Google has started rolling out their latest update to YouTube TV users on Apple TV. With the latest update, the company has brought major improvements to the picture quality, resulting in sharper, more detailed images. It now also supports live 1080p content with a higher bitrate, giving better picture quality. The company is also rolling out some fixes for YouTube TV for Apple TV users, which have been constantly reported by users in recent months.
April Update from YouTube
by u/TeamYouTube_Jessie in youtubetv
Previously, users have reported that the video quality can be inconsistent and not look great. YouTube TV is more advanced than its competitors, but the picture quality was one of the areas where YouTube had to improve to compete against Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream. Even YouTube needs to improve 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 increasing bitrate for the live 1080p content. This update has pleased users and seems positive. Google said they are testing transcoding changes, including higher-bitrate for 1080p content and looking for target devices to support VP9 Code with higher-speed internet connectivity. This is a newer codec that will offer higher quality and will have significant improvements in 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 by this summer. However, most channels deliver their content in 720p, but some deliver 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 Favorites”
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 then select other TV channels they would like 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 a lot of 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 creating custom channels and watching 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 6 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 by 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 issue with the black screen at startup and the 4K playback issue. The company has also added support for HDR and 5.1 surround sound syncing.
thx for sharing, this has been fixed! if you're still having trouble, try restarting the app or signing out & back in usually helps. here if you need anything else!
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) April 4, 2023
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 with the app. This means users can start the app without encountering the issue further.
The 4K playback issue has been fixed with the updates. Users can continue watching 4K content without any problems. Also, HDR support has been enabled for the 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 colours and contrast. Lastly, the 5.1 surround sound issue is now fixed, as users reported syncing issues.
The company has even managed to fix the momentary black screen that appears while switching the SDR/HDR transition. This issue was fixed after YouTube TV made the SDR content the default format or disabled the range matching altogether. Users can tweak this by heading to Settings and 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, then the update is likely to be available in the coming weeks. Besides this, Google is also improving its service and making cord-cutting more attractive. YouTube TV may increase the price and new features to fix ongoing issues.
