scrubbedexpat091

Is Chernobyl available online anywhere besides HBO?

Steerpike

Only HBO in the US, I believe. Of course, now we have HBO Now - a new subscription service where you can get HBO by the month, independent of any cable deal, for abut $10/mo. (And there's HBO Go, but that is just the service that allows existing cable subscribers to view HBO on 'other' devices).

In Europe, it's available on Sky. Don't know about other places, but it's not likely to ever be free; HBO spends millions making these things so they have to recoup their investment somehow.

I just stumbled across this - https://www.nowtv.com/watch/chernoby...f32XNZDFHaYhzo ... maybe you can get a trial? You can also do HBO Go on a 1-month trial, I think.

dave_j

You can download or watch it on Kodi.

Atlantic Xpat

If you have the Crave+HBO option then its on Crave. Otherwise it can probably be found on Watch Series or some such other streaming website.

BristolUK

Indeed. https://ww4.watch-series.co/series/c...eason-1/season

Steerpike

I have friends who use, and love, Kodi. They tell me the viewing experience is 'spotty' ... sometimes the quality is good, sometimes bad, and sometimes 'unwatchable'. They put up with the quality issues because they have access to a vast amount of content without paying.

Perhaps the poster should have asked if it were available 'safely and legally' outside of HBO ... The 'legally' aspect we can dispense with because you aren't likely to get into trouble for watching, but the 'safely' aspect is far more important. I just tried the 'watch-series' link above on my laptop, running in a 'sand-box' for safety. I tried several alternative 'streams' for Chernobyl, and none worked initially. Some resulted in DNS block messages. One alternative tried to download/install a 'java update', which my anti-malware flagged as bogus. Finally after clicking around a bit, I found one stream that did start playing the show. I then clicked on the screen to pause the image but this launched a new window; after this, I lost the pause/play controls, and each attempt to click on the image to get it to pause just took me to another ad page. I then tried the link above on my android phone, and was hit by spam sites that were hard to get rid of. So I'd say you need to be technically savvy and very much aware of the risks of visiting 'shady' sites. Make sure your AV solutions are up to date!

dave_j

It can be slow. However, if you run from a PC or laptop you can download what you want to watch for viewing later at any time you want without problems, ie no buffering etc.

Steerpike

I was going to use kodi as an excuse to build my first raspberry pi box; that's what my friends in the UK use for kodi and being a techie nerd, I always like to stay current with developments. But I do see that there is a windows version, and I have several spare windows 10 boxes that I could 'trash' if needed. I also have a mac-mini used for nothing but streaming youtube to my big-screen TV. I was reading that the core app is 'safe', but plug-ins / add-ons may be questionable. Do you need to go beyond the core app if all you want to do is pull and save content (as opposed to running an in-house server, etc)?

dave_j

I have an old Dell running Vista. You can tell how old it is because it has a 3,5" floppy drive but it does have a 1TB USB drive for storage and an HDMI output. I did buy a cheap graphics card for it and this is connected to the TV so the TV acts as the monitor. A wireless USB mouse sits on a table by my comfy sofa to operate the PC and this is all that's needed as once set up Kodi can be operated remotely using the mouse alone.
The PC is plugged into a nearby router although I do have other pcs that download content via wifi and this can be transferred to the removable 1TB drive as required.
As long as the OS is Vista or later then Kodi can be installed and will run on the PC.
So, the PC does nothing but sit under the TV to be used when required. You'll need a keyboard to set up the links initially but then it can be unplugged and put in a safe place.
I very rarely watch anything 'live' because of the buffering issue but once downloaded such problems don't exist. Not only that but it's possible to download multiple programs simultaneously making best use of the bandwidth.
The Dell is generally used to only run Kodi, although it can be used to browse as necessary if needed.
I have used this setup for about 5 years without interference from third party scams etc.
Programs are typically downloaded as MP4 files and these can be viewed using freely available software and I prefer to use SM Player although you can use Kodi to view the downloads if you prefer.

caretaker

I'm going to try Kodi soon, I noticed they accommodate linux so all should be good.

BristolUK

I'm far from technically savvy but I've been using primewire and watch series in a dozen or more forms for 5 or 6 years.

I just tried a couple of Chernobyl episodes and every link worked problem free.

The new tab opening up as a result of clicking play/pause (and sometimes maximise) occasionally happens on a link from primewire or on some different football stream sites but ublock origin usually makes them close before you see what it is. If it doesn't close automatically, I simply close them and click play again and everything's fine.

It seems that windows defender, adblock plus and ublock origin take care of anything for me and various other scans I do don't pick up anything to bother me.

BristolUK

Buffering used to be a major issue and using Internet Download Manager (a one-off fee) enabled all that for watching later. And it was pretty quick too. Much quicker than not having it.

Buffering is far less of a problem these days - mostly because of fibreoptic, I think - and I rarely download. I've got a ton of stuff downloaded from 3 or 4 years ago that I never get around to because it's mostly streaming now.

Steerpike

...
Well, I just got done watching the first two episodes of Big Little Lies Season 2, and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised! And that's an understatement! I'm really enjoying where they are going with the story so far. And Meryl Streep certainly is a worthwhile addition. Can't imagine how this is going to end.

BristolUK

Catch 22 could be good.

Partially discharged

I watched Cocaine Coast on Netflix which was quite good....lovely scenes of Galicia interpersed with 80's Spain and its corrupt police

Watching Black Spot (Zone Blanche) which can be viewed in english or french. Gloomy french/belgian crime drama.