The Criterion Channel

[format916]

That doesn’t work on my Roku.

[hariseldon]

Just a heads up and a warning for folks have skimmed the legalese in some of the preannouncements and encouraging people to sign up as a Charter Member.

Maybe some saw or already knew this, but I missed it entirely and borked myself -- nobody really to blame by myself, but maybe this will prevent others from the same mistake

"The Criterion Channel will launch in the U.S. and Canada and will be available on desktop browsers as well as through apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, iOS, and Android and Android TV devices. Subscribers who sign up by April 7 will enjoy an extended, 30-day free trial (starting April 8), reduced fees for as long as they remain subscribed, and immediate access to a new pre-launch, members-only Movie of the Week every Wednesday between now and the April 8 launch."

This was in several of the signup now emails trying to get people to sign-up early -- permanent benefits for being an early adopter -- sounds OK to me.

Apparently in one of the later versions and/or buried that I never saw it or read it or saw is discussed is this line and as far as I can tell this notation wasn't in most of the emails sent out and wasn't in the main Charter Subscriber announcement. Some of the old emails were still in my trash folder, though not all of them

"To secure your Charter Subscriber status, please make sure to create your account before April 8, when our service officially launches. After April 7, you won’t be eligible for reduced pricing and an extended, 30-day free trial. (Please note: when choosing between the monthly and yearly subscriptions, keep in mind that if you switch your billing frequency on or after April 8, your subscription rate will automatically update to the prevailing cost at the time you switch.)"

The website that I checked has no mention of this and there is no warning in the Billing section in the "Change My Plan" button. There was also no mention of this in the "Welcome and thank you for becoming a Charter Member" email since I still had that one

I decided to initially sign up for the monthly with the plan to give it the free month and maybe one or two more to see if I could handle this service any more than the other streaming services. After a couple weeks it was pretty obvious I couldn't between by internet not liking streaming channels and massive eyestrain that it seems to cause me, I was going to cancel. At the last minute, I changed my mind and was going to change to the full year plan to support Criterion in general since I have enjoyed their work for 30+ years. As soon as I changed it I saw the $99.99 number pop up and the Change to Monthly Plan Button now listed 10.99/month.

I screwed up my charter pricing up front and on the backside by missing the fine print.
I contacted Criterion (or whoever runs their email contact for the streaming) and got this response.
"As it sounds like you’ve noticed, if you change your billing frequency after the channel launched, your account will default to the standard member rate. Criterion messaged all Charter members about this fact prior to launch, but I’m sorry if you missed it."

Maybe I wasn't in the best of moods at that point, but that way the message seems to read didn't sit well with me at all. Oh well, saved my $90 for other uses. I guess I'm an ex Hulu, ex Netflix, ex CC, ex Filmstruck member now.

[YogiYahooeys]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

[Show spoiler]Just a heads up and a warning for folks have skimmed the legalese in some of the preannouncements and encouraging people to sign up as a Charter Member.

Maybe some saw or already knew this, but I missed it entirely and borked myself -- nobody really to blame by myself, but maybe this will prevent others from the same mistake

"The Criterion Channel will launch in the U.S. and Canada and will be available on desktop browsers as well as through apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, iOS, and Android and Android TV devices. Subscribers who sign up by April 7 will enjoy an extended, 30-day free trial (starting April 8), reduced fees for as long as they remain subscribed, and immediate access to a new pre-launch, members-only Movie of the Week every Wednesday between now and the April 8 launch."

This was in several of the signup now emails trying to get people to sign-up early -- permanent benefits for being an early adopter -- sounds OK to me.

Apparently in one of the later versions and/or buried that I never saw it or read it or saw is discussed is this line and as far as I can tell this notation wasn't in most of the emails sent out and wasn't in the main Charter Subscriber announcement. Some of the old emails were still in my trash folder, though not all of them

"To secure your Charter Subscriber status, please make sure to create your account before April 8, when our service officially launches. After April 7, you won’t be eligible for reduced pricing and an extended, 30-day free trial. (Please note: when choosing between the monthly and yearly subscriptions, keep in mind that if you switch your billing frequency on or after April 8, your subscription rate will automatically update to the prevailing cost at the time you switch.)"

