YouTube TV upgrades

There are many that cut the cord that turn around and subscribe to a live streaming service such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, or others. That's not something I did, or do.

The reason I didn't is that when I cut the cord, they didn't exist. I cut the cord in January 2011, and the first live streaming service didn't launch until 2015. After over four years, I found that I didn't need to pay for such a service. And, more importantly, I didn't want to.

I mention this so you'll have a better perspective on what I'm writing. When upgrades or changes happen to these live streaming services, they don't usually impact me. I don't get as excited about these things as others, because quite honestly, it doesn't really matter to me.

However, I realize that many who cut the cord are simply transferring their bills from one company to another. I cut the cord to save money, not to simply pay someone else the money.

Sure, many people are paying less money for a live streaming service than they paid for cable or satellite, but I'm paying even less, because I found that I don't need such a service. At least, I don't need it year round.

I read an article recently about upgrades to YouTube TV. It's mostly about picture quality, but that is a big deal. Getting a better picture for the same money is a good thing. Only, it's not for the same money, since it's for an extra $8/month:

The biggest one though is listed as "Picture Quality Experiments" and this could make the extra $8 a month actually worth it.

The first of these picture quality experiments is a transcoding upgrade that will improve the bitrate for live HD content — aka content in 1080p. Practically, this should reduce visible compression and pixelation and create a noticeably better picture. According to YouTube TV, this bitrate improvement will be targeted at "devices that support the VP9 codec with high-speed internet connections" and is temporary for now but could become permanent this summer.

The article also mentions Multiview, that rolled out for March Madness to allow subscribers to watch multiple games at the same time.

Improvements to YouTube TV are going to be very helpful to subscribers. My Streaming Life doesn't involve YouTube TV -- not at the moment, anyway -- but if yours does, this may be a welcome upgrade and option.