out — at least of the initial launch — is curious since the streaming box, stick and TV maker is one of the top device makers. Leaving out Android apps is also odd, since the OS runs not only on major mobile devices but also because a version of it, Android TV, runs on Google's Nexus Player and on upcoming smart TVs from Sony and Sharp, among others. Android (as well as iOS) devices can also cast content to the popular, $39 Google Chromecast.
Source:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/hbo-apple-no-roku-google,news-20605.html
