YouTube TV in 4K: Everything you need to know

When it comes to streaming unrecorded TV successful nan U.S. (or streaming immoderate benignant of video anywhere, for that matter), resolution and spot complaint stay arsenic important arsenic ever. And you’re now capable to bask YouTube TV successful 4K. Some of it, astatine least. And if it seems for illustration it’s taken everlastingly for that to happen, you’re not wrong.

The basal truth is that it takes a batch of bandwidth to watercourse video — and that’s moreover much difficult erstwhile you’re talking linear TV, (and much truthful still if it’s a unrecorded arena for illustration sports). So it’s not really that overmuch of a astonishment to study that astir unrecorded channels watercourse astatine 720p solution — aliases possibly 1080p if you’re lucky. (We’ll time off framework complaint retired of nan equation for a minute, but it’s a thing, too, particularly for sports.)

For nan astir part, 4K solution — we’re talking 2160p — is beautiful difficult to travel by. FuboTV has had immoderate successful nan past, and YouTube TV has joined nan 4K statement via its optional 4K Plus add-on. And it’s a large deal. When you look astatine YouTube TV versus Hulu With Live TV — which is its biggest competitor — you’ll quickly statement that 4K is thing nan second decidedly lacks connected nan unrecorded front.

That YouTube TV 4K Plus add-on really gets you 3 awesome features, and they decidedly thief warrant nan value (especially considering that you don’t get everything successful nan higher resolution). They are:

• 4K solution connected immoderate content.
• The expertise to watch arsenic galore streams connected your location web arsenic you want.
• The expertise to watch recorded shows and movies offline connected mobile devices.

Those are nan large points, but let’s break it down a bit. Here’s everything you request to cognize astir 4K streaming connected YouTube TV.

Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

YouTube TV 4K value and really to adhd it

First things first: You’ll request an existing YouTube TV subscription if you want to watch thing successful 4K. That runs $73 a period (as of September 2023), positive tax. The 4K Plus add-on costs different $10 a month, but you’ll really get nan first afloat twelvemonth astatine half that price. After that, you’ll salary nan afloat price.

So pinch nary different add-ons, including 4K connected your YouTube TV subscription will costs a full of $78 a period for nan first year, past $83 a period aft that.

To adhd nan 4K Plus add-on to your subscription fee, you’ll request to spell into your YouTube TV relationship from a web browser. (Click your avatar successful nan apical correct corner, past take Settings, and past Membership. Or this nexus should return you correct there.) Look for nan 4K Plus add-on, past adhd it.

That’s besides wherever you tin cancel nan 4K Plus add-on if you determine you don’t want it immoderate longer.

NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV successful 4K

We dislike to beryllium nan bearer of bad news, but buying nan 4K Plus add-on doesn’t automatically get you 4K solution connected everything. And that includes NFL Sunday Ticket, which is now disposable connected YouTube TV. (And connected YouTube proper.)

That’s nan bad news. There’s besides immoderate worse news. Some NFL games mightiness really beryllium constricted to 720p. That’s not great, though astatine slightest nan broadcasts are still being streamed astatine 60 frames per second, which perfectly is simply a must for unrecorded sports.

While 4K solution would beryllium awesome erstwhile it comes to unrecorded sports — and it astir surely is awesome — it’s besides not a deal-breaker. Apple has shown pinch MLS Season Pass really a awesome 1080p watercourse can beryllium perfectly capable, and successful galore ways it can really beryllium better.

But for now? No NFL Sunday Ticket successful 4K solution connected YouTube TV.

What tin you watch successful 4K connected YouTube TV?

Adding nan 4K Plus add-on doesn’t magically upscale everything connected YouTube TV to a higher resolution. That’s conscionable not really it works. You’ll still request nan contented itself to beryllium disposable successful 4K solution to really make usage of that portion of nan add-on. (We’ll repeat, again, that it’s really conscionable one-third of what you get, though it’s decidedly nan astir important third.)

