This morning, WarnerMedia launched its major streaming service competitor, HBO Max. The service incorporates not just HBO's library of content, but also films from across the WarnerMedia spectrum including DC, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network as well as collections like the films from Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. There is, simply put, a lot and even at its $14.99 price point, HBO Max certainly has the amount of quality content to compete with heavies like Netflix. But how is the user experience?

I previously subscribed to HBO Now through an Apple subscription, so this morning, my HBO Now apps transformed into HBO Max apps. It was a simple, seamless process, but I've heard from cable users that the process has been less than ideal. Some may chalk it up to Day One hiccups, but it would be bizarre if the only people who have no problem transitioning are those like me who subscribed to via Apple rather than a cable provider or as a streaming-package add-on.

I toyed around with HBO Max on my Apple TV 4K, my Xbox One, and my iPhone. Across all three platforms, the experience was pretty consistent. The big takeaway is that HBO Max, at least on Day One, seeks to overwhelm its users with the sheer amount of content. I'd say a subscription is worth it for the TCM section alone, but that's because I'm a movie geek. If I were incredibly into superhero stuff, I would be a little underwhelmed by the DC section, which doesn't even have the Nolan Batman movies or any Superman movies not to mention the lack of DC animated series, which live over on DC Universe (WarnerMedia would be wise to simply move DC Universe over to HBO Max ASAP).

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Image via HBO Max

As far as navigation, it's not too difficult to get around, but the problem is that because there's so much stuff, you're not exactly sure where to start. It's like being dropped into the middle of a video store and while you can search by genre, it's a little slow going (on Xbox One, there was a weird glitch where if I added a movie to my watch list, when I went back to the previous page, I was returned to the top of the A-Z section only to come back to where I was originally scrolling when I clicked down on my remote). HBO Max would do well to start adding more categories even if it's just for scrolling. It's not enough to label a section "Popular Movies" and then call it a day, especially when there's such a deluge of content. Other categories they do have feel more like placeholders like HBO's "Based on a Book." You know, when you feel like sitting down and watching a movie "based on a book."

There are also times when the interface is inconsistent. On the HBO Max front page, there's a "Last Chance" section, which is great. But it's missing a movie like True Lies, which is leaving HBO at the end of May. Click over to the HBO section, and you'll see True Lies is listed under the "Last Chance" bar of movies, which means there are multiple "Last Chance" sections. When there's so much content, you need some kind of direction, and HBO Max is surprisingly sparse in providing that direction.

I was also a little surprised that they've skimped so much on individual titles in terms of details. Click through the movies and for many (at least in the TCM area, where you'd need more direction considering these are older films your audience may be unfamiliar with) you'll see a one-line synopsis, a rating, a runtime, and that's about it. You can see cast and crew on the iPhone app, but not on Xbox. The pages have the ability to provide bonus features, but the only one I could find in my search was that Little Shop of Horrors also provides the Director's Cut. That's nice, but again, why are there so few bonus features when Disney+ works to provide extras, and extras are a good way to set yourself apart from Netflix, which offers no bonuses.

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These may seem like nitpicks, but keep in mind that HBO Max is the streaming arm of WarnerMedia, which is owned by AT&T, one of the biggest companies on the planet. Money was no object here, and there was a way to do this right. But the guiding principle here seemed to be, "We have the most content, let's throw a lot of content at this." And that's a good start! As I said, the TCM section alone is worth the price of admission. But it's the weird omissions that can't be ignored. Where's 4K? Why did HBO Max obliterate the watchlist I had built as an HBO Now user? Why isn't there a better way to find all of this content?

Obviously, these are kinks that can be ironed out. Individual pages can get better synopses, bonus featured can be added, and new sub-headings can organize content better than "based on a book." But for now, HBO Max is an onslaught, and its key feature is that it has content that people want. Yes, there are original titles coming down the line, but you could spend the next few months just catching up on movies and TV shows you've always wanted to see and are now available. And to be fair, HBO Max does have the features that should come standard like user profiles (it's insane that Amazon Prime Video doesn't have this by now) and the ability to download titles on mobile devices.

But in its ideal experience (please note that your Day One on HBO Max may differ from mine, but in terms of moving from HBO Now to HBO Max, this was as smooth as it could go), HBO Max is still making a sales pitch. In the weeks and months ahead, it will hopefully refine its interface to make browsing easier while filling in the gaps for individual titles. But for now, the pitch is that there's so much stuff, how could you not subscribe? I'd say it's worth it for now, but HBO Max can't afford to rest on its laurels.