Google has started rolling out its latest update for YouTube TV users on Apple TV. The company’s newest update has significantly improved picture quality, resulting in sharper, more detailed images. It now also supports live 1080p content at a higher bitrate, giving better picture quality. The company is also rolling out some fixes for YouTube TV for Apple TV users, which users have constantly reported in recent months.
Previously, users reported that the video quality could be inconsistent and not look great. YouTube TV is more advanced than its competitors, but picture quality is one of the areas that YouTube has to improve to compete against Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream. Even YouTube needs to strengthen its DVR and UX services. Ensure you have updated your YouTube TV to the latest version (V1.13+).
YouTube TV Enhanced Picture Quality
As we mentioned, the new picture quality for the live stream has been boosted with the increased bitrate for the live 1080p content. This update has pleased users and seems optimistic. Google said they are testing transcoding changes, including a higher bitrate for 1080p content, and looking for target devices to support VP9 Code with higher-speed internet connectivity. This new codec will offer higher quality and significantly improve picture quality.
The more efficient it is, the less bandwidth it will use compared to traditional video codecs for the same video. Google is expected to make it permanent this summer. However, most channels deliver their content in 720p, but some provide the 1080p feed that YouTube TV deinterlaces to 1080. Now, the higher bitrate means that more data is being transmitted. It will make a big difference in the overall quality of the service.
YouTube TV Multiview “Catch Up on Your Favourites”
Google has also announced Multiview. With this feature, users can watch multiple live channels at once. However, this is still in beta and could be released to all users by the end of this year. To use this feature, users must select the Multiview icon on YouTube TV and choose other TV channels they want to watch. After that, all channels will be in a grid and resized in the window. Users can also resize and change the layout according to their preferences. This gives much control over viewing different things simultaneously, especially the news or a game.
Apart from this, with the recent updates to YouTube TV, users can do more, like create custom channels and watch live TV without signing in as guest users. It costs $64.99 monthly to have a streaming service with over 75 channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and CNN. This plan also includes unlimited DVR storage and six accounts per household. This is a welcome addition to YouTube TV subscribers, and this new feature on Apple TV will bring more customers to the platform. This can also be used with voice search to control the app to find shows, channels, and more.
Fix for YouTube TV subscribers on Apple TV.
YouTube has addressed some other problems that users have reported for a few months, such as the black screen at startup and the 4K playback issue. The company has also added support for HDR and 5.1 surround sound syncing.
That’s not all, as more updates are coming to Apple TV for YouTube subscribers. For example, the fix for the black screen at startup. Some users have reported encountering the YouTube app crashing during startup, but now it has been fixed in the app. This means users can start the app without experiencing further issues.
The update fixes the 4K playback issue. Users can continue watching 4K content without any problems. Also, HDR support has been enabled for Apple TV. Users need to enable this, as it wasn’t enabled by default. After enabling HDR content, users can enjoy a wider range of colors and contrasts. Lastly, the 5.1 surround sound issue is now fixed, as users reported syncing issues.
The company has even fixed the momentary black screen that appears while switching the SDR/HDR transition. This issue was fixed after YouTube TV made SDR content the default format or disabled range matching altogether. Users can tweak this by heading to Settings and selecting from the Video and Audio Menu. These changes also affect mobile device users. This update will be rolled out over a few weeks.
If you haven’t received the update yet, it is likely to be available in the coming weeks. Google is also improving its service and making cord-cutting more attractive. YouTube TV may increase prices and add new features to fix ongoing issues.