Disney + is the streaming service that is catalyzing the most attention in this period. Arrived in Italy on the night between 23 and 24 March 2020, it has been sponsored everywhere, from the Smart TV menus to the smartphone and console stores, passing through the TV channels. Just to give you some examples, LG has put the application in plain sight in the main menu of WebOS, the PlayStation Store has dedicated the "Highlights" tab to Disney + and Mediaset has aired the first episode of "The Mandalorian" on Italy 1 a few days before the release of the service, then referring to the latter for viewing the complete series.
In short, the arrival of Disney + has had impressive media power also in our country, attracting the attention of many users. However, there are those who still have doubts about how to use the service, from the prices to the initial configuration, going through the use of the application. For this reason, a detailed guide on the main aspects related to Disney + can be useful.
Disney + prices, requirements and free trial
Some users have some confusion regarding prices. In fact, until March 23, 2020, there was a promotion that allowed you to "pre-order" Disney + for one year at a cost of 59.99 euros. However, with the launch of the service things have changed, now there are two options: 6.99 euros per month or 69.99 euros per year. Do not miss the opportunity to try Disney + for free for a week without obligation (you can disable automatic renewal). In short, there are now several ways and it is also possible to take out a monthly subscription. As for the connection requirements, Disney has made it known that at least 25 Mbps is required for 4K Ultra HD or HDR content.
The question of the number of devices, screens and downloads
One of the issues that has made more discussion in these days is certainly the one related to the number of devices. In fact, Disney + presented itself immediately as a configurable service with 7 profiles (to distinguish family members) and 10 different devices (in the sense that you can associate your account with them). However, the platform's FAQ had generated a doubt: once a device was registered, it no longer seemed possible to delete it in an "official" way.
In fact, there is no function that allows you to do this and, upon reaching 10 devices, error 30 is shown. However, Disney has made it known that old devices can be eliminated by contacting customer service. As for the number of screens that can use the service at the same time, don't worry: 4 simultaneous streams are allowed. The number of downloads is unlimited, always remaining in the 10 devices.
Compatible devices
Speaking of compatible devices, Disney + has very few problems. The official application is in fact available, as well as on the classic Play Stores (Android) and App Stores (iOS), also in the console stores, from PS4 to Xbox One. In addition, the most used Smart TVs are all compatible. We refer, in particular, to televisions equipped with Android TV, to LG Smart TVs with WebOS 3.0 or higher and to Samsung Smart TVs with TizenOS.
There is no lack of compatibility with Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast and Apple TV with tvOS 11.0 or higher (here we talked about AirPlay). Do not underestimate the possibility of watching Disney + directly from the browser. In this regard, version 75 or higher of Google Chrome and version 11 or higher of Safari are recommended. In short, you should not have any kind of problem accessing the service.
Catalog and release times of the series
We have already talked extensively about the Disney + catalog on these pages, but a "refresh" never hurts. Among the flagship contents of the platform, we certainly find the "The Mandalorian" series, set in the Star Wars universe. At the time of launch, only the first two episodes were made available. Many have therefore wondered what the release timings are regarding the Disney + series. Well, the chosen cadence is weekly.
Taking "The Mandalorian" as an example, the episodes will be published every Friday, from March 27 to May 1, 2020. Returning to the catalog, there is no shortage of all the films related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from "Avengers: Endgame" to "Captain Marvel", passing through "Black Panther" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 ". Don't worry: there are also the "X-Men".
As for the original content, do not underestimate the 7 seasons of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and the film "Togo: A great friendship". The blockbusters such as "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" and the classics reinvented as "Lilli and the vagabond" and "Aladdin" are inevitable.
Animated films are also in place, from "Frozen – The Ice Kingdom" to "Inside Out", through "Toy Story 3 – The Great Escape" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet". The shorts are nice, often lasting less than 10 minutes, from "Lamp Life" (Toy Story) to "The 500 and a half miles of Radiator Springs" (Cars). If you are wondering where Mickey Mouse is, there is an entire card that traces his past. Generally speaking, Disney + contains the contents of the universes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Do not miss the 30 seasons of The Simpsons. If you need advice on what to see, we invite you to drop by Everyeye Cinema.
Initial configuration
With the main issues resolved, it's time to talk about the initial setup. We recommend to do it from a PC, but also from other devices it is very simple. To start the 7-day free trial, simply connect to the official Disney + website and click on "FREE TRIAL FOR 7 DAYS".
At this point, you will have to enter your e-mail address, accept the General Subscription Conditions, select a password and set a valid payment method. In particular, in this screen you will be asked to select the type of subscription, whether monthly (6.99 euros) or annual (69.99 euros), and to enter your credit card data (the accepted circuits are VISA, MasterCard and American Express) or PayPal account. A 1 euro check may be done on your card, so make sure you have a sufficient balance.
