Live streaming television and moving away from the traditional satellite or cable television seems to be the way of the future for a lot of people. Now, some people will think that subscribing to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video is enough, which I can completely understand. However, if you are like me then you probably want to have some type of live television streaming service for watching sports or the shows you love watching. Well, I have to say that was my case and I did try several streaming services, including the once highly touted Directv Now service, which is now called T&T TV Now.
Well, I have to say that after having several issues with most of the services, I decided it was time to give YouTube TV a chance. Like many people I was skeptical at first on the service and what it would offer for me to use. Not to mention, I had read some questionable reviews about the service and really questioned if the service was reliable. Well, I have to say that I was surprised at how wrong the negative reviews have been regarding YouTube TV. So here is my own experience while using YouTube TV as my live streaming television service.
Features Of YouTube TV Live Streaming Television Service
Has a large number of channel options.
When you look at some of the streaming services you may end up disappointed as they offer tiered level of services. For example, you could end up getting a subscription that has sports, but is missing TruTV. Well, YouTube TV from my own experience is one of the more rounded packages with the number of channels that are available for you to watch.
Allows you access to sports channels and PBS channels.
Now, I have actually turned my in-laws onto streaming television and it is mainly from the money savings they are getting. Yes, they have YouTube TV and Philo both, but even then they are saving over a hundred bucks a month on the bill. Well, their main complaint was they were going to miss their murder mystery shows that air on PBS. The good news is out of the live streaming services I have tried YouTube TV is the one that has your favorite PBS show.
With the sports channels I live in an area that has multiple sports channels. Thankfully, the channels that I love to watch from NBCSN, FoxSports, and all the different ESPN channels are available. What is even better is I even have access to the SEC network and BTN which makes it easier for me to find the sports that I love to watch, when they are being aired. Yes, you can record the sports as well on your DVR if you are unable to watch them live.
The DVR service is quite extensive.
Face it we are not going to be able to watch all of the shows we want to watch live. I know I am disappointed by the fact as well. However, unlike a lot of the services that limit you to twenty or even a hundred hours on the DVR, YouTube TV does not have any limits that I have found.
What is even better about the DVR service with YouTube TV is the fact that it will keep your shows for quite a long time. I know this is a major concern for some people, but I record quite a few shows and still have some shows on my list from last year. Even in some of the shows that I do not have saved, it will turn it into a video on demand type of option which is nice, but does have commercials you cannot fast forward.
YouTube has some original work shows that you normally can watch on YouTube TV.
When you look at YouTube Premium you may notice that it allows you access to some of the shows that are on the premium. A good example of the shows that I was able to watch on YouTube TV that I had seen previews for on YouTube, was Cobra Kai. Granted, not everyone is going to love the shows that are on regular YouTube, but they are definitely great to watch and will give you a great change of pace off of some of the other television shows that you had been watching in the past.
YouTube TV has very easy to use menus.
With some of the different streaming services they are nearly impossible to navigate the menus. With YouTube TV, though, it is very easy to navigate and actually is self explanatory on how it works. You have the search menu, the library, home, and live option. The search option is very easy to use get connected with the shows that you are trying to find.
The library option allows you to find the shows that you want to watch that was recorded. What I found great about the library option is that it is broken down even further into different categories from recently recorded to most watched. All of these options make it quite a bit easier to find the shows that you want to watch.
On the home option, it is the main screen that pops up. It has several different options and some of them are gathered off of what you watched recently. Then you have the second option of what you have started to watch and had to stop. It is listed as resume watching and is very easy to use and get started with.
When you look at the live option, that is where you would find your television guide at. You can rearrange the guide to have more of your favorite channels on the top of the list. At the same time, though, you can explore the guide and start to find a wide variety of channels, some of which you may not even be familiar with.
Features I Do Not Like
The recommended programs may not be what I like
When you log into YouTube TV, like I mentioned above it loads a home menu. This menu is where you end up getting the recommended shows. Well, I have to say that in most cases the predictive options on what I am looking for show wise is usually spot on. However, there are times when the recommended programs are nothing based off of what I would normally watch. Then again, it could be something that showed up from my kids looking up stuff, but even then the shows that are being recommended tend to not even be the shows that my kids even watch.
The service is missing a previous channel type of button.
When you have traditional television service, it is very easy to get used to the button that you can push to get to the previous channel. This is very easy to do and a lot of times it is very easy to become reliant on the button to get back to the last channel. When you are using YouTube TV, though, you do not have the previous channel button. You can find several workaround options on how to get to the last channel, but it is not nearly as easy as what you would get if you had a traditional television service.
When scrolling down the live guide it can be hard to navigate.
The live menu is definitely an issue that can be changed, but it can also be customized. However, until you get it customized to meet your needs it is going to be nearly impossible for you to get the guide set upright. What is even worse is when you first start of the guide, at least in my experience, was not even grouped together properly for alphabetical order. However, even with that issue once you get the guide set up it is very easy to use and have it working properly.
My Final Thoughts On YouTube TV Live Streaming Television Service
Streaming television shows is not a new concept, but streaming live television is something that a lot of people still consider to be in its infancy. However, I have to say if you are looking for a reliable service that I personally have not had issues with, then I would highly recommend YouTube TV. Remember, I did change services for YouTube TV and I was mostly happy with the older service I had, but now I am completely happy with the service I am using for television service and that is none other than YouTube TV.
How Many Devices Can You Have On YouTube TV?
When you are using YouTube TV you will be pleasantly surprised that you have the ability to watch YouTube TV on up to 3 devices at a single time.
Can You Watch YouTube TV In Multiple Locations?
This question is a little tricky to answer as it will work when you are on vacation, but you get the television programs for the area that you are traveling in.
Does YouTube TV Have A Program Guide?
The live guide is not what you would expect and it does take getting used to. At the same time, though, you can customize the guide to meet your needs.
Does YouTube TV Have A Free Trial?
At the time of this writing, YouTube TV does have a free trial that you can use that will last you 7 days.
