# YouTube TV: One Guy's 5-Day Trial Review



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

So I'm wrapping up my final night of my 5-day trial with YouTube TV. After moving to a new community with fiber internet (running 50MB up/down), I made the decision to unsubscribe from my satellite provider and go with an all-streaming setup. (Subscriptions and A/V gear are in my signature.) Since I'm not an expert on any of the aforementioned issues, I'll try to keep my summaries short.

Overall, I'm happy with the picture quality. Do I notice little nuances and differences between some programs I watched via satellite? Sure, but some are actually improvements. But there's nothing that is a a deal breaker by any stretch, and that includes watching quick-moving sports. And I'll continue to work on my calibration to see if I can make any subtle improvements.

Navigating the channel menu is easy, and you can rearrange the channels in any order you wish. (A handy feature if you're gearing up for a full day watching football or basketball.) Having to slide down the channel guide on the Apple TV remote is a little tedious at times, but other streaming devices with more tactile, directional remotes might have a little more ease of use. *(EDIT: See post 6 of this thread for more about multi-gesture tips on the Apple TV remote, courtesy of @espaeth.)*

I'm happy with the selection of channels, but YMMV, depending on what you enjoy watching. In my market (which is a small one), all four broadcast locals are included, and what I would consider all of the major national channels are included, except for the following: MTV, Nickelodeon (and subsequent Viacom channels), NFL Network, and NHL Network. Some channels that would be reserved for upper-tier packages for other providers are also included, like NatGeo Wild, Universal Kids, Olympic Channel, and Smithsonian Channel. With sports, you're getting ESPN's full selection (including ACC Network), barring the Longhorn Network. FS1/2, MLB Network, NBA TV, and more are also included. Add-on premiums like STARZ, Showtime, etc., are also available (HBO excluded.) But view the full list and see what appeals to you.

I haven't toyed around much with the cloud DVR. But in an all-streaming, app-based world of viewing, I don't expect to have a huge need for DVR. Again, try and see for yourself. You can link other accounts to your subscription, and get three concurrent streams. Not a bad deal for those of you looking to save cash on monthly fees for extra boxes.

I feel that this is a solid way to go for $50/month. Even with tossing in HBO NOW, I'm still at $65/month and have money to spare in my viewing budget for other streaming services.


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

B. Shoe said:


> I haven't toyed around much with the cloud DVR. But in an all-streaming, app-based world of viewing, I don't expect to have a huge need for DVR. Again, try and see for yourself. You can link other accounts to your subscription, and get three concurrent streams. Not a bad deal for those of you looking to save cash on monthly fees for extra boxes.


Anyone that goes streaming full bore is not gonna need a DVR function. But if you don't like commercials and like sports...well, I would need the DVR function. Just for ball games. I've tried MLB TV and I don't see that as a viable alternative to using a DVR. Be interesting to see what you end up doing.

Rich


----------



## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Rich said:


> Anyone that goes streaming full bore is not gonna need a DVR function. But if you don't like commercials and like sports...well, I would need the DVR function. Just for ball games. I've tried MLB TV and I don't see that as a viable alternative to using a DVR. Be interesting to see what you end up doing.
> 
> Rich


Well you could drink more beer during commercials!! 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## CTJon (Feb 5, 2007)

My son just got Youtube TV - he says if you say record something it records all episodes - he has not find a way to just record new - he may not need to record at all but can you really not put some criteria on the record ?


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

CTJon said:


> My son just got Youtube TV - he says if you say record something it records all episodes - he has not find a way to just record new - he may not need to record at all but can you really not put some criteria on the record ?


At this point, no. I asked myself the same question within the first 12 hours I was playing around with the system. In comparison to a DIRECTV DVR system, it's not as elaborate, or as finessed (ex: Being able to set manual recording times, series recording, etc.)

