uHBO Now: Our Initial Hands-On Thoughtsr

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  Earlier today, HBO finally released its HBO Now standalone streaming service, and because we’d be remiss in not trying the service out for you, we gave it a shot.

  
  

  Here are the most important things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to consider HBO Now:

  
  

  1. You Can Get It On Your TV Without Apple TV

  
  

  While Apple TV is currently the only set-top streaming device authorized to bring HBO Now directly to your TV screen, we had no problem getting the stream running on the Consumerist Cave’s TV. Rather than use a mobile device, we accessed HBO Now through HBOnow.com, connected our laptop to the TV with an HDMI cord, mirrored the screens and changed the audio output on the computer to HDMI.

  
  

  It wasn’t as crystal-clear as watching HBO from a pay-TV provider, but if you want to watch Silicon Valley on the big screen this Sunday, you don’t need an Apple TV or a cable subscription.

  
  

  2. No Live Streaming

  
  

  HBO has said since the service was announced that HBO Now would not offer live access to the premium network, but a number of reports have perpetuated the myth — especially in the wake of Sling’s announcement that it will carry live HBO access — that HBO Now would be a 1:1 replacement for the channel.

  
  

  This probably won’t matter to many people, so long as HBO adds new content to HBO Now in a timely manner. If users have to wait too long for new episodes of Game of Thrones to be added, there will be very angry cord-cutters in King’s Landing.

  
  

  We expect that, like HBO Go, HBO Now users can expect same-day posting of new episodes.

  
  

  3. It’s Basically HBO Go

  
  

  Speaking of HBO Go, anyone familiar with that service will not be surprised by anything they see here. The interface is nearly identical and we couldn’t find any differences in terms of available content. The library of HBO shows is there, as is the selection on non-HBO movies. Heck, even the “Late Night” content is included.

  
  

  The only notable difference we encountered during our brief hands-on is the size of the in-browser player. If you’re watching HBO Now content on the HBOnow.com site, the player is much smaller than the one used in HBO Go. That said, both services allow you to go full-screen with a click.

  
  

  4. Signing Up

  
  

  We accessed HBO Now through iTunes. The app itself is free (so your kids can’t accidentally subscribe you to a $15/month plan just by knowing your password), but you’ll then have to provide some basic info for the purposes of registration.

  
  

  It was painless, as such things go. We can’t comment on the Cablevision registration process as we didn’t go that route (because we don’t have Cablevision service).

  
  

  In terms of accessing the service through the HBOnow.com website, users who registered through iTunes will just enter whatever e-mail address and password they used when they set the account up. Users who registered through Cablevision go through an authentication login process similar to the way HBO Go users login.

  
  

  5. Cancellation

  
  

  We haven’t cancelled the subscription yet, if only because we want to see how it holds up this weekend. However, the HBO Now terms confirm that subscriptions are sold on a month-to-month basis, so you can cancel whenever you want, though you won’t get any refund because you’ll continue to have access until the end of the month you’ve paid for.

  
  

  You also can’t cancel your subscription through the HBO Now site; it has to be done through whichever provider sold you the subscription to begin with.

  
  

  The Bottom Line

  
  

  HBO Now is really exactly what most cord-cutters have been asking for since HBO Go launched — a version of that service that doesn’t require a pay-TV subscription.

  
  

  What remains to be seen is how well the service will hold up under high demand. That test will come Sunday night when millions of people crash the Internet trying to watch the season premiere of Veep.

  
  

  But considering that HBO doesn’t need to deal with those high-traffic concerns 99% of the time, the future of HBO Now will ultimately come down to whether or not all those millions of people who said they would pay for standalone HBO Go will part with $15/month for HBO Now.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uWhat It’s Like To Run Through A Toy Store And Grab Whatever You Wantr

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  (YouTube)

  
  
  
  Winning the chance to run through a toy store as a kid and grab anything and everything your heart could desire, Nickelodeon’s Super Toy Run was the epitome of luck, making the show’s winners the subject of intense envy back in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. So what was it like to live the dream?
  

  The A.V. Club’s Marah Eakin spoke with two people who scored a five-minute run through Kay Bee Toy Stores (as KB Toys was known then) or Toys “R” Us, epic events that were beamed into the eyeballs of the very jealous Nickelodeon audience. No begging, pleading or wheedling with parents — this was unbridled freedom.

