So I had a viewing party for Season 5 last night; and there were guesses on the number of boobs we'd see. Someone guessed 5 as a joke… and he was right. Silly toga giving us a uneven number!

Alexander Supertramp posted:

TOS posted:

only now is it possible to get it without a cable subscription, and it still costs double what it should

It's expensive compared to Netflix, etc. but they are the first premium cable channel to be available without cable. That's a good thing.

yeah, but they've priced themselves out of the market

hence the rampant piracy

The service has been available for a week - I think we need to give them a bit of time before we find that out.

TOS posted:

Alexander Supertramp posted:

TOS posted:

only now is it possible to get it without a cable subscription, and it still costs double what it should

It's expensive compared to Netflix, etc. but they are the first premium cable channel to be available without cable. That's a good thing.

yeah, but they've priced themselves out of the market

hence the rampant piracy

I don't know. Millions of people will subscribe to HBO Now. I'd bet most of them were either borrowing someone's HBO Go credentials or pirating previously.

Alexander Supertramp posted:

TOS posted:

Alexander Supertramp posted:

TOS posted:

only now is it possible to get it without a cable subscription, and it still costs double what it should

It's expensive compared to Netflix, etc. but they are the first premium cable channel to be available without cable. That's a good thing.

yeah, but they've priced themselves out of the market

hence the rampant piracy

I don't know. Millions of people will subscribe to HBO Now. I'd bet most of them were either borrowing someone's HBO Go credentials or pirating previously.

true, but like i said it took them way too long to get with the winning team

I really liked what they did with the air-hole scene.

I'm sure there must be a dissertation somewhere about the planetary orbit of a globe that has winter only every so random and for long periods of time.

user posted:

I'm sure there must be a dissertation somewhere about the planetary orbit of a globe that has winter only every so random and for long periods of time.

Wasn't there something about two moons in the backstory? If one were taken away, it could make the planet wobble for a while.

user posted:

I really liked what they did with the air-hole scene.

Yeah that was nicely done.

So, how much does HBO Now cost, anyway? And, is there a limit to the number of devices that can access the account simultaneously?

15 poopadoodles a month. The upper limit on devices might just be how good your internet connection is.

I just checked Couchtuner and all of those leaked episodes are on it. I really want to watch this in clean, clear HD but it'll take a month of waiting for Sundays.

fiddlesticks me.

15 Bucks a month + 80 or so for an AppleTV ...
I think that's less than I'm paying for HBO on Dish.
Looks like I may need to use a little math.

I wonder how long 'till HBO is available on Roku?

user posted:

I just checked Couchtuner and all of those leaked episodes are on it. I really want to watch this in clean, clear HD but it'll take a month of waiting for Sundays.

fiddlesticks me.

You can suffer right along with the rest of us

At least you haven't read the books and know what's going to happen ...

Apple TV is $69 now. Part of why I got it. Also wanted to mirror my iMac on the TV so I can watch CouchT on it.

I think it's another 3 months for the Apple Exclusive. Rocku then.

I watched all four episodes.

I must say, I'm rather disappointed in the small-group fighting skills of the Unsullied. I would've thought they could easily handle a unorganized and lightly armed group of religious fanatics. Nope.

Thanks for the black bar. Preciate it.

Robert B. posted:

I watched all four episodes.

I must say, I'm rather disappointed in the small-group fighting skills of the Unsullied. I would've thought they could easily handle a unorganized and lightly armed group of religious fanatics. Nope.

Ya, I was also surprised. I hate it when writers do human waste like that, make someone have a skill until suddenly the plot line requires them to not have it. The Unsullied had been presented as unstoppable up till now, suddenly they fight like amateurs. Ugh!

Somewhat related in the light of the subdiscussion about HBO Now:

Quote:

Under pressure from an expanding number of cheaper online video services, the long-dominant bundle of channels offered by pay-TV companies is becoming a bit more flexible.
Verizon said Friday that it would let customers pick groups of channels that interest them, a plan that is separate from the traditional bundle that has been offered to customers for years.

Quote:

Verizon will give customers the option to buy a base package for about $55 with more than 35 channels — such as AMC, CNN and Food Network — plus two additional channel packs that have themes including sports, children and lifestyle. You can add more packs, which have about 10 to 17 channels on average, for $10 each, and swap out packs after 30 days. There's no contract required.

From an Associated Press article in my local paper.

I guess we'll just continue with season 5 here despite the string title (unless user decides to rename it).

Let me note that I have NOT seen the 4 leaked episodes, only the 2 that have been shown so far.

I have a prediction: an Emmy nomination--perhaps even a win--for Maisie Williams assuming that the writers give her role of Arya Stark in Braavos the right treatment. I think that it can be a very meaty role that most actors would sacrifice a vital body part to play.

user posted:

Somewhat related in the light of the subdiscussion about HBO Now:

Quote:

Under pressure from an expanding number of cheaper online video services, the long-dominant bundle of channels offered by pay-TV companies is becoming a bit more flexible.
Verizon said Friday that it would let customers pick groups of channels that interest them, a plan that is separate from the traditional bundle that has been offered to customers for years.

Quote:

Verizon will give customers the option to buy a base package for about $55 with more than 35 channels — such as AMC, CNN and Food Network — plus two additional channel packs that have themes including sports, children and lifestyle. You can add more packs, which have about 10 to 17 channels on average, for $10 each, and swap out packs after 30 days. There's no contract required.

From an Associated Press article in my local paper.

I will know they are serious when ESPN stops being mandatory for all subscribers.

Pariah posted:

I will know they are serious when ESPN stops being mandatory for all subscribers.

It's number 1 in ratings so I would imagine it would be a core of nearly all bundles.

All of us who aren't sports nuts are totally in the minority.

Except for the threads namesake, this group probably isn't that mainstream.
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/ratings ... 201391036/

Of course Pariah could come out of the closet and admit he watches Halmark.

Quote:

“Bitchin’ Rides” contributed to the gains, as did returnees including “Fantomworks,” “Wheeler Dealers” and “Overhaulin.”

Very glad to be out of the mainstream.

I wish to talk about the books but this is NOT a spoiler. The...um, problem is that Martin HAS taken part of the HBO series in a different direction that is NOT in the books, possibly including parts of his yet-to-be-published book 6, The Winds of Winter, in combination with plot- and character-compressions.

At the end of book 5, A Dance with Dragons:
1) Brienne and Podrick are STILL looking for signs of Sansa Stark, having been led off into various side adventures when rumor led them astray. In the books they NEVER (yet) meet either of the Stark girls after each of them disappeared from King's Landing. They learned that Arya Stark possibly might still be alive because they run into a man who said he buried the Hound after he died and that Arya had been with him, that man's proof being having the Hound's horse (instead of meeting with and being killed by Brienne, the Hound was seriously wounded by a band of highwaymen but managed to get himself and Arya away). There is more to Brienne's story which I have left out because that part may yet be revealed in the HBO series.

2) Littlefinger and Sansa Stark (still MOSTLY under the guise of "Alayne Stone", Littlefinger's bastard via a [noble?] girl he "knew" in Braavos years ago) have retreated from the Eyrie to the lower (thus more hospitable for Winter) parts of the Vale, still watching over young Robin Arryn. Littlefinger had planned that "Alayne" would be revealed to be Sansa in order to be married to a Vale noble, the closest male relative to Robin AND next in line to inherit the Vale should Robin die without issue.

3) After being declared Roose Bolton's heir, Ramsay Bolton married "Arya Stark" (actually Jeyne Poole, a member of the Stark's household that went to King's Landing and Arya's best friend outside of family. Jeyne was "persuaded" by Cersei through Littlefinger--before he left King's Landing--to take on the role). In part to further establish his family's hold over the North, in part to goad Stannis Baratheon to take action, Ramsay and "Arya" were installed in the ruins of Winterfell. Again, there is more to Ramsay's story but I've made it very roughly concurrent with the HBO series now.

The other parts of the HBO series have more-or-less followed the books, though the series is now pulling from books 3 (the ending part), 4 and 5 and probably yet-to-be-published 6 because of the timeline mess that Martin created.

What Martin will do to reconcile the HBO series with the books is a mystery to me. Perhaps he will simply declare the series to be the "true" account and book 6 will continue the story from the series.

I can't believe they killed Sean Bean's character. Is it too late to get a pic of me sitting in the throne of swords?

didn't they openly say they're diverging from the books?

Yes they did.

This thread isn't about books you heathens. It's about television.

You know, Balon Greyjoy and Walder Frey are still out there ...

rapey rapey

Farmerkev posted:

Pariah posted:

I will know they are serious when ESPN stops being mandatory for all subscribers.

It's number 1 in ratings so I would imagine it would be a core of nearly all bundles.

That's fine. I am totally happy simply pirating practically everything I watch. I am completely content not paying the entertainment cartels, I doubt they are all that happy about it though.
They are welcome to keep making ESPN mandatory but as long as they do they won't be getting any of my money. They have no leverage.

TOS posted:

rapey rapey

Those were tears of joy!

Except for Reek. He's just jealous.

Lookin' for a rooster merchant.

Pariah posted:

Farmerkev posted:

Pariah posted:

I will know they are serious when ESPN stops being mandatory for all subscribers.

It's number 1 in ratings so I would imagine it would be a core of nearly all bundles.

That's fine. I am totally happy simply pirating practically everything I watch. I am completely content not paying the entertainment cartels, I doubt they are all that happy about it though.
They are welcome to keep making ESPN mandatory but as long as they do they won't be getting any of my money. They have no leverage.

How very civilized of you.

user posted:

TOS posted:

rapey rapey

Those were tears of joy!

Except for Reek. He's just jealous.

That scene was gross.

jkahless posted:

Lookin' for a rooster merchant.

that line sounded like something from Oglaf

Conner posted:

Pariah posted:

Farmerkev posted:

Pariah posted:

I will know they are serious when ESPN stops being mandatory for all subscribers.

It's number 1 in ratings so I would imagine it would be a core of nearly all bundles.

That's fine. I am totally happy simply pirating practically everything I watch. I am completely content not paying the entertainment cartels, I doubt they are all that happy about it though.
They are welcome to keep making ESPN mandatory but as long as they do they won't be getting any of my money. They have no leverage.

How very civilized of you.

I am cool like that.

Coldplay's Game of Thrones: The Musical (Full 12-minute version)