But then I asked myself, "Do I *need* it to be that elaborate of a DVR system?" Let's say I wanted to re-watch America's Got Talent. I don't need it saved to a DVR. I'll just bounce over to the NBC app and access it from there. Missed HBO's "Succession"? It's in my HBO NOW account the instant that it airs on broadcast TV. My YTTV account accesses me into those individual channel apps, and my streaming device makes it easy to bounce between YTTV and the individual channel apps. (Not HBO, as it's a separate add-on, but the others do. That wasn't the best example.) *(EDIT: Some channels to not authorize through individual apps. Ex: Turner stations, except NBA TV.)*

There are other "what about's?" still lingering. But I won't sit and compare what I have now to what I had with my satellite provider as if it's a make-or-break situation, when it comes to the DVR functionality. I knew it would be different coming into it.


----------



## espaeth (Oct 14, 2003)

B. Shoe said:


> Having to slide down the channel guide on the Apple TV remote is a little tedious at times, but other streaming devices with more tactile, directional remotes might have a little more ease of use.


The AppleTV remote is multi-gesture -- which can be really frustrating at first, but then once you get the hang of it can really making things useful.

For scrolling down the guide, just lightly tap the bottom of the track pad without using enough force to get the remote to "click" -- now you can scroll down the guide as fast as you can tap on the remote.

Same trick for FF/RW. Lightly tap once on the left or right edge to bring up the progress bar, then you can lightly tap left/right to skip forward/reverse in 15 second increments as fast as you can tap. When you see where you want to re-start playback, hard press (click) in the center of the track pad. This tap search left/right is a lot easier for skipping commercial breaks than swiping left/right to scrub along the timeline -- that action is better suited for skipping large chunks of time in a recording.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

espaeth said:


> The AppleTV remote is multi-gesture -- which can be really frustrating at first, but then once you get the hang of it can really making things useful.
> 
> For scrolling down the guide, just lightly tap the bottom of the track pad without using enough force to get the remote to "click" -- now you can scroll down the guide as fast as you can tap on the remote.
> 
> Same trick for FF/RW. Lightly tap once on the left or right edge to bring up the progress bar, then you can lightly tap left/right to skip forward/reverse in 15 second increments as fast as you can tap. When you see where you want to re-start playback, hard press (click) in the center of the track pad. This tap search left/right is a lot easier for skipping commercial breaks than swiping left/right to scrub along the timeline -- that action is better suited for skipping large chunks of time in a recording.


Awesome, thank you for the advice! I knew about the 15-second FF/RW, but not about tapping down the guide. I'll give that a try this evening.


----------



## TV_Guy (Nov 16, 2007)

B. Shoe said:


> So I'm wrapping up my final night of my 5-day trial with YouTube TV. After moving to a new community with fiber internet (running 50MB up/down), I made the decision to unsubscribe from my satellite provider and go with an all-streaming setup. (Subscriptions and A/V gear are in my signature.) Since I'm not an expert on any of the aforementioned issues, I'll try to keep my summaries short.
> 
> Overall, I'm happy with the picture quality. Do I notice little nuances and differences between some programs I watched via satellite? Sure, but some are actually improvements. But there's nothing that is a a deal breaker by any stretch, and that includes watching quick-moving sports. And I'll continue to work on my calibration to see if I can make any subtle improvements.
> 
> ...


A few more noteworthy channels are CBS Sports Network, Tennis Channel, Golf Channel, BBC World News. CNBC World is in HD unlike Directv. The unlimited DVR with 9 months retention is great. And the 60 fps certainly enhances the picture quality. Very few downsides. A few channels like TBS and CNN do not allow authentication but on the whole there is not a lot to complain about. As mentioned leaves money for extra services but the free streaming services are enough for me since I mainly watch sports and news.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

TV_Guy said:


> A few more noteworthy channels are CBS Sports Network, Tennis Channel, Golf Channel, BBC World News. CNBC World is in HD unlike Directv. The unlimited DVR with 9 months retention is great. And the 60 fps certainly enhances the picture quality. Very few downsides. A few channels like TBS and CNN do not allow authentication but on the whole there is not a lot to complain about. As mentioned leaves money for extra services but the free streaming services are enough for me since I mainly watch sports and news.