By default, automatic renewal will be active: if you intend to disable the latter, you can do so immediately by clicking on the profile icon, located at the top right, and selecting the "Account" item. After that, press on "Billing information" and select "Cancel subscription". You will be asked to select the reason why you decided to remove the automatic renewal. Perfect, now you can continue to use your free trial without surprises.
Smartphones and tablets
Entering the field of mobile devices, we used an Android smartphone. The initial configuration is immediate: download the application from the Play Store, log in and you're done. Once you enter Disney +, the interface is simple and welcoming. At the bottom there are four buttons: Home, Search, Downloads and Accounts. The first is the main tab: at the top, the contents of the moment scroll and there is no shortage of keys linked to the various "sections", from Disney to National Geographic.
Below are instead all the appropriate files, from those relating to the original content to recommendations based on user preferences, passing through "Continue to look" and "Collections". In short, the main screen is the classic one expected from a streaming service. By clicking on the magnifying glass icon, you access the "Explore" section. The latter makes an interesting distinction: "Originals", "Movies" and "Series".
There are also "collections", from the one related to the Star Wars universe to the one dedicated to Marvel animation, passing through Toy Story and Cars. In short, each universe has its own dedicated page. We particularly liked this choice, since it allows you to reach any content with a few taps.
As far as downloads are concerned, it is necessary to open the tab of one of the available contents (eg Avengers: Endgame) and press the down arrow icon. In this way, the download of the content will start and you can manage it through the appropriate section, located at the bottom right. On the left you can see the number of data downloaded, while the circle on the right indicates the status.
By pressing on the square icon, you can also get the percentage and choose if pause or remove the download. Also interesting is the fact that the status of the operation is shown quickly through the device notification curtain. In short, the download functionality is used simply and quickly.
For the rest, by clicking on the account icon, it is possible to add and edit profiles (myriads of icons are available to differentiate them), access your list of contents to watch (they must be added via the "+" on their tab) and manage various settings. In particular, pressing "App settings" you can choose how to stream (whether to allow it only via Wi-Fi or also through mobile data with variable or reduced quality) and downloads (quality, where to save them, delete them all and download only via Wifi).
Note that the application quickly shows the free space on the mobile device and the space occupied by Disney + downloads. In this way, the user has a quick report of the situation. Finally, there are the settings related to the account and billing and the link that refers to the support site.
If you are wondering what the player allows you to do, once you start a content, you must know that Disney + implements the "zoom", which goes to perform a "crop" of the image. This possibility is the same that is offered by applications such as YouTube and is very convenient for putting content in full screen on smartphones that have "non-traditional" aspect ratio.
Put simply, we are talking about those devices that have the notch, the hole for the camera or similar solutions. It may seem like a trivial aspect, but in reality it is important that Disney has also thought of this audience of users, which is wider than you might think.
Staying in the player field, the central keys are three: go back 10 seconds, play / pause and go forward 10 seconds. At the bottom there is, of course, the bar for scrolling the content, which also shows its length. However, there are no options related to the quality of vision. At the top right there is only a "comic" that allows you to set the language of the audio and subtitles.
In short, from the player's point of view, perhaps you can still work, since services such as Amazon Prime Video even show information about the actors. In any case, Disney + is simple and functional and, from a certain point of view, it's okay.
Smart TV
As for the Smart TV field, we tested LG's webOS service. The initial configuration was easy: the South Korean company put Disney + in plain sight in the Home menu of the TV and it was enough for us to download an update of about 6MB to be able to start the application. Having already registered from a PC, we simply had to enter the credentials of our account to be ready to view the contents. Everything works very similar to the mobile application.
The main differences are to be found in the inability to download and in a slightly modified menu. In fact, on Smart TV the settings "come out" from the left and the available tabs are Search, Home, Your list, Movies, Series, Originals and Settings. In short, the functions are the same, but the position of the menu has been revised to make it easier to use via remote control.
It is also interesting to note the fact that on the content page it is indicated what quality it is possible to reach on that particular device. For example, on our LG Smart TV, "Avengers: Endgame" is listed as available in "4K Ultra HD", "HDR10" and "5.1".
Console
For completeness, we also wanted to test the PlayStation 4 version of the Disney + application, aware that not much would have changed from that Smart TV. Well, the menu is identical and even here you cannot download. Note, however, the fact that the indications regarding the quality of the content do not appear, given that the software cannot detect the TV model.
On the other hand, the PS4 app is usually used by those who do not have a compatible Smart TV available. For the rest, Disney + appears, along with all the other video streaming services, in the "TV and video" section, accessible from the main console screen. In any case, navigating with the controller is easy and pleasant, so we must say that Disney has done a good job also with regards to this version.