  
  

  Watching it on TV was exciting enough, imagining what you’d do if you ever got that lucky — so what was it really like for those racing through the aisles? It was awesome, of course — but also? Sounds like a lot of work.

  
  

  “There was tons of preparation involved in the sense that Toys “R” Us is a huge department store for a little 4-foot child to be pushing a big shopping cart through at high speed,” one participant recalls. “I was actually pretty shocked—and I still can’t believe to this day—but they allowed me to rearrange the store into a format that would be the most advantageous for me.”

  
  

  The other said while he didn’t get to rearrange the store to his liking, Nickelodeon helped facilitate his run as well.

  
  

  “If there was something heavy that I wanted, they would just put a tag to it that I could grab and throw in the cart,” he explains. “My dad insisted on me picking up this giant Barney plush doll that was about four feet tall. I asked him why he wanted that, and he said, ‘Because it’s $500, so get it.’

  
  

  On that note, one guy says he should’ve gotten more big items that could be collected with just a paper ticket.

  
  

  “I remember I got four bicycles,” he recalls. “Four easy pieces of paper that you just had to pick up and throw in the cart. That was really where I should have gone nuts.”

  
  

  Equipment was in plentiful supply as well — with as many carts as the kids wanted all throughout the store. So that when one was filled, another empty one was available.

  
  

  Grabbing stuff off the shelves isn’t an effortless process either, pointed out one participant, as the rows of toys are very dense. Even though everyone told him to trust run and rake the toys off the shelf into his cart, he tried that method out in testing beforehand and found it lacking.

  
  

  “I was small for 11,” he says of the resulting difficult maneuver. “There was no way that I could move more than three or four boxes with my arm out. It would just pull my arm back. So all that stuff went out the window.”

  
  

  Host Mike O’Malley was also an unexpected ally, one guy remembers.

  
  

  “It was strange. It was an adult talking to a child like he was talking to another adult, giving me strategy,” he tells Eakin. “Like, ‘the actual rules are, if things fall on the floor, that’s just as good in the carts.’ I couldn’t believe that he was like, ‘Literally just knock things on the ground.’ “

  
  

  When the day came, he says he forgot about that trick until he was in the third or fourth aisle.

  
  

  “Then, I just started punching things off the shelf and knocked action figures on the ground and things like that. It was a mess, really.”

  
  

  A beautiful mess that any kid I knew back then would’ve been happy to make, you can be sure of that. I’m still feeling pretty jealous right now actually, so good for you, guys.

  
  

  For more on what it’s like to be the luckiest kid on the entire darn planet, check out the rest of Eakin’s Q&A on A.V. Club.

  
  

  “I got 4 bikes”: 2 Nickelodeon Super Toy Run winners reminisce 20 years later [A.V. Club]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uAt Long Last, ‘HBO Now’ Launches On iTunes, Cablevisionr

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  After what seems like an eternity, and with only five days to go before the season premiere of Game of Thrones, HBO’s standalone streaming service HBO Now is finally available.

  
  

  As initially announced, Apple’s iTunes is selling access to the service on a nationwide basis for $14.99/month. People served by Cablevision’s Optimum Online broadband service can add HBO Now to their monthly bill for the same amount.

  
  

  The service is currently limited to viewing via computer or through Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.

  
  

  HBO plans to expand the availability to Android phones/tablets and non-Apple set-top streaming devices, but has not provided any timelines or named any future partners. Additionally, it’s expected that other cable and Internet providers will make HBO Now available as an add-on for their broadband packages.

  
  

  Both iTunes and Cablevision are offering 30-day free trials for HBO Now.

  
  

  We’ll be giving it a shot this afternoon and hope to have some initial feedback on HBO Now for you soon.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uStudy: Which Commercial Diet Programs Are The Most Effective?r

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  (Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie)

  
  
  
  

  The world of commercial diet programs can be overwhelming, with this, that and the other company all flashing before-and-after photos and promising their regimens are the best. While we’ve all seen the “results not typical” disclaimer flash on the screen below weight-loss winners, how effective are these programs when it comes to really losing the weight and keeping it off?

  
  

  Researchers publishing a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked into the efficacy of commercial diet programs, but found that beyond the popular Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig systems, there really wasn’t much evaluation of other programs’ long-term results available.

  
  

  The study’s authors compared weight loss, how long people retained that weight loss and potential harms of weight-loss programs against a control of just being educated and receiving only printed materials or fewer than three sessions with a provider or behavioral counseling, among overweight and obese adults.