The website that I checked has no mention of this and there is no warning in the Billing section in the "Change My Plan" button. There was also no mention of this in the "Welcome and thank you for becoming a Charter Member" email since I still had that one

I decided to initially sign up for the monthly with the plan to give it the free month and maybe one or two more to see if I could handle this service any more than the other streaming services. After a couple weeks it was pretty obvious I couldn't between by internet not liking streaming channels and massive eyestrain that it seems to cause me, I was going to cancel. At the last minute, I changed my mind and was going to change to the full year plan to support Criterion in general since I have enjoyed their work for 30+ years. As soon as I changed it I saw the $99.99 number pop up and the Change to Monthly Plan Button now listed 10.99/month.

I screwed up my charter pricing up front and on the backside by missing the fine print.
I contacted Criterion (or whoever runs their email contact for the streaming) and got this response.
"As it sounds like you’ve noticed, if you change your billing frequency after the channel launched, your account will default to the standard member rate. Criterion messaged all Charter members about this fact prior to launch, but I’m sorry if you missed it."

Maybe I wasn't in the best of moods at that point, but that way the message seems to read didn't sit well with me at all. Oh well, saved my $90 for other uses. I guess I'm an ex Hulu, ex Netflix, ex CC, ex Filmstruck member now.

Wow, yeah, that was a very, very poorly worded response on that CSR's part. As you suggest, Criterion is probably using a third party service to answer their emails and handle customer service, considering their size, so I wouldn't read too much into it. If the real people in charge actually saw that message, they'd likely be horrified.

That said, it was very unfortunate that they setup the charter pricing that way. I'm betting it was more a technical limitation in their billing/pricing system rather than a "screw you for trying to change from a monthly to annual plan" thing, but it certainly doesn't make it feel any better when you get an email response like that.

I don't know what the world would be like if everyone cared and treated their jobs like they owned the company and had an investment in what happened, but I sure would love the opportunity to live in a world like that, if even for just a short while, out of curiosity.

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by YogiYahooeys

I don't know what the world would be like if everyone cared and treated their jobs like they owned the company and had an investment in what happened, but I sure would love the opportunity to live in a world like that, if even for just a short while, out of curiosity.

My interpretation of the original note (accent on the "my") was if you were a charter subscriber, you ONLY had the option to change from a monthly-to-yearly and retain your charter rights & price within the initial 30-day period. Well, if April 8th was day 1, and you count the 30th day, the last day you could have made that change was May 7th....and I agree with the interpretation that much of this IS being handled by a "third-party" if not directly outsourced to begin with. And it's also possible that whatever software they are using doesn't permit the "billing change" beyond the 7th of May...so it cannot be overridden.

You know what else sucks, I got a note a while ago that charter subs get a metal-engraved card for being initial charter subscribers....this foobar likely disqualifies the OP from that as well.

[cgpublic]

Major update today with Chromecast support for some devices and a slew of other changes.

Have to say, recently picked up a 2018 iPad Pro w/ProMotion and HDR, and while streaming has taken on a brand new sheen for all services, CC is at the top.

Great value, charter membership card ordered.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by tjritter79

My interpretation of the original note (accent on the "my") was if you were a charter subscriber, you ONLY had the option to change from a monthly-to-yearly and retain your charter rights & price within the initial 30-day period. Well, if April 8th was day 1, and you count the 30th day, the last day you could have made that change was May 7th....and I agree with the interpretation that much of this IS being handled by a "third-party" if not directly outsourced to begin with. And it's also possible that whatever software they are using doesn't permit the "billing change" beyond the 7th of May...so it cannot be overridden.

You know what else sucks, I got a note a while ago that charter subs get a metal-engraved card for being initial charter subscribers....this foobar likely disqualifies the OP from that as well.

Probably -- the tag would have been nice (I had sent in my request), but not worth the extra $30 per year to have stayed.

I'm actually glad my interpretation of that note wasn't just because I was feeling like a dummy. I was fairly sure that it wasn't a message from the Criterion people who have always gone out of their way to be pleasant and helpful even when they couldn't help. There actually was more the message, but I was so ticked after the first sentence the rest didn't really matter. They offered a one month extension on my initial rate, but wasn't entirely sure if that meant 9.99 for a month and then I'd bump to $10.99 or if they might have let me go back to 9.99 full time (still not what I wanted/needed and especially not the opening line of the message).

