HBO Max Will Support 3 Simultaneous Streams, Up to 30 Offline Downloads, but No 4K at Launch
With HBO Max officially launched, some of the remaining questions have been answered. Mostly those whether or not it would support 4K, how many people can watch at the same time, and how many shows you can download to your mobile device.
How Many Shows and Movies Are in 4K?
Unfortunately, at launch HBO Max does not support 4K HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, or Dolby Vision. The company says that it’s on the roadmap and they hope to add support for 4K in the future. Most content supports Dolby Digital 5.1, but Dolby Atmos, while on their roadmap, won’t be available at launch either.
In comparison Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video all have some content in 4K.
Apple TV+ has their entire catalog in 4K with support for Dolby Vision, which gives the highest quality video experience.
How Many Simultaneous Streams Does HBO Max Does Support?
Whether you are using a mobile device or your streaming player, you can stream on up to three devices at the same time. You can have the app installed on more devices than that and can create up to 5 user profiles — including those that support Kids Mode.
In comparison to other Video Streaming Services, Netflix allows streaming on a single device with their “Basic” ($11.99) plan, with simultaneous access on two devices on their “Standard” ($15.49) plan, and four devices on their “Premium” ($22.99) plan. On the other hand, Hulu can be logged into as many devices as you like, but only two can be streaming at the same time.
Amazon Prime Video allows you to stream up to three different titles at the same time using the same Amazon account, but the same title can only be streamed by two devices simultaneously. Disney+ allows you to stream on up to four devices at the same time and across up to 7 user profiles.
Apple TV+ is the most generous when it comes to concurrent streams, allowing simultaneous streaming across six different devices at the same time. SHOWTIME and CBS All Access can be used across a maximum of three simultaneous streams.
How Many Shows Can I Download Offline?
When you’re on a long flight, nothing is better than being able to watch your favorite streaming service without an internet connection. Most services offer downloaded access a certain number of titles (an entire series counts as a single title) for up to 30 days until you have to renew offline access — and HBO Max is no different.
Similar to other services you will need to refresh HBO Max downloads every 30 days, but an additional restriction is once you start viewing a show or movie you’ll need to finish it in 48 hours.
With HBO Max, your account can have a total of 30 downloads (across all profiles and devices). Once your account has 30 downloads, you’ll need to delete downloads on a device.
You can have the same show or movie downloaded on up to five devices at the same time.