HeartStream - The Better Way to Watch MLP on Your Mobile Device

[tomatopotato 172]

Hi everypony! 

I'm gonna be sharing my newest personal project: HeartStream!

"But what exactly is HeartStream?" you might ask. 

As a certified MLP addict, I noticed one huge problem that kept coming back to haunt me: mobile compatibility.

You see, My Little Pony has been spread quite far across a bunch of sources. Generations 1, 3, 3.5, and 4.5 are simply unavailable through all official sources (or at least the ones that I know of). Generation 4, Friendship is Magic, is partially available on Netflix and only available on some niche platforms that I don't know of. Generation 5 is the only one that is fully available on a large streaming platform: Netflix. And, this is excluding books, comics, and all of the other MLP content that exists outside of the TV shows. This is EXTREMELY annoying for us fans, since we have to subscribe to multiple platforms to watch only a fraction of these amazing episodes, films, and movies. So, we end up turning to third-party sources that actually serve entire generations in one place. The only problem with this..........is that most are pretty mobile unfriendly. Personally, the method I use is simply unviable on anything but a computer since it requires a desktop browser and access to a full-size keyboard and mouse/trackpad.

That brings us to today. We have no viable way to watch MLP on our phones, tablets, and portable devices. 

 

Going back to my original topic: HeartStream is an application meant to help fans consume MLP content. Currently it's only going to be available for iPhone and iPad, but in time, we might get other platforms. 

I don't want to give too many spoilers, so let's just say.......this is what we've got so far

 

It's still a huge WIP, and I plan on making a LOT of changes to beautify things.

 

Anyways, that ends my rant. 

Feel free to share any ideas or tips you have! I'd love to hear everyone's feedback about this new project of mine. 

[tomatopotato 172]

Hi everypony!

Sorry for the late update! I haven't been online much due to IRL commitments, but I have been working on this project. I made huge progress and was almost ready to publish, until two obstacles appeared.

1. Legality. Owning a site that illegally hosted MLP, which is copyrighted, could get me in a lot of trouble. Considering that I'm less than 16 years old, I was a little scared to commit to a project that could get me in a lawsuit and ruin my legal record for the rest of my life. This is why I tried to switch to web, since it would be harder for me to be identified if I published a website rather than an iOS app (because Apple can easily identify me through my Apple Developer and iCloud accounts). However, I knew this when since the beginning of HeartStream; the main struggle that I was faced with was
2. Cost. A friend of mine who is much more experienced in web development told me that it would be practically impossible for someone my age to set up a streaming site, since it would be ridiculously expensive (he claimed $150K USD per month as a minimum rate, but I'm not entirely sure). He explained how big streaming companies like Netflix pay insane amounts (like $9.6 million USD per month) to keep their sites going. Going into this project, I didn't realize that a teenager who had no idea what he was doing (A.K.A. me) was trying to mimic what a huge corporation like Netflix did as their primary business.

TL;DR: Nothing was able to justify the cost and legal risk that this project would bring.

 

With that, I'm sorry to say that I will no longer be able to continue this project. There are many talented people who can and are maintaining sites to distribute MLP in a convenient way for the rest of us, and I support them with my entire heart. But, I cannot distribute MLP myself. So, as of this post, HeartStream is no more.