I'm just truly dumbfounded that the system wouldn't allow me to upgrade without penalty and more ticked that if I had read the fine print better in late march, I'd have signed up for the Annual plan at the beginning.

Truthfully, you can be a non-charter member cheaper using AppleTV to subscribe and buying $100 itunes GC for $80-85 which is a common enough deal. Maybe at some point I'll consider doing that, but for now I'll just pout for a while.


Here's the full text of the mail just so I don't leave it that sent a one line response and left it at that.
"Hi there,

As it sounds like you’ve noticed, if you change your billing frequency after the channel launched, your account will default to the standard member rate. Criterion messaged all Charter members about this fact prior to launch, but I’m sorry if you missed it.

I know this must be disappointing, and have added a one-time month extension to your current subscription. Additionally, you’ll receive all other Charter subscriber perks, including site discounts, a mailed thank you gift, a membership card, and whatever other perks Criterion dreams up in the future, for as long as you remain an active Charter subscriber. (Just make sure you keep your subscription active, as paused or canceled subscription null the Charter benefits!)

If there’s anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

Shannon M."

[YogiYahooeys]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

[Show spoiler]Probably -- the tag would have been nice (I had sent in my request), but not worth the extra $30 per year to have stayed.

I'm actually glad my interpretation of that note wasn't just because I was feeling like a dummy. I was fairly sure that it wasn't a message from the Criterion people who have always gone out of their way to be pleasant and helpful even when they couldn't help. There actually was more the message, but I was so ticked after the first sentence the rest didn't really matter. They offered a one month extension on my initial rate, but wasn't entirely sure if that meant 9.99 for a month and then I'd bump to $10.99 or if they might have let me go back to 9.99 full time (still not what I wanted/needed and especially not the opening line of the message).

I'm just truly dumbfounded that the system wouldn't allow me to upgrade without penalty and more ticked that if I had read the fine print better in late march, I'd have signed up for the Annual plan at the beginning.

Truthfully, you can be a non-charter member cheaper using AppleTV to subscribe and buying $100 itunes GC for $80-85 which is a common enough deal. Maybe at some point I'll consider doing that, but for now I'll just pout for a while.


Here's the full text of the mail just so I don't leave it that sent a one line response and left it at that.
"Hi there,

As it sounds like you’ve noticed, if you change your billing frequency after the channel launched, your account will default to the standard member rate. Criterion messaged all Charter members about this fact prior to launch, but I’m sorry if you missed it.

I know this must be disappointing, and have added a one-time month extension to your current subscription. Additionally, you’ll receive all other Charter subscriber perks, including site discounts, a mailed thank you gift, a membership card, and whatever other perks Criterion dreams up in the future, for as long as you remain an active Charter subscriber. (Just make sure you keep your subscription active, as paused or canceled subscription null the Charter benefits!)

If there’s anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

Shannon M."

Yeah, I'm not sure I understand what the rep was offering either. My initial interpretation is that you were given one month free, would still receive all Charter benefits, but would have to pay the non-charter pricing scheme, but it really isn't clear at all.

[thebalconyfool]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

I'm just truly dumbfounded that the system wouldn't allow me to upgrade without penalty and more ticked that if I had read the fine print better in late march, I'd have signed up for the Annual plan at the beginning.

I hear you. I made the same mistake.

[Animatic33]

A $10 discount isn’t the end of the world. Even if I had to pay the full $134 CAD I think this service is fantastic, I’m continuing to watch so much on it and the quality of streaming looks to have improved - at least on my set.

Yes, I even cancelled Netflix primarily because this and amazon prime have become my main streaming platforms of choice. Don’t miss it one bit.

