If you're a PlayStation 4 owner who enjoys HBO, it's awesome that HBO Go is now an app on the machine. If you're a Comcast subscriber, though, you can't use it. That's a bunch of bullshit.
I'm not the only person in our apartment who likes using the TV. It turns out my wife is into the TV, too! That's reasonable. Since my job involves playing lots of games, I tend to occupy our apartment's main TV, which is why we've established a smaller viewing station in our bedroom. The problem? We use a PlayStation 3, she wants to catch up on Girls, but she's not allowed to.
Even though the PS3 got its own HBO Go app in early 2014, it's still impossible to watch any HBO shows, documentaries, or movies if you get cable through Comcast. That's a lot of people.
It's the same on PS4. If you get your cable and Internet through Comcast, you're out of luck.
This has happened before, obviously. The Xbox 360 had the same problem but it was eventually resolved. It wasn't until late in 2014 that Comcast finally gave Roku devices access to HBO Go!
Why? I asked Comcast for an explanation, but they gave no timeline for fixing this problem.
It did tell Techdirt this, though:
"With every new website, device or player we authenticate, we need to work through technical integration and customer service which takes time and resources. Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize as we partner with various players."
Bzzt! The PS3 app has been available for a year now. You don't get to use the technical excuse.
Of course, we can guess what's going on. It's money. Comcast wants more of it, HBO wants to pay less of it, and the customers are stuck in the middle and get totally screwed in the process.
There's an HBO Go app on my PS4's dashboard, and I can't do a single thing with it. That sucks.
You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.