You tin divided what’s disposable successful 4K solution into 2 categories: On-demand, and live. You’ll find a bunch of shows disposable on-demand from Discovery, FX, Tastemade, and Nat Geo. That includes high-profile titles for illustration What We Do successful nan Shadows, Snowfall, Make This Tonight, Struggle Meals, and How It’s Made  — and that’s conscionable for starters. And they look awesome successful 4K resolution, arsenic you’d expect for thing that’s been prerecorded and optimized for streaming.

Where 4K contented really shines, though, is erstwhile it comes to unrecorded events. And by that, we really mean sports. On that front, you’ll find unrecorded games and events from ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports. What’s disposable is seasonal, of course. In nan fall, you’ll find assemblage shot and nan English Premier League, for example.

Sports successful 4K are still beautiful fewer and acold between, but we’ll return immoderate we tin get. The champion measurement to find retired what’s coming up is to deed nan Home tab connected YouTube TV, and past nan 4K filter.

This is nan portion wherever personification will guidelines up and yell, “But it’s not existent 4K!” And they’re almost surely right. When it comes to sports, what you’re almost surely watching is immoderate benignant of upscaled feed. That is, it’s changeable successful either 720p aliases 1080p (probably nan latter), past upscaled astatine nan root to 4K resolution, and past streamed by YouTube TV. Yes, autochthonal 4K would beryllium a batch better. That’s what you get erstwhile you’re watching a movie aliases show connected Netflix aliases Amazon Prime Video. But moving that overmuch information successful existent clip to arsenic galore group who watch a unrecorded sporting arena is really hard. So for now, we still person to contend pinch upscaling.

But here’s nan thing: Sports successful 4K look better. A batch better.

Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

What devices support YouTube TV successful 4K?

This is wherever things get a small tricky. Not each portion of hardware retired location supports 4K resolution, of people (and your TV besides will person to person a 4K panel). Here’s nan charismatic database of devices that support YouTube TV successful 4K:

• 4K smart TVs moving Android TV
• Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, and Hisense, from 2016 aliases newer
• Chromecast pinch Google TV
• 4K Roku streaming players
• Apple TV 4K (2021)
• PlayStation 4 Pro
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
• Nvidia Shield

Obviously missing from that database are web browsers, contempt nan truth that you tin find a 4K show reasonably affordable these days. YouTube TV tops retired location astatine 1080p.

It’s besides worthy mentioning that nan 2017 exemplary of Apple TV 4K is missing from that list, but we’re starting to spot immoderate contented disposable connected that older exemplary successful nan afloat 3480 x 2160 resolution.

What other do you get pinch YouTube TV 4K?

As mentioned above, contented successful 4K solution is conscionable one-third of nan features that are included successful nan 4K Plus package.

In summation to everything looking better, you’ll besides beryllium capable to download recorded shows to a mobile instrumentality for offline viewing. That intends you won’t request a information relationship to watch, say, Snowfall, while you’re connected nan subway. Just deed nan download fastener (it looks for illustration an arrow pointing downward) for nan show. If nan fastener is grayed out, nan contented isn’t disposable for download.

You’re constricted to 1 instrumentality astatine a clip for downloaded content. You won’t beryllium capable to watch that show connected different instrumentality earlier first deleting nan downloaded version.

The different characteristic included successful nan 4K Plus add-on is nan expertise to watch connected arsenic galore devices astatine once, truthful agelong arsenic you’re doing truthful connected your location network. That characteristic useful for family members nether nan aforesaid account, too.

If you’re extracurricular your location network, you’ll still beryllium constricted to 3 streams astatine once.

Editors' Recommendations

• NFL Sunday Ticket successful 2023: Everything you request to know
• Hisense conscionable debuted nan world’s largest mini-LED TV astatine 100 inches
• The champion Roku TVs of 2023: which should you buy?
• TCL’s latest 98-inch 4K TV comes successful astatine a awesome price
• The champion 4K TVs nether $500: premium image connected a budget