YouTube TV Begins Widely Implementing New 1080p Enhanced Resolution for Select Channels
The new resolution will be YouTube TV’s best outside of the 4K Plus add-on, which allows viewers to watch some content in UHD.
Watching your favorite channels on YouTube TV is about to become an even better experience. The live TV streaming service is rolling out a new screen resolution called 1080p Enhanced, which will be available to all subscribers of the service in the near future if they do not see it already.
- YouTube TV engineers call 1080p Enhanced the “highest video quality” available on the streamer outside 4K.
- Customers who wish to use the 1080p Enhanced resolution must stream on a 4K-enabled device.
- The higher quality picture comes ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, as well as the upcoming NCAA March Madness tournament.
What is 1080p Enhanced Resolution on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV channels all stream at slightly different versions of high definition. Some already stream at 1080p, while others stream at 1080i. Both resolutions feature the same amount of pixels, but 1080p progressively scans every row of pixels on the screen at a rate of 60 times per second, which leads to a slightly better picture quality than 1080i.
The 1080p Enhanced option ensures that each channel with content available in 1080p will actually stream in that picture quality. It’s still a step below Ultra-High-Definition 4K streaming, but YouTube TV promises that it will be the highest screen resolution available to subscribers outside of 4K. Most important for some, 1080p Enhanced streaming will not cost YouTube TV customers an extra monthly charge to access; the 4K Plus add-on which allows YouTube TV customers to stream in UHD is $9.99 per month on top of YouTube TV’s $72.99 monthly subscription fee.
Audiences will want to ensure that they have a 4K-enabled streaming device to get access to the 1080 Enhanced option, according to YouTube TV. The new resolution is available at any time to customers if they navigate to the video quality settings. YouTube TV’s 1080p Enhanced resolution is becoming available more widely just in time for Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII, as well as the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, both of which are available to stream with a YouTube TV subscription.
What Other Technical Improvements Have Come to YouTube TV Lately?
YouTube TV has rolled out several innovations for customers lately, many of which will help audiences improve their live sports experience on the service. In late January, the streamer made an update to its “Reduce broadcast delays” feature, which allows viewers to cut latency in their stream as much as possible to bring their stream as close to live as possible. Previously, that feature turned off automatically 48 hours after being turned on, but now customers can turn it on and leave it on permanently if they wish.
In addition, YouTube TV is making its multiview feature customizable for college basketball and NBA League Pass audiences. That will allow subscribers to swap games into their multiview lineup until they find the ultimate combination for them, an innovation fans had been clamoring for ever since YouTube TV first introduced multiview.
The new 1080p Enhanced resolution will be useful for more than watching just live sports, though it will no doubt upgrade that viewing experience for YouTube TV customers as well. If you’ve got a fully updated 4K streaming device available for watching YouTube TV, keep an eye out, as the 1080p Enhanced option might be headed to your account soon, if you don’t see it already!
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $72.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The service includes an unlimited DVR.