The YouTube TV Thread

Once HBO and Showtime became available as standalone streaming services, I dumped satellite, put up an antenna for locals paired with an OTA DVR, and began subscribing to on-demand streamers like HBO Now, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, etc. That works if you're not a big sports fan, like me. Honestly, sports is the main reason to pay for a cable channel package any more. Nearly everything else can be found on lower-cost (or free) apps. And as far as scripted TV, movies and docs, the selection is much better IMO on streaming services than on cable channels. I'm getting into Apple TV+ now. Lots of stuff to check out for only $5/mo, and all of it in 4K Dolby Vision to boot.
Yeah, I wish I could get locals reliably via OTA. I'd buy a Tablo and be done with it.
 
Yeah, I wish I could get locals reliably via OTA. I'd buy a Tablo and be done with it.
Well, you can watch most broadcast TV stuff (ABC, Fox and NBC) on-demand with a Hulu subscription. Then there's Paramount+ for CBS shows (and CBS's live NFL games). Free apps for PBS and The CW.

I really don't find all that much worth watching on the major networks any more. I do still like to record and watch the national evening news every day like I'm an old person, though, ha.

You might look into ATSC 3.0 now that it's probably available where you live. I know it's been launched in both the Triangle as well as Charlotte. About the only benefit that 3.0 offers right now is easier/more stable reception. Although I'm reading that lots of folks are having problems with sound since those stations tend to use the modern AC-4 audio codec, which many devices can't handle.
 
Well, you can watch most broadcast TV stuff (ABC, Fox and NBC) on-demand with a Hulu subscription. Then there's Paramount+ for CBS shows (and CBS's live NFL games). Free apps for PBS and The CW.

I really don't find all that much worth watching on the major networks any more. I do still like to record and watch the national evening news every day like I'm an old person, though, ha.

You might look into ATSC 3.0 now that it's probably available where you live. I know it's been launched in both the Triangle as well as Charlotte. About the only benefit that 3.0 offers right now is easier/more stable reception. Although I'm reading that lots of folks are having problems with sound since those stations tend to use the modern AC-4 audio codec, which many devices can't handle.
Yeah, it is the live stuff. Local News/Weather, National News, Morning Shows while she is making coffee in the morning, cooking breakfast, dinner, etc. We can get the live feed of our local CBS station via Paramount+, but you can't pause it, RW, etc. I believe the same is true for Peacock which is what she would prefer. WRAL has an app for their local broadcasts, but it does not appear you can do any trickplay with them while they are live.

I watch F1 races on ESPN as well, and I would want to get that some way, either Sling or F1.tv or something else, so once you factor in those costs, we aren't paying that much more to get YTTV, at least at the current price.
 
The guide was extended a couple of weeks ago, but perhaps slow to roll out across all devices. I've heard it's extended on FireTV and Roku devices. I no longer have YTTV so can't confirm.
Checked the Ultra outside and the Main TV inside, both of them have the extended guide.
 
Started the free trial of 4K so I could watch The Open in 4K. What a joke the picture is dark and no clearer than the HD channel. I cant see anyone paying for this with the limited content they offer.
 
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Started the free trial of 4K so I could watch The Open in 4K. What a joke the picture is dark and no clearer than the HD channel. I cant see anyone paying for this with the limited content they offer.

I take it no HDR?
 
Started the free trial of 4K so I could watch The Open in 4K. What a joke the picture is dark and no clearer than the HD channel. I cant see anyone paying for this with the limited content they offer.
What device did you use?

It was reported at reddit that only some newer boxes could get 4K/HDR, for example the older Apple 4K could not but the 2021 model could, the Shield also could not along with older Rokus, only the new Ultra and the better Roku TVs.

Also reported the 4K cameras were only at the holes, did not watch so I cannot confirm,, refuse to pay the extra $10 for content I will never watch anyways, I get plenty of 4K content from the streaming services.
 
The 4k works great. Problem is in the case of the 2nd Gen apple tv 4k, the hdr isn't working properly when your settings are to match the content. A software update would fix this. The stream has the correct content and the settings are there.
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What device did you use?

It was reported at reddit that only some newer boxes could get 4K/HDR, for example the older Apple 4K could not but the 2021 model could, the Shield also could not along with older Rokus, only the new Ultra and the better Roku TVs.

Also reported the 4K cameras were only at the holes, did not watch so I cannot confirm,, refuse to pay the extra $10 for content I will never watch anyways, I get plenty of 4K content from the streaming services.
used with fire stick 4k not sure if hdr compatible and TCL hdr roku tv
 
Had to change settings on fire stick to 2160 had it set on auto now shows in 4k instead of hd. Picture is clearer but still way darker than the hd channel.
 
The 4k works great. Problem is in the case of the 2nd Gen apple tv 4k, the hdr isn't working properly when your settings are to match the content. A software update would fix this. The stream has the correct content and the settings are there.
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This doesn't surprise me because the regular YouTube app on Apple TV 4K has the same problem. If you want to see HDR videos in HDR, you have to set the box to output *everything* in HDR, meaning SDR content is output in fake HDR.
 