This current channel package is just about in as much of a 'sweet spot' as I could ask for. Personally, I can survive without any of the Viacom channels. Not having NFL Network is a concession for me, but there are always other means to watch the few NFL games that will exclusively be on NFLN.


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

lparsons21 said:


> Well you could drink more beer during commercials!!
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


Just made me want a beer. Haven't had a beer in twenty years. Now I want one...

Rich


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

espaeth said:


> The AppleTV remote is multi-gesture -- which can be really frustrating at first, but then once you get the hang of it can really making things useful.
> 
> For scrolling down the guide, just lightly tap the bottom of the track pad without using enough force to get the remote to "click" -- now you can scroll down the guide as fast as you can tap on the remote.
> 
> Same trick for FF/RW. Lightly tap once on the left or right edge to bring up the progress bar, then you can lightly tap left/right to skip forward/reverse in *15 second increments* as fast as you can tap. When you see where you want to re-start playback, hard press (click) in the center of the track pad. This tap search left/right is a lot easier for skipping commercial breaks than swiping left/right to scrub along the timeline -- that action is better suited for skipping large chunks of time in a recording.


I think both skips are 10 seconds.

Rich


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> I think both skips are 10 seconds.
> 
> Rich


I'm getting 15 second skips in YTTV (which requires a full click), and 10 second skips in other apps for the multi-gesture tap. The multi-gesture tap is helping quite a bit to navigate the YTTV guide and other apps. I've been reading a few tips and tricks articles, and beginning to fine tune the settings and home screen menu. It's starting to quickly become second nature.

Rich, you'd mentioned in a previous thread about updating to a 4K TV. At some point, I likely will. I've had this plasma set now for approximately five years, after catching it on a steal at the local store. Went through the effort to properly break it in, have it professionally calibrated and try to take pretty good care of it, in terms of avoiding burn-in. So it's somewhat sentimental to me, as much as a television probably could be. I do, however, plan on taking the box to my parents' home soon (they have a 4K-capable set) just to play around and see what I'm missing.


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

B. Shoe said:


> I'm getting 15 second skips in YTTV (which requires a full click), and 10 second skips in other apps for the multi-gesture tap. The multi-gesture tap is helping quite a bit to navigate the YTTV guide and other apps. I've been reading a few tips and tricks articles, and beginning to fine tune the settings and home screen menu. It's starting to quickly become second nature.
> 
> Rich, you'd mentioned in a previous thread about updating to a 4K TV. At some point, I likely will. I've had this plasma set now for approximately five years, after catching it on a steal at the local store. Went through the effort to properly break it in, have it professionally calibrated and try to take pretty good care of it, in terms of avoiding burn-in. So it's somewhat sentimental to me, as much as a television probably could be. I do, however, plan on taking the box to my parents' home soon (they have a 4K-capable set) just to play around and see what I'm missing.


Huh. The ATVs have different skips for different apps? Never noticed that. Don't have YTTV.

I had at least 12 Panasonic plasmas. I did look at the Samsungs but decided to stick with the Pannys. Devil you know kind of thing. I loved the plasmas. Compared every one of them to LCD sets in similar price ranges and always ended up with the plasmas. Best PQ I could find for the money. Then the plasma in my bedroom went south and I tried a Samsung 4K set. JS8500. 2015 model. Put it in the MB because I was sure if I put it in the family room everyone was gonna laugh at it. Couldn't possibly be better than a plasma. Had a problem with a 60" plasma in the family room and put the 4K set there. Didn't use it much in the bedroom. Blew us away. So much better than the plasmas. That was in late 2015. Flash forward to today: No plasmas left, five 4K sets in place (couple 1080p LCDs in the house too) and everybody is happy. I never expected that. Last few years lots of things have happened that I never expected.

Rich


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> Had a problem with a 60" plasma in the family room and put the 4K set there. Didn't use it much in the bedroom. Blew us away. So much better than the plasmas. That was in late 2015. Flash forward to today: No plasmas left, five 4K sets in place (couple 1080p LCDs in the house too) and everybody is happy. I never expected that. Last few years lots of things have happened that I never expected.
> 
> Rich


I'll give it a proper test viewing at my parents' place to try out 4K content. But now you've got me highly intrigued. I was testing out Planet Earth II on Netflix last night, which was streaming at 50p. If it looks better than that, then count me in on the 4K train.

