The $15-per-month streaming service is a direct response to Netflix, beefing up the HBO catalog with many more movies and shows while providing a much slicker experience compared to HBO’s current streaming apps. Its arrival should make the streaming wars much more interesting, while giving cord-cutters (and cable holdouts) yet another streaming service to think about.

I’ve got a couple stories covering the launch on TechHive this week. The first is a pretty basic explainer on what HBO Max is and how you can get it. (The short version: It’s a free upgrade for most HBO subscribers, and you need the new HBO Max app to watch all the new content, but there’s no Max app available yet for Roku or Amazon Fire TV devices due to arguments over money. )

My other story takes on the notion that HBO has botched the launch of Max with confusing branding. Because HBO’s Go and Now apps haven’t gone away, folks who want to watch HBO must now pick between three apps bearing the network’s name.

It’s a reasonable criticism, but singling out HBO for confusion is also a little unfair. HBO Max is just the latest in a long line of streaming services with inscrutable names, counterintuitive content catalogs, and labyrinthine pricing schemes. If this business was intuitive to everyone, this newsletter probably wouldn’t exist.

Advisorator is my other weekly newsletter for advice on all kinds of tech topics, from phones and tablets to apps and online tools. It’s my way of helping folks get smarter about technology without having to sift through all the industry news, rumor, and gossip you normally find on tech sites. (Read a couple of samples here and here.)

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Protocol’s Janko Roettgers reports that HBO is close to a deal with Roku, but the fight with Amazon just seems to be getting uglier. At issue is Amazon’s Channels marketplace, which offers subscriptions to HBO without going through the HBO Now app. Nearly 5 million customers subscribe to the channel this way, and it sounds like HBO wants to change that arrangement. The companies are also reportedly fighting over Amazon’s share of ad revenue in other apps owned by AT&T, HBO’s corporate parent.

I’m eating crow after predicting that these companies would work it all out in time for launch day, but it’s really surprising and disappointing that they didn’t. No one comes out of this looking like they have customers’ best interests in mind.

More Watch together options: Plex is getting in on the co-watching craze, launching a feature that synchronizes video with faraway friends. Unlike most applications of this kind, Plex’s version works on your TV (via Roku, Apple TV, or Android TV), so you can use your phone or a computer to video chat or send messages while you watch. It works with any program in your personal Plex library, along with Plex’s free selection of ad-supported movies and TV shows. To start a co-watching session, select “more” on any movie or show, then select “Watch Together.” Just make sure to invite some friends to your Plex server first.

Meanwhile, Hulu is also experimenting with a “Watch Party” feature with synchronized viewing and group messaging, though it only works if everyone subscribes to the service’s ad-free plan. Those who do should see a “Start Watching” icon while viewing programs on Hulu’s website. From there you can generate a link to share with other users. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the free Scener extension for Chrome lets you watch set up watch parties for Netflix, HBO Now, or HBO Go, with either messaging or video chat. It does not work with HBO Max.

Apple TV adds Fraggle Rock: When Bloomberg reported last week that Apple was buying up rights for older TV shows, I did not expect Fraggle Rock to lead the charge. But here we are a week later, with every episode of Jim Henson’s classic on Apple TV+ and rumors of a series reboot on the way.

Strange as it seems, Vulture’s Josef Adalian says the new arrival is an extension of Apple’s plan to focus on originals. The company reportedly isn’t trying to build up a large back catalog, but will invest in older shows when there’s a connection to new Apple TV+ content. That makes more sense than what we heard last week, even if the Apple TV+ strategy still seems confounding as a whole.

The Bolt OTA has a 1 TB hard drive for recording shows from an antenna, plus a voice control button for launching live channels or recordings. I prefer other solutions for multi-room DVR setups, but TiVo works well for a single television. Its recording options are unparalleled, it has lots of handy ad-skipping features, and unlike some networked DVRs, it doesn’t degrade broadcast video quality.

The only caveat here is that TiVo now saddles its recordings with pre-roll video ads, but you can reportedly call customer service to disable them, and in a worst-case scenario you can downgrade to an older TiVo software version that doesn’t include them. The deal is good until June 1.

TiVo is also still selling its Stream 4K for $50 from the same sale page, down from the list price of $70. You can read my review of TiVo’s interesting new streaming dongle here.