[jabba359]

I remember getting that email and making sure I went into my account and changing from my initial monthly plan that I had registered for to the yearly plan. I did this before the trial even began. So I was surprised to find that I was billed for just a month on May 8th. Of course I can't change it to yearly (again) and keep my charter benefits. Yeah, it's only $10/year difference, but it's more the principle of the matter than the dollar amount. I'll be keeping my subscription for a while, but I'm reserving the right to be sightly annoyed about it.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by jabba359

I remember getting that email and making sure I went into my account and changing from my initial monthly plan that I had registered for to the yearly plan. I did this before the trial even began. So I was surprised to find that I was billed for just a month on May 8th. Of course I can't change it to yearly (again) and keep my charter benefits. Yeah, it's only $10/year difference, but it's more the principle of the matter than the dollar amount. I'll be keeping my subscription for a while, but I'm reserving the right to be sightly annoyed about it.

It's not really $10 more if you're on the monthly though. I'd wait until you get the Charter Member Tag, then change to the yearly plan and pay with the Itunes gift card if you have some device that allows you go through APPLE.
The ITunes giftcards are regularly 85 for $100 so you'll save an extra $5 over the Charter annual rate anyway -- unless you just want to stay a Charter member and hope they offer more extra benefits down the line to make it special.

[witheygull]

The Criterion Channel app on my Fire TV box stopped working for some reason. Launching the app would bring up the initial splash screen, but then an error message popped up saying, "Oops, something went wrong."

I corrected the issue by going to the Fire box settings, selecting manage applications, and clearing the cache and data for the app. I needed to re-activate the app, but everything appears to be fine now.

Hope this helps if anyone else encounters this issue.

[u2popmofo]

I'm still impatiently waiting for a Xbox or PlayStation app.

[YogiYahooeys]

Originally Posted by witheygull

The Criterion Channel app on my Fire TV box stopped working for some reason. Launching the app would bring up the initial splash screen, but then an error message popped up saying, "Oops, something went wrong."

I corrected the issue by going to the Fire box settings, selecting manage applications, and clearing the cache and data for the app. I needed to re-activate the app, but everything appears to be fine now.

Hope this helps if anyone else encounters this issue.

It probably was an app crash related to reactivating the app. I've had to reactivate the Roku app 4 times already. It's very annoying. There's no reason why the stupid thing can't just stay logged in...

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Hows the PQ on the content? Is the compression on par with Prime Video and as good as the discs, or is it mushy and clumpy like TubiTv and Vudu?

[TheDarkBlueNight]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

Hows the PQ on the content? Is the compression on par with Prime Video and as good as the discs, or is it mushy and clumpy like TubiTv and Vudu?

In my opinion, the picture quality is very good. Can't compare to their discs as I haven't seen any, though I'd say it's quite hard for streaming to match a properly encoded Blu-Ray.

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

Hows the PQ on the content? Is the compression on par with Prime Video and as good as the discs, or is it mushy and clumpy like TubiTv and Vudu?

I'd say 95% + is excellent to very good.....comparable as much as possible to the BD versions.....However, there are some "clunkers". Corridors Of Blood, a 1958 movie starring Boris Karloff & Christopher Lee, looks worn and the contrast/focus both seem to be "off". Now, I haven't seen the DVD, but this could be the limitation of good source material and the "best" transfer they could get out of this title, but I daresay that some of the transfers I've seen on YT look better than this one.

Classics like "Yojimbo" & "The Hidden Fortress" look excellent!

[cheez avenger]

Kurosawa's Dreams and Ran are live on CC and they're the special editions featuring all of the supplements from the DVDs.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Corridors Of Blood sounds like a source related issue moreso than compression or how the file was encoded. But IIRC, isn't that one a StudioCanal in the US? Meaning they could be waiting on a better master from them if they did licence some titles from them recently.

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

Corridors Of Blood sounds like a source related issue moreso than compression or how the file was encoded. But IIRC, isn't that one a StudioCanal in the US? Meaning they could be waiting on a better master from them if they did licence some titles from them recently.

Well, from the "looks" of it, it seems like the DVD version upconverted to HD but the source seems to have limitations as well. Not knowing what the Criterion DVD looks like...I can only speculate.
The stream starts out with the normal "The Criterion Collection" & "Janus Films" openings....then Leo comes on (MGM lion) and the whole graphic is hazy, cloudy and overly ghosted. It almost looks like it may have been sourced off a 16mm copy...the whole film is like that. Again it may be the best (only?) source that TCC had to work with. As far as the movies I've seen with owned BD copies in my own collection....like the Kurosawa films....I don't see a neglible difference.