More notes on the YTTV service, now that I've had more time to toy with it:

There's a section called "Stats For Nerds." Shows real-time download speeds, dropped frame rates, codecs, etc. If you're into it, it's cool.
If you leave YTTV to jump to another app, it stays where you left it and begins recording. When you come back to YTTV, you can immediately pick up where you left off, or forward through to live TV.
I've been fine tweaking the order of my channel guide. Tossed all of the channels I want to keep active, but not watch often, toward the very bottom of the guide. Also grouped a few channels together that just made sense to be near each other. This might be one of my favorite features, so far.
I plan on subscribing to NBA League Pass, which would add the game channels into the YTTV guide. This is only if I also can authorize the YTTV purchase through the NBA app. If not, I'll simply subscribe through NBA.com and use the NBA app. (I *think* NBA app programming integrates automatically into the Apple TV app.)
Just got my Cat6 cable and will be hard wiring it this evening. Will be intrigued to see whether it helps improve anything in terms of PQ.


----------



## crkeehn (Apr 23, 2002)

B. Shoe said:


> I'll give it a proper test viewing at my parents' place to try out 4K content. But now you've got me highly intrigued. I was testing out Planet Earth II on Netflix last night, which was streaming at 50p. If it looks better than that, then count me in on the 4K train.
> 
> More notes on the YTTV service, now that I've had more time to toy with it:
> 
> ...


I had first noticed Stats for Nerds on YTTV, it is kind of cool for a short while. Recently, I noticed that they have added the same feature to the standard youtube.


----------



## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Does the YTTV Apple TV app allow you to watch multiple screens at once, quad PIP?


----------



## lipcrkr (Apr 27, 2012)

YTTV is the best IMO. I added Starz but may change to Showtime. I love the NFL and NHL, but in LA we get the local Rams/Chargers and the local Kings/Ducks games. Also, since YTTV carries NBCS, they show NHL games.
And, if you like free stuff to go along with YTTV, i highly recommend Pluto with over 100 channels for your viewing pleasure. Yes, they do break for commercials, but the programs are uncut just like Starz or any othe premium channels.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

crkeehn said:


> I had first noticed Stats for Nerds on YTTV, it is kind of cool for a short while.


Agreed. It's not something I'll access all the time, but it's nice to have a real solid number on my download speed that's coming from my actual service/streaming box (Fast.com, Speedtest.com, etc., all seem to provide a different number), and to see if I happen to be dropping a lot of frames.



TheRatPatrol said:


> Does the YTTV Apple TV app allow you to watch multiple screens at once, quad PIP?


It does not. One channel at a time. I don't have experience with other streaming services, so I can't say whether that's a step below any other streamers. I know the ESPN app for Apple TV will do a quad-box, but it has to be content within the ESPN/ESPN+ universe.



lipcrkr said:


> YTTV is the best IMO. I added Starz but may change to Showtime. I love the NFL and NHL, but in LA we get the local Rams/Chargers and the local Kings/Ducks games. Also, since YTTV carries NBCS, they show NHL games.
> And, if you like free stuff to go along with YTTV, i highly recommend Pluto with over 100 channels for your viewing pleasure. Yes, they do break for commercials, but the programs are uncut just like Starz or any other premium channels.


I've had Starz for the past year after receiving a credit from my former satellite provider and have really enjoyed the movies that come with it. I don't think I'm going to add it right now, though. I will definitely look into the Pluto app. That sounds intriguing.


----------



## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

B. Shoe said:


> It does not. One channel at a time. I don't have experience with other streaming services, so I can't say whether that's a step below any other streamers. I know the ESPN app for Apple TV will do a quad-box, but it has to be content within the ESPN/ESPN+ universe.


