PlayOn Desktop discontinued: Difference between revisions
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'''[[wikipedia:PlayOn#PlayOn_Desktop|PlayOn Desktop]] discontinued''' refers to MediaMall Technologies, Inc.'s October 2021 decision to end development of its PlayOn Desktop streaming DVR software, which had been sold with a $69.99 one-time "Lifetime License," and to direct existing customers toward a new subscription product, PlayOn Home, priced at $5 per month or $40 per year.<ref name="techhive">{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Jared |date=2021-10-21 |title=PlayOn strands lifetime subscribers as it overhauls its desktop DVR software |url=https://www.techhive.com/article/579775/playon-streaming-dvr-just-got-a-lot-pricier.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260328101637/https://www.techhive.com/article/579775/playon-streaming-dvr-just-got-a-lot-pricier.html |archive-date=28 March 2026 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=TechHive}}</ref><ref name="upgrade-archive">{{Cite web |date=2021-01-26 |title=PlayOn Upgrade Page |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126210706/https://www.playon.tv/upgrade |website=PlayOn (archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine) |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> PlayOn Desktop received its final software update on October 7, 2021, and was no longer available to purchase as of that date.<ref name="techhive" /> Lifetime customers were offered a minimum of three months of free PlayOn Home as compensation, with longer offers for more recent buyers.<ref name="welcome-home">{{Cite web |date=2021-11-24 |title=Welcome to PlayOn Home |url=https://www.playon.tv/blog/welcome-playon-home | | '''[[wikipedia:PlayOn#PlayOn_Desktop|PlayOn Desktop]] discontinued''' refers to MediaMall Technologies, Inc.'s October 2021 decision to end development of its PlayOn Desktop streaming DVR software, which had been sold with a $69.99 one-time "Lifetime License," and to direct existing customers toward a new subscription product, PlayOn Home, priced at $5 per month or $40 per year.<ref name="techhive">{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Jared |date=2021-10-21 |title=PlayOn strands lifetime subscribers as it overhauls its desktop DVR software |url=https://www.techhive.com/article/579775/playon-streaming-dvr-just-got-a-lot-pricier.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260328101637/https://www.techhive.com/article/579775/playon-streaming-dvr-just-got-a-lot-pricier.html |archive-date=28 March 2026 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=TechHive}}</ref><ref name="upgrade-archive">{{Cite web |date=2021-01-26 |title=PlayOn Upgrade Page |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126210706/https://www.playon.tv/upgrade |website=PlayOn (archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine) |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> PlayOn Desktop received its final software update on October 7, 2021, and was no longer available to purchase as of that date.<ref name="techhive" /> Lifetime customers were offered a minimum of three months of free PlayOn Home as compensation, with longer offers for more recent buyers.<ref name="welcome-home">{{Cite web |date=2021-11-24 |title=Welcome to PlayOn Home |url=https://www.playon.tv/blog/welcome-playon-home |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251207002651/https://www.playon.tv/blog/welcome-playon-home |archive-date=7 Dec 2025 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=The PlayOn Blog}}</ref> | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
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The PlayOn Desktop End User License Agreement, which governed all sales of the software, was a contract between the user and "MediaMall Technologies, Inc." Section 4 of the EULA reads: | The PlayOn Desktop End User License Agreement, which governed all sales of the software, was a contract between the user and "MediaMall Technologies, Inc." Section 4 of the EULA reads: | ||
<blockquote>''MediaMall reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service, or any part thereof, at any time and without notice to you, and MediaMall will not be liable to you should it exercise such rights, even if your use of PlayOn or PlayLater Content is impacted by the change.''</blockquote><ref name="eula">{{Cite web |title=PlayOn End User License Agreement |url=https://www.playon.tv/eula | | <blockquote>''MediaMall reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service, or any part thereof, at any time and without notice to you, and MediaMall will not be liable to you should it exercise such rights, even if your use of PlayOn or PlayLater Content is impacted by the change.''</blockquote><ref name="eula">{{Cite web |title=PlayOn End User License Agreement |url=https://www.playon.tv/eula |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260315134901/https://www.playon.tv/eula |archive-date=15 Mar 2026 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=PlayOn}}</ref> | ||
Section 5 of the EULA limited MediaMall's warranty to thirty days from the date of receipt, stating: | Section 5 of the EULA limited MediaMall's warranty to thirty days from the date of receipt, stating: | ||
<blockquote>''There is no warranty or condition of any kind with respect to any defects discovered after the thirty-day limited warranty period.''</blockquote><ref name="eula" /> | <blockquote>''There is no warranty or condition of any kind with respect to any defects discovered after the thirty-day limited warranty period.''</blockquote><ref name="eula" /> | ||
Disputes were governed by the laws of New York and assigned to the state and federal courts of New York; the EULA contained no arbitration clause and no class action waiver.<ref name="eula" /> | Disputes were governed by the laws of New York and assigned to the state and federal courts of New York; the EULA contained no arbitration clause and no class action waiver.<ref name="eula" /> | ||