  
  

  There were a total of 11 popular diet programs included in the results of 45 studies the researchers looked at, with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig coming out on top of things like the Atkins Diet and Medifast. None of the diet companies were involved in carrying out the study.

  
  

  After 12 months Weight Watchers participants had 2.6% greater weight loss than the control groups, while people on Jenny Craig’s system had at least 4.9% greater weight loss.

  
  

  To put it another way, the researchers found that Weight Watchers dieters shed on average at least 8 pounds and kept it off for at least 12 months, while Jenny Craig participants lost at least 15 pounds and kept it off for a year as well.

  
  

  “It’s a really important first step to reach,” even if it doesn’t meet patients’ expectations, study author Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, an internist and researcher at Johns Hopkins University’s medical school told the Associated Press.

  
  

  Efficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs: An Updated Systematic Review [Annals of Internal Medicine]
  
  Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig get best marks in diet review [Associated Press]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uNetflix Announces First Slate Of “Recommended” TVsr

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  At International CES in January, Netflix revealed that it was going to begin evaluating web-connected TV sets to determine which ones were the best for accessing Netflix’s videos. Today, the company unveiled its first slate TVs that will carry its “Recommended” badge of distinction.

  
  

  Netflix says it used several criteria to determine whether a set merits the Recommended status.

  
  

  In terms of performance, the company looked at how quickly the Netflix app launches, how long it takes for a video to begin playing, and how readily you can resume playback from a stopped video.

  
  

  But what’s the point of having a high-performance app if it’s a pain to get to and to use? Thus, Netflix looked at two Ease of Access criteria — single-button access to Netflix from the remote, and prominent placement of the app on the TV screen.

  
  

  Additionally, there is the issue of whether apps are made available to the user when they turn on the TV or if the user has to navigate to a separate screen to access apps.

  
  

  While Netflix has initially given its thumbs-up to three groups of TV sets, odds are that you don’t have any of the Netflix Recommended sets in your living room, as 2/3 of them aren’t even available yet.

  
  

  The only models that are currently on sale are the Roku TV sets (which were shown at CES in 2014) from Chinese manufacturers TCL and Hisense. These sets operate using a Roku interface, so unlike many connected TVs where you have to launch a separate interface to access apps, Netflix and other services are readily available from the main screen.

  
  

  Netflix made its announcement about the Recommended program at the LG press conference at CES, so it’s not surprising that some LG sets made the cut. However, these are not your run-of-the-mill screens. The LG sets getting the Recommended badge are the upcoming 4K UHD models with webOS 2.0. Netflix praised the speedy start-up time for apps on the set, along with operating system’s ease of switching between apps and inputs.

  
  

  The final group of TVs recommended by Netflix are Sony’s upcoming Bravia sets with the Android TV operating system. “TV turns on and launches Netflix with one press of the Netflix button on remote,” writes Netflix. “Apps can resume quickly and return where you left off.”

  
  

  Netflix says that these are just the beginning and that more Recommended sets will be added to the list in the future.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uWalmart Joins List Of Retailers Removing All Blue Bell Ice Cream Products From Shelvesr

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  (Ben Schumin)

  
  
  
  

  Yesterday, we reported that three major retailers removed Blue Bell Creameries products from shelves out of an abundance of caution following a link between the products and an outbreak of listeriosis. Now, the largest retailer in the country – Walmart – is following suit.

  
  

  The Killeen Daily Herald reports that Walmart has joined the growing list of retailers such as H-E-B, Kroger and Sam’s Club pulling the ice cream products from shelves following recalls of several Blue Bell items.

  
  

  A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed that the products had been removed, but says the company is working with Blue Bell to restock supplies. However, there is no timeline for when that might occur.

  
  

  Walmart owns Sam’s Club, so it would make sense the larger retailer would eventually remove the products.

  
  

  Grocers, now also including Albertsons and Tom Thumb, began pulling the ice cream products over the weekend after Blue Bell announced it would close a Broken Arrow, OK, plant linked to the outbreak of listeriosis.

  
  

  A spokesperson for Blue Bell says the company understands that retailers chose to remove products out of an abundance of caution to protect consumers, but that many of the products being withheld haven’t been linked to the Oklahoma plant.

