YouTube TV Restores 1080p Enhanced Resolution Option for Some Viewers
The enhanced screen resolution rolled out on select channels in February, but the option to use it soon disappeared.
Not all of YouTube TV’s experiments are immediately successful. The live TV streaming service is always engaging in behind-the-scenes tinkering of some kind in an attempt to improve its platform for subscribers. That trend in February when the largest live TV streaming service began to roll out a new, higher screen resolution for select channels. Upon launch, the “1080p Enhanced” option could be turned on or off with a button, but that button soon disappeared. A new report from 9to5 Google suggests that the toggle for the enhanced bit rate is returning for some customers on select devices.
Key Details:
- YouTube TV customers on Apple TV devices have started to note the return of the 1080p Enhanced option.
- The feature itself remained active on select YouTube TV channels, but customers could not choose to turn it on or off.
- According to YouTube TV, the option was pulled because of a bug that did not allow some customers to use it correctly.
The 1080p Enhanced bitrate has been advertised by YouTube TV as the highest screen resolution possible on the streamer outside of Ultra-High-Definition 4K. Subscribers have to pay $9.99 per month extra to watch 4K content on YouTube TV, but the 1080p Enhanced option is free, though only available with select channels.
The option to watch these networks with 1080p Enhanced was first rolled out in February but began disappearing almost immediately after. YouTube TV cited the cause for the removal as a bug that prevented some customers from toggling the enhanced bitrate option on and off.
The option to switch 1080p Enhanced on and off has returned for some YouTube TV customers, specifically those who use the service on an Apple TV device. 9to5 Google reports that, so far, none of the channels that can work with 1080p Enhanced show the option’s return on Google TV devices.
Interestingly, the 1080p Enhanced feature itself did not disappear when the option to turn it on or off did. The improved bitrate is still active on the channels it launched originally on, it’s just the functionality to use it or not that has changed. Its reintroduction on Apple TV devices could well presage a wider re-launch of the option for YouTube TV customers.
Have Any Other YouTube TV Experiments Flopped Lately?
YouTube TV’s engineers must be paid by the hour because they are seemingly always cooking up something new. In mid-April, the streamer rolled out a newly redesigned library for housing customer recordings. Unlike many other new features on the YouTube TV platform, the updated recording library received near-universally negative reviews from users.
Despite its recent stumbles, YouTube TV’s 8 million subscribers show the streamer is highly popular among customers seeking an alternative to traditional cable. The Streamble's experts predict that YouTube TV will be the largest distributor of cable channels in the United States by 2029, and could easily achieve that goal as early as 2026.
If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, make sure to keep an eye on your user interface when watching channels equipped with the 1080p Enhanced resolution feature. You may soon have the option to turn the feature on and off again, as the streamer may have ironed out the issues preventing it from being used correctly.
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.