At the time of the discontinuation, PlayOn was sold under three plans on the official upgrade page. A Wayback Machine snapshot taken on January 26, 2021, captures the offer: a Lifetime License at $69.99 as a one-time payment, a monthly plan at $4.99, and an annual plan at $19.99.<ref name="upgrade-archive" /> The same snapshot shows a promotional banner reading "NOW 50% OFF DESKTOP LIFETIME" and "SAVE $40 NOW," indicating the lifetime tier was actively marketed to consumers in the months before development ended.<ref name="upgrade-archive" /> A separate product, PlayOn Cloud, recorded videos through MediaMall's own servers on a per-recording credit basis and was governed by a distinct Terms of Service.<ref name="techhive" /><ref name="cloud-tos">{{Cite web |title=PlayOn Cloud Terms of Service |url=https://www.playon.tv/cloud-tos | | At the time of the discontinuation, PlayOn was sold under three plans on the official upgrade page. A Wayback Machine snapshot taken on January 26, 2021, captures the offer: a Lifetime License at $69.99 as a one-time payment, a monthly plan at $4.99, and an annual plan at $19.99.<ref name="upgrade-archive" /> The same snapshot shows a promotional banner reading "NOW 50% OFF DESKTOP LIFETIME" and "SAVE $40 NOW," indicating the lifetime tier was actively marketed to consumers in the months before development ended.<ref name="upgrade-archive" /> A separate product, PlayOn Cloud, recorded videos through MediaMall's own servers on a per-recording credit basis and was governed by a distinct Terms of Service.<ref name="techhive" /><ref name="cloud-tos">{{Cite web |title=PlayOn Cloud Terms of Service |url=https://www.playon.tv/cloud-tos |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260323025538/https://www.playon.tv/cloud-tos |archive-date=23 Mar 2026 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=PlayOn}}</ref> | ||
==October 2021 product termination== | ==October 2021 product termination== | ||
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The leading counter-example involves hardware rather than software. In ''Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.'', No. 2:18-cv-08605-JVS-SS (C.D. Cal.), Sirius XM agreed to a settlement valued at approximately $96 million on claims that "Lifetime Subscription" plans had been tied to specific radio devices, with the carrier interpreting "lifetime" as the working life of the hardware. Final approval was granted on February 9, 2021.<ref name="alvarez">{{Cite web |title=SiriusXM Lifetime Subscription Class Action Settlement |url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/siriusxm-lifetime-subscription-class-action-settlement/ |website=Top Class Actions |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> | The leading counter-example involves hardware rather than software. In ''Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.'', No. 2:18-cv-08605-JVS-SS (C.D. Cal.), Sirius XM agreed to a settlement valued at approximately $96 million on claims that "Lifetime Subscription" plans had been tied to specific radio devices, with the carrier interpreting "lifetime" as the working life of the hardware. Final approval was granted on February 9, 2021.<ref name="alvarez">{{Cite web |title=SiriusXM Lifetime Subscription Class Action Settlement |url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/siriusxm-lifetime-subscription-class-action-settlement/ |website=Top Class Actions |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> | ||
California has since enacted statutory disclosure rules for digital-goods purchases. Assembly Bill 2426, codified at California Business and Professions Code section 17500.6, prohibits the use of words such as "buy" or "purchase" in connection with digital goods unless the consumer either receives a permanent download or provides "affirmative acknowledgment" that what is being sold is a license rather than ownership.<ref name="ab2426">{{Cite web |title=AB-2426 Consumer protection: false advertising: digital goods. |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2426 |website=California Legislative Information |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> The statute took effect on January 1, 2025.<ref name="sidley-ab2426">{{Cite web |date=2024 | California has since enacted statutory disclosure rules for digital-goods purchases. Assembly Bill 2426, codified at California Business and Professions Code section 17500.6, prohibits the use of words such as "buy" or "purchase" in connection with digital goods unless the consumer either receives a permanent download or provides "affirmative acknowledgment" that what is being sold is a license rather than ownership.<ref name="ab2426">{{Cite web |title=AB-2426 Consumer protection: false advertising: digital goods. |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2426 |website=California Legislative Information |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> The statute took effect on January 1, 2025.<ref name="sidley-ab2426">{{Cite web |date=November 2024 |title=California's New Digital Goods Law AB 2426: What You Need to Know |url=https://www.sidley.com/en/insights/newsupdates/2024/11/californias-new-digital-goods-law-ab-2426-what-you-need-to-know |website=Sidley Austin LLP |access-date=2026-05-08}}</ref> The PlayOn Desktop transition predates AB 2426 by three years. | ||
The procedural posture of any future PlayOn Desktop dispute is shaped by an asymmetry between MediaMall's two governing agreements. The PlayOn Desktop EULA selects New York state and federal courts and contains no arbitration clause and no class action waiver.<ref name="eula" /> The PlayOn Cloud Terms of Service, by contrast, require final and binding arbitration before the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, and prohibit class, consolidated, or representative actions. The Cloud ToS class-action waiver reads: | The procedural posture of any future PlayOn Desktop dispute is shaped by an asymmetry between MediaMall's two governing agreements. The PlayOn Desktop EULA selects New York state and federal courts and contains no arbitration clause and no class action waiver.<ref name="eula" /> The PlayOn Cloud Terms of Service, by contrast, require final and binding arbitration before the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, and prohibit class, consolidated, or representative actions. The Cloud ToS class-action waiver reads: | ||