This doesn't surprise me because the regular YouTube app on Apple TV 4K has the same problem. If you want to see HDR videos in HDR, you have to set the box to output *everything* in HDR, meaning SDR content is output in fake HDR.
Yep and I don't plan on doing that so hopefully an update is coming to fix this.

Edit. I gave in and turned it on. :eeek
 
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Watching the Olympics for sure it's in HDR. Since the app doesn't have the ability to turn on HDR for the Apple TV I decided to give in and manually turn it on. Gorgeous.
 
The HDR on YTTV 4K, such as the British Open ("select holes") does have an issue with being dim and muted compared to HDR on other content providers (e.g. Netflix, etc.) Tested it on new Sony Bravia TVs on their native app, a buddy's OLED TV with native app, CCWGTV and Shield TV. All settings on the TV set correctly, etc. Lots of discussion of this elsewhere.

So far 4K has been a bust for me. The Olympics: 4K in Primetime is only in selected markets, so most people can't see the events in 4K until a day later. By then, you already know all of the big stories because they are splashed everywhere. So we end up watching the Prime Time NBC feed in non-4K.

The British Open was "Selected Holes" and not the main tourney feed. And it was mute and dim and overall not as watchable as the standard 1080 network feed.

They are talking about certain games and things on NBC coming up in 4K, but my expectation is they will be like the Olympics and only available "live" on a delay basis.

I'm not sure this is all YTTV's "fault" - the Olympic Prime Time Feed for NBC being only in selected markets was in an item from NBC. But so far we've watched almost nothing in 4K.
 
I'm not sure this is all YTTV's "fault" - the Olympic Prime Time Feed for NBC being only in selected markets was in an item from NBC. But so far we've watched almost nothing in 4K.
It's YTTV's fault they promoted a $10/mo (promo price) 4K add-on on the promise of an unknown amount of Olympics content in 4K and very little 4K content beyond that. It's beginning to make more sense why the bundled 4K with completely unrelated features and knocked $10 off for the first year. 4K really should've been free until they had multiple channels offering 4K content 24/7 to sell as a channel bundle, as TV providers did in the early years of HDTV.
 
I'm not sure this is all YTTV's "fault" - the Olympic Prime Time Feed for NBC being only in selected markets was in an item from NBC. But so far we've watched almost nothing in 4K.
It's not YTTV's fault at all. Just like Comcast (which owns NBC), YTTV is reliant on local NBC stations having upgraded their tech to be able to pass a live 4K or 4K HDR signal to their cable TV distribution partners. Going forward, I expect more and more local stations (not only NBC affiliates, but also ABC and CBS ones) to begin adding that capability for select programs and events. In the case of ABC and CBS, I expect that content will also become available in 4K HDR at the same time in the Hulu and Paramount+ apps, respectively.
 
4K really should've been free until they had multiple channels offering 4K content 24/7 to sell as a channel bundle, as TV providers did in the early years of HDTV.
I really don't think that will ever happen. The great majority of 4K and HDR content will always be via on-demand services/platforms. I think linear channels will probably just mix in 4K here and there for select things, at least for the next several years.
 
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I really don't think that will ever happen. The great majority of 4K and HDR content will always be via on-demand services/platforms. I think linear channels will probably just mix in 4K here and there for select things, at least for the next several years.
Like back in the 60s when something was "in color". But never is a long time. They aren't going to support two sets of equipment forever. Let's look at the situation 10 years from now.

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Like back in the 60s when something was "in color". But never is a long time. They aren't going to support two sets of equipment forever. Let's look at the situation 10 years from now.
Maybe. Ten years from now, traditional QAM cable TV and satellite (DBS) TV probably no longer exist. Whatever still exists of linear-channel pay TV will be streaming, either OTT or managed IPTV. And in those cases, there are still higher bandwidth costs for delivering content in 4K vs. HD or SD. I can certainly imagine that all *new* content being made come 2031 is available in 4K or 4K HDR (if the viewer's equipment and internet speed allows it) but I don't think we're going to see all that legacy HD content being upgraded to pseudo-4K. So some shows and movies on a given channel will be 4K while others will still be HD. (With OTT/IPTV, the channel stream's resolution can auto-switch on the fly; no need for separate 4K and HD versions of the channel.) Likewise, some titles in Netflix, Prime Video, etc. will be 4K but others will still be HD.

But your analogy to color TV is a good one overall, I guess. There are still old B&W movies that air on TV but nothing is being shot in B&W now.
 
Is YTTV the best place to pick up the red zone channel? Or perhaps Sling blue?
I am just starting to look at these services.
I wish D* would offer RZC by itself.

I don't watch much on D* that isn't available somewhere else streaming except the Sunday Ticket.