Thank you. I love the ESPN (and the Fox Sports) apps, I wish all of the streaming apps could do that. I wish you could do multiple apps at once as well.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

TheRatPatrol said:


> Thank you. I love the ESPN (and the Fox Sports) apps, I wish all of the streaming apps could do that. I wish you could do multiple apps at once as well.


The NFL Sunday Ticket app will also go quad-box, as well. I'm looking forward to giving that a run this fall. This is four games in a full screen environment, not the four-game mix with a border that is included in DIRECTV's television setup.

I think someone mentioned this in a previous post, when it comes to app authorization; the Turner properties do NOT include app authorization (TNT, TBS, TruTV, CNN, etc.) The exception to this is NBA TV. Everything else I've uploaded to the ATV box, so far, authorizes through YTTV.


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

B. Shoe said:


> I'll give it a proper test viewing at my parents' place to try out 4K content. But now you've got me highly intrigued. I was testing out Planet Earth II on Netflix last night, which was streaming at 50p. If it looks better than that, then count me in on the 4K train.


You have to sit down with a 4K set and spend some time with it. This is not the experience of going from SD to HD. It's a bit more subtle. I'd suggest watching some program you really like, watch the whole thing and then watch it again on your plasma. I went thru this when I got my first 4K set. I had to watch a lot of programs on the 4K set to understand what the difference actually is. In my case, suddenly my plasmas annoyed me. That had never happened. My annoyance was caused by the PQ. No plasma is capable of the PQ you're gonna see, keep that in mind. Don't know what kind of 4K set you're gonna be looking at, mine are all kinda toward the high end of Samsung's "normal" 4K line and the difference is very noticeable when comparing 4K to 1080p.

You don't have to watch 4K content to appreciate the 4K sets, pretty much any HD program is gonna look a whole lot better upscaled to 2160p. That's where the value is, the upscaling. 4K content is gonna be awesome, what should blow you away is the upscaling of normal programming.

Rich


----------



## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

B. Shoe said:


> I've had Starz for the past year after receiving a credit from my former satellite provider and have really enjoyed the movies that come with it. I don't think I'm going to add it right now, though. I will definitely look into the Pluto app. That sounds intriguing.


Have you watched _Power _on Starz? Really good series, I think.

Rich


----------



## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

TheRatPatrol said:


> Does the YTTV Apple TV app allow you to watch multiple screens at once, quad PIP?


Don't know about YTTV but PSView on the ATV 4k does support multiview (up to 4 channels at once). It was one of the reasons I added the ATV 4k to my stable of streaming devices in my home theater. That and NetFlix ATMOS support. It's the only two things I use it for. For all other streaming we use either the Nvidia Shield or FireTV Stick 4k. Not a fan of the Apple devices or the Apple ecosystem....and yes I know lots of folks are fans, no reason to go on about how wonderful it all is...


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

Rich said:


> Have you watched _Power _on Starz? Really good series, I think.
> 
> Rich


I never got into _Power_. I have a stable of about 5, maybe 6 shows that I can focus as appointment viewing at any time. It just never fell into that list. Right now, that list currently includes _Ballers_, _The Righteous Gemstones_, _Succession_, _The Umbrella Academy_, and I'm finally getting caught up on _Stranger Things_. I've read a lot of great reviews about _Power_, though.



mjwagner said:


> Don't know about YTTV but PSView on the ATV 4k does support multiview (up to 4 channels at once). It was one of the reasons I added the ATV 4k to my stable of streaming devices in my home theater. That and NetFlix ATMOS support. It's the only two things I use it for. For all other streaming we use either the Nvidia Shield or FireTV Stick 4k. Not a fan of the Apple devices or the Apple ecosystem....and yes I know lots of folks are fans, no reason to go on about how wonderful it all is...


No qualls here. I just already live in the Apple universe, so it was an easy fit for me. And YTTV is the only service that carries all four locals in my market. Regardless of what I would have purchased as my streaming device/service, in retrospect, I wish I would have cut the cord sooner than I did. I likely could have done this sooner, but I just wasn't sure on the stability of my prior internet connection. The fiber connection made it a much easier choice.


----------



## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

B. Shoe said:


> I never got into _Power_. I have a stable of about 5, maybe 6 shows that I can focus as appointment viewing at any time. It just never fell into that list. Right now, that list currently includes _Ballers_, _The Righteous Gemstones_, _Succession_, _The Umbrella Academy_, and I'm finally getting caught up on _Stranger Things_. I've read a lot of great reviews about _Power_, though.
> 
> No qualls here. I just already live in the Apple universe, so it was an easy fit for me. And YTTV is the only service that carries all four locals in my market. Regardless of what I would have purchased as my streaming device/service, in retrospect, I wish I would have cut the cord sooner than I did. I likely could have done this sooner, but I just wasn't sure on the stability of my prior internet connection. The fiber connection made it a much easier choice.


Yeah, a solid net connection is a prerequisite for moving to streaming. Which unfortunately is a real issue for many folks. One of several reasons I think sat service will be around for a long time to come. The bad part is it will be a captive audience with few options so the prices will keep going up.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

mjwagner said:


> Yeah, a solid net connection is a prerequisite for moving to streaming. Which unfortunately is a real issue for many folks. One of several reasons I think sat service will be around for a long time to come. The bad part is it will be a captive audience with few options so the prices will keep going up.


You're exactly right. Let's talk rural. I (used to) live in what is the largest county in the state of Illinois, in terms of square mileage. On the flipside, it ranks 73rd out of 102 counties for total population. No community is larger than 4,200 people. There *is* some fiber expansion coming, but it may be up to 2-2.5 years before the entire county gets upgraded. Jump across the river to northeast Missouri, and it's no man's land, in terms of high speed broadband. There are some spots there still working on satellite internet or *gasp* DSL lines. I'm sure there are numerous examples of this across the country, but this is the one in my backyard.


----------



## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

I watched the end of the Mets/National game today on YTTV. Very disappointed in the PQ when compared to games on MLB.TV (or DIRECTV or OTA). If this was my only data point, I wouldn't get YTTV.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

trh said:


> I watched the end of the Mets/National game today on YTTV. Very disappointed in the PQ when compared to games on MLB.TV (or DIRECTV or OTA). If this was my only data point, I wouldn't get YTTV.


I've noticed differences in certain programs, including sports. I don't know if I'd go as far as using the term "very disappointed", but to each their own. I'm pushing two weeks with it now and still pleased with everything.


----------



## pottert1 (May 31, 2015)

B. Shoe said:


> Agreed. It's not something I'll access all the time, but it's nice to have a real solid number on my download speed that's coming from my actual service/streaming box (Fast.com, Speedtest.com, etc., all seem to provide a different number), and to see if I happen to be dropping a lot of frames.
> 
> It does not. One channel at a time. I don't have experience with other streaming services, so I can't say whether that's a step below any other streamers. I know the ESPN app for Apple TV will do a quad-box, but it has to be content within the ESPN/ESPN+ universe.
> 
> I've had Starz for the past year after receiving a credit from my former satellite provider and have really enjoyed the movies that come with it. I don't think I'm going to add it right now, though. I will definitely look into the Pluto app. That sounds intriguing.


Another good one similar to Pluto is Xumo. I'm going to try my 5 day YTTV starting tomorrow. Contemplating cutting the cable. I have a pretty good connection with Mediacom, but think I'm switching to fibre soon. (they are couple of blocks away on the build-out). I'm guessing I'm not to far from you. I too am in small Illinois town . (Carthage). I have directv now, but could cut my bill in half by streaming instead.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

pottert1 said:


> Another good one similar to Pluto is Xumo. I'm going to try my 5 day YTTV starting tomorrow. Contemplating cutting the cable. I have a pretty good connection with Mediacom, but think I'm switching to fibre soon. (they are couple of blocks away on the build-out). I'm guessing I'm not to far from you. I too am in small Illinois town . (Carthage). I have directv now, but could cut my bill in half by streaming instead.


Yes, we are within a pretty close distance of one another. Five days will give you a good gauge of YTTV, but remember that you can suspend your satellite account if you want to try a full month out. Good luck! Hope it goes well for you.


----------

