HBO Max arrives in Serbia - my EXPERIENCES (positive and negative)

HBO Max has been officially available to users from Serbia since a few days ago (March 8, 2022). I was very happy with this service because I had nice experiences with my predecessor - HBO GO. What are your experiences with HBO Max? Are they better, or worse, what are the advantages, and what are the disadvantages…? I write about all this in the continuation of the article.

Note: the article is not sponsored, I am writing a personal experience!

HBO Max subscription price

This service with us costs only € 6.99 per month, but if you subscribe by the end of March 2022, you will have a 33% discount for life. So, the subscription will cost you only € 4.66! So, if you subscribe now, you will have that 33% discount for the rest of your life, provided you do not stop paying at some point.

HBO Max content - what's in the price?

• Complete HBO content
• Max Originals content
• Complete DC content
• Complete Warner Bros. content
• Complete Cartoon Network content
• Complete Discovery+ content (to be added during 2022)
• Watch on up to 3 different devices at the same time
• Up to 5 separate profiles within the account
• Access 13,000 hours of content
• Serbian translation on all contents (to be checked)
• Watching on TV, phone, tablet, computer…
• Offline viewing if you are on the go and without the net
• Selected 4K HDR titles
• Regularly add new content

Huh, so a lot of it. If you watch 8 hours a day, it would take you more than 4 years to watch everything, provided they don't add new content - and they add constantly. In translation: you will never run out of content to watch.

Realistically, the price is very acceptable and you get convincingly the most for it compared to other similar domestic and foreign services. For example, if you compare the price with Netflix packages, it is clear that HBO Max is a far more cost-effective option.

HBO Max - positive

I tested the service and collected positive impressions, although a lot was transferred from the HBO GO service.

Very fast TV application

The hardware in my Android TV isn’t exactly at an enviable level (as it is in most Android TVs) so I thought the app would break terribly. However, it works without any problems, it is very fast, it does not "chop", it does not skip clicks, and the video starts within a second or two… I was pleasantly surprised.

Lots of content for the OK price

All the content is unlocked, there is so much to watch and there will always be at least something for everyone. For that price, convincingly the best offer. If you are looking for the most content for the least money, this is the package for you.

Navigation in the application

The interface is the same for all our devices, so it is very easy to switch from one to another. I especially liked the fact that the interface on the TV is very well adapted to the remote controls. With very few clicks, you can access the content you want.

Serbian translation for all contents

In fact, I'm not sure if absolutely every movie/series has a Serbian translation, but so far it has had everything I've tried. There are many titles to try on each, but the most popular is the Serbian translation. I sent an inquiry to HBO to confirm this but they did not respond.

This is also the biggest advantage (besides the price) compared to all other streaming competitors. If the Serbian translation is important to you, you will not find it better than this.

Warner Bros, DC, Cartoon Network, Max Originals

Dune, Matrix, Tenet, Friends, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Shazam, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, Donald the Duck, Scooby-Doo… movies, series, and cartoons we all love are available by subscription.

HBO GO subscribers have Max at the same price

If you already have a subscription to HBO, HBO GO, or HBO Portugal, then you have access to HBO Max. Other HBO services will be unavailable soon, so all you need to do is switch to the new HBO Max.

If you do not have an HBO subscription, my advice is to use this promotion of 4.66 euros because our operators charge more (Telenor - 809 RSD, SBB - 720 RSD, A1 - I did not find, MTS - I did not find).

HBO Max - negative

Now, some flaws are more "could have but 'not so fast" than some serious shortcomings that would cause someone to give up the package. However, I want to list them here for two reasons: 1) that users know what awaits them; 2) and for the HBO company to see what matters to users.

No fast rewind (TV)

If you use the app on your TV, to rewind, say, half a clip, you have to click the rewind button a thousand times. It would be much more convenient if you could just hold the button.

No auto intro skip

You have to watch the intro (introductory spike) of the series every time unless you rewind it manually. It's easy on a computer and a phone, but it's not easy on TV - which I mentioned above.

Update: it actually has this option, but I haven't noticed it in all series and episodes. Maybe they are slowly adding it, and maybe some series just don't have it.

The translation must always be chosen

In the application settings, I set the subtitle (translation) to always be visible, but that doesn't help, I always have to choose the translation. When a video is played, subtitles are turned off. The translation icon must be clicked to select the desired translation from the list. It's quite irritating.

Cannot mark content as "viewed"

There is no option to mark some content as "viewed" or "unseen". It is not clear to me why this does not exist if most similar VOD applications have it.

A scanty display of information about the film/series

When you open a movie or series, you only have the basics of the information: actors, director, director, duration, age… There will be no trailer anywhere, see the IMDB rating… generally a little more information would be welcome.

Very little 4K HDR content

Only selected titles (only 6!) Currently have 4K HDR support, everything else is 1080p. This is a huge minus.

No integration with Google Home

This will be a disadvantage for a small number of users, because in Serbia few people have a Google Nest speaker at all, and even fewer use it to play movies on TV. However, I use the Google Nest speaker every day and the inability to connect to HBO Max is a really big drawback.

HBO Max Experience - Conclusion

As you can see, the service offers so much, but it also has so many shortcomings that simply spoil the enjoyment of that content. If they fixed it my rating would be 10/10 without thinking. Like this, 9/10.

Do you subscribe to HBO Max? If you like movies and series - definitely. So much content for only 550 RSD per month (with a 33% discount) is definitely worth it. Even at full price, it is far more cost-effective than other streaming services.