  
  

  In addition to stores voluntarily pulling all or some of their Blue Bell ice cream products, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation that consumers not eat any products produced at the temporarily closed plant.

  
  

  Products made at the facility can be identified by a code at the bottom of the container. If the letters “O,” “P,” “Q,” “R,” “S,” or “T” appear as the final character in the date code, then it would have been produced in the Oklahoma plant.

  
  
  
  

  Consumers should check the bottom of their ice cream containers for a code that would link their product to a specific Blue Bell Plant. [CDC]

  
  
  
  For example, if a Blue Bell product is labeled “021217S,” it was produced at the Oklahoma facility because the letter “S” follows the “code date.”
  

  “Consumers should check their freezers for any of these products and throw them away, even if some of the product has been eaten and no one has become ill,” the CDC says. “Institutions and retailers should also carefully check their freezers or inventory for any of these products. These products can have a shelf life of up to 2 years.”

  
  

  Blue Bell previously recalled several ice cream items in mid-March after tests linked the products to an outbreak of listeriosis that sickened five people in Kansas, three of whom later died.

  
  

  A joint investigation found that certain Blue Bell brand ice cream products are the likely source of some or all of the people’s illnesses.

  
  

  The five people who became ill in Kansas were confirmed to be infected with one of four strains of Listeria monocytogenes. All five people – older in age – were hospitalized at the same hospital for unrelated problems before developing invasive listeriosis, suggesting they were infected at the hospital, the CDC reports.

  
  

  Investigators say the illnesses began between January 2014 and January 2015. Although some of the illnesses began more than a year ago, the listeria cluster identified earlier this month shows that some of the infections are indistinguishable, meaning they are likely from the same source.

  
  

  Of the patients infected, four consumed milkshakes made with a single serving Blue Bell brand ice cream called Scoops while they were in the hospital.

  
  

  Recalled products included three-ounce chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream cups with tab lids served in institutional and food service areas, such as hospitals. The original recall also included widely sold products such as Scoops, Chocolate Chip Country Cookies, Great Divide Bars, Sour Pop Green Apple Bars, Cotton Candy Bars, Vanilla Stick Slices, Almond Bars and No Sugar Added Moo Bars.

  
  

  Wal-Mart stores, commissaries follow H-E-B, pull Blue Bell from shelves [Killeen Daily Herald]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uHere’s How You Get A Fast Food Chain To Foot The Entire Bill For Your Weddingr

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  (Jeepers Media)

  
  
  
  Want a fast food chain to sponsor your wedding, provide gifts and generally shell out a bunch of cash so you don’t have to? It’s simple! Just be born with one half of a chain’s name, meet and fall in love with someone who has the other half and voila! You’re getting hitched for free, courtesy of Burger King.
  

  A couple with the last names of “Burger” and “King” in Illinois have been the darlings of the Internet after their engagement announcement last week for the “Burger-King” wedding hit the news.

  
  

  Yesterday the brand added another proposal into the mix — to pay the expenses and provide gifts for the Illinois couple’s wedding on July 17, reports The State Journal-Register.

  
  

  The twosome flipped the order of their last names for the engagement announcement (apparently the woman’s last name usually leads, for whatever old-fashioned reason), as they’ve been known as Burger-King since they were in the fifth grade together. After many twists and turns, they ended up falling in love and deciding to make the Burger-King thing official.

  
  

  Their engagement photo featured the couple in front of their local Burger King, taking full advantage of the theme, which then caught the eye of news outlets all over the world.

  
  

  The couple had already tried to reach out to Burger King, but once The State Journal-Register had run a column on them and reached out to the company’s media relations, the ball started to really roll. On Monday, Burger King surprised the couple with the news via Skype.

  
  

  They were surprised, to say the least: “We were just blown away,” he said. “We were shaking,” she added.

  
  

  The company is providing party favors, gift bags, Mason Jars and Burger King crowns, all personalized for the couple’s wedding. And then there’s the paying for the whole wedding part.

  
  

  “When we heard about the happy, Burger-King couple, we felt an overwhelming urge to celebrate their upcoming marriage,” a Burger King Brand spokesman told the State -Journal Register. “On so many levels it felt like fate; they found each other and their story found us.”

  
  

  “And now we hope we’ve swept them off their feet. All we ask in return is that they live happily ever after,” he added.

  
  

  Burger King picking up tab for Burger-King wedding [The State Journal-Register]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist