Not today, geek.

Many were excited when it was announced a few months ago that Disney+ is coming to the Philippines. It’s the streaming service for all that’s Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars that could make a geek like me do the happy dance. 

Photo by Marques Kaspbrak on Unsplash

Back then, we can only have Disney+ here in the Philippines if we have a VPN (Virtual Private Network). What it does is that it switches our IP address with one from a location that has Disney+, tricking into thinking we’re located there. So, for that, we needed to get a VPN provider, choose a subscription, and pay for it. At first I was willing to do it, especially when I was in the dark when people online start to talk about the Marvel series such as Loki, WandaVision and Hawkeye, then Lucasfilm’s Obi Wan Kenobi,  but changed my mind afterwards because I just don’t know—or maybe didn’t really bother finding out—how to go about with it.

Kuya, another geek himself, already said to get Disney+ as soon as it is released here in the Philippines, which it did last November 17, and he’d be the one paying (as I’m already the one paying for Netflix). The Premium Plan is available for P369 monthly, or P2,950 annually which isn’t bad at all if you ask me.

Imagine our frustration when we realized that I cannot download it on my Smart TV because the Hisense unit we got doesn’t support the Disney+ app.

To put it simply, Disney+ is not showing up on the app store of my TV that has the VIDAA U Operating System. This is a letdown considering that it’s a newly released model and we thought we’ll not have any of these problems. I guess, my brother and I weren’t familiar on how Smart TV Operating System works, including its limitations, when we got this unit last year.

Sure, I can have it installed on my phone or laptop, but I don’t think it’ll give me the same viewing experience of a 43-inch TV. Besides, with my worsening presbyopia that’s really not the way to go.

In order for us to be able to enjoy Disney+ on our TV, I read that we have to buy an extra accessory that needed to be plugged to the HDMI port like the Amazon Fire stick or a Roku streaming stick. Although I had to be sure before getting one so I’m planning to visit the appliance center where we got the TV last year to check what works. It’s an added accessory, which means it’s an added expense.

I am so jealous of my friends who were already posting on their stories how cool Disney+ is. I can imagine how I’d probably opt to stay at home even on weekends instead of going out once we have it already. The thought that I can binge-watch all the Marvel and Star Wars movies in one streaming service is just mind-blowing. 

But not today, geek. Not today.