At this point, it’s probably safe to assume that if you’re not yet watching Westworld, you’re feeling as left out of the bigger picture as the androids roaming within its walls. The sci-fi-western hybrid drew more viewers during its October debut than any HBO premiere not called True Detective, and ratings remain high despite stiff competition from the seventh season of AMC ‘s The Walking Dead. With each episode of Westworld, the plot thickens, setting the eponymous theme park up for an interesting, and potentially catastrophic, future.
Thankfully, there are several different ways to get your Westworld fix online if you don’t have access to the secret cameras that line the park’s dusty streets and seedy saloons. HBO offers two streaming services: HBO Go, which requires a cable or satellite subscription, and HBO Now, which does not. If neither option floats your boat, there are other ways to legally head down to the park, via a pair of online streaming services in Sling TV and Playstation Vue. Next stop: Westworld.
If you’ve subscribed to HBO through your cable provider, HBO Go is the best way to watch the network’s vast array of content on demand. Using your browser or the official HBO Go app — which is available on a number of devices — you can stream any of HBO’s shows in high definition, including Westworld. You’ll also have access to behind-the-scenes footage, sneak peeks at future episodes, and a rotating selection of movies that includes both blockbusters and independent films.
Accessing HBO Go online or through the accompanying app requires you to have access to a premium HBO package. If you already have cable, you can expect an HBO subscription to cost you $15 or more, with the exact rate fluctuating based on your region and current promotions. HBO Go comes along for the ride, however, and can be accessed using the HBO Go website or a slew of different platforms. We’ve included a list of supported devices below, but keep in mind that HBO Go availability is based on your service provider and may not be available for certain platforms within a specified area. New episodes of Westworld will be available at the same time as the broadcast.
Luckily, the folks at HBO realized that the cord-cutting revolution is on, and that forcing customers to subscribe to a cable package is an antiquated and ineffective tactic. Last year, the network introduced HBO Now, a standalone streaming service for fans without cable. After the 30-day trial period, customers will pay $15 per month for unlimited access to the full HBO catalog, including (of course) Westworld.
It’s also important to note that, while HBO Now was once exclusive to Apple devices, the service is now available on a wide variety of devices and via web browsers. If you’re not interested in cable, or cable alternatives like Sling TV, this is going to be your best option. See the full list of compatible devices below.
Dish Network’s Sling TV service resides somewhere in the murky ether between traditional cable and streaming services. Sling offers customers the opportunity to access a live television package online on the cheap, with the basic Sling Orange package priced at just $20 a month. So long as you’re subscribed to Sling Orange or Sling Blue — the other basic package, priced at $25 a month — you’re free to add additional premium channels to your package. Just like a subscription to HBO Now, you’ll need to shell out $15 a month to add HBO to Sling TV, but if you’re already looking for live sports and other programming, without a cable package, this could be a great option.
If you do decide to pony up the necessary $35 for the core offering and HBO, you’ll be able to access the same wealth of content you would if you decided to opt for HBO Go or HBO Now. Additionally, the Sling TV app is available across a wide range of devices (outlined below). It’s definitely one of the more expensive ways to go, but it does guarantee you’ll have immediate access to new Westworld episodes as they air, in addition to a plethora of desirable channels. And while Sling’s cheaper option, Sling Orange, only allows you to stream on one device at a time, HBO doesn’t follow that restriction. With either Sling TV package, you can stream HBO on up to three devices simultaneously.
Sony’s PlayStation Vue streaming service may be in its infancy, but it’s another viable option if you’re looking to stream Westworld on a variety of devices, and you want some live TV in the mix. Basic packages start at $30 (though prices vary depending on location), offering a broad list of channels, including sports, news, and popular cable channels. As with Sling TV, you can add HBO for $15 a month. It’s not quite as affordable or customizable as the latter service, but Vue’s 50+ channel list outdoes Sling TV.
Customers can utilize the service on their PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 consoles, but it’s not limited to Sony devices. There’s a Vue app available for Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV devices, and Chromecast is also supported. Curiously, however, you need a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, a Roku device, or an Amazon Fire TV device in order to complete the sign-up process. Users can also stream PlayStation Vue content on their computer; the site supports several browsers, but you’ll need to designate one computer as your ‘home’ site in order to watch. Just like Sling TV, a subscription will let you access the full HBO catalog, from Westworld to The Wire. Vue also allows users to stream on up to five devices at the same time, though, for some reason, PlayStation consoles are excluded from this feature. Below, check out the full list of Vue-compatible devices.
China just gave Hollywood a cautionary tale about AI filmmaking. Sanxingdui: Future Past, billed as the country's first fully AI-generated movie, hit theaters on October 23 and bombed at the box office.
According to Futurism, the film's reported $1.5 million production budget landed on more than 10,000 screens. Yet it pulled in only about $181,000, averaging roughly $20 per screen, making the budget difficult to recover.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?