I'm testing YouTube TV to cut the cord — here's the pros and cons

I'm testing YouTube Television receiver to cutting the cord — here's the pros and cons

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I'thou ready to cutting the string, and I've spent the final week testing YouTube TV, a top competitor and one of the best cable Television receiver alternatives. I've wanted to cutting the cord for a very long time, but enough became enough when I realized how behind the times the cable box is.

YouTube TV Cheat sheet

Price: $64.99, $84.99 (with 4K)
Channels: More than 85
DVR: Unlimited (recordings concluding ix months)
Simultaneous streams: iii
Broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC

I started out with YouTube TV for a reason. It's in the news for calculation a new 4K package that includes ultra HD content, unlimited concurrent streams and saving DVR content for offline. Unfortunately, I realized that those features aren't a huge deal for me.

That's because I didn't need UHD content for the Tokyo Olympics (which isn't my thing) and the channels I normally watch don't accept 4K content nonetheless. Which left me to wonder if the $64.99 per month YouTube TV is going to be my cablevision TV replacement. And the answer? An optimistic "perchance!"

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A brief epitomize: I want to cut the cord, and my roommates don't want to surrender their specific set up of channels. So, I'yard going to cut the string on my cable box and my half of the bill, which ways I'll stop spending at least $63.50 per month (my half of the $127 per month beak).

I hope that this experiment tin can prove my roommates how good it is to cut the cord. Maybe I can find the set of channels they want in a service we similar (non as probable). Or maybe I'll just convince them that holding onto the Aye Network (which is stuck on DirecTV Stream, fka AT&T TV) isn't worth it.

Where YouTube Television set beats (or matches) cable

The best part of YouTube TV vs cable? Everything only loads faster.

For the well-nigh function, while I'm watching something, I started to forget I was streaming TV and not watching it on cable. And, personally, that's a huge deal for me. When some people think of cutting the cord, they probably worry about a degradation of quality. In fact, when I took a moment to run across what the 4K quality looked like, I noted how Simone Biles' bedazzled red white and blue gear popped on screen.

Additionally, the streams take actually improved in 1 central way: slightly fewer commercials. For some reason, the ad-breaks on YouTube TV have these footling interstitial videos — including calm videos of animals on a evidently, or tips about using the DVR — that appear during brusque intervals in ad-breaks. This is likely considering YouTube's withal to sell ads that your local cable companies make full those breaks with.

Cutting the cord YouTube TV — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Also, for live sports, YouTube TV is but better than cablevision. When I tuned into an NBA Finals game a lilliputian belatedly, it offered me a style to see a serial of the "key plays" to grab me upwards on what had happened. This way, I had context going into the Bucks series-closing win.

Issues Report

I encountered one odd bug while using YouTube Telly. I couldn't get its Location Settings permissions to work on whatsoever of my iPads. This might be a bug related to the iPadOS xv beta, I'm looking into it to effigy out what's wrong. That means I could watch most things on the iPad, but non any local networks.

I likewise enjoy how YouTube TV deals with existence "alive" meliorate than my Spectrum cable box. With YouTube TV, I just fast-forward/elevate the timeline progress all the way to the correct, and the little red LIVE box lights upwards. I rarely rewound alive broadcasts on cable, partially because of a weird skipping/stuttering visual you'd get when trying to get back to the present moment.

Just I had to rewind while watching a live episode of AEW Dynamite concluding week, to express mirth at the weird synergy of a Domino's Pizza ad airing with picture-in-flick view of Nick Gage slicing Chris Jericho's forehead with a pizza-cutter. And I really care about scrolling back to the live moment, as I tend to watch stuff like this in synchronicity with friends on a Discord audio and folks on social media.

I as well like that YouTube Television set has no DVR capacity limit. Not only does this mean I won't have to think about deleting stuff ever, but because in that location's that moment in every cablevision customer's life when their cable box is moving super-slow — when you're forced to delete stuff to ameliorate functioning.

Which brings me to the best part of YouTube TV vs cable. Everything merely loads faster. Not merely does the app boot up faster than my cable box, merely fast-forwarding to the specific part of a feature-length programme is much easier, and you've got a lot more control.

On my cablevision box, I had to choose between 1-4x speed fast forwarding, which never really ends on the right spot of the timeline. On YouTube Idiot box, I just dragged the progress marker correct to the spot on the timeline where I idea I wanted to be, and wiggled information technology to the left and right until I was on the right moment.

Where cablevision still beats YouTube TV

The recordings on my cable box DVR stay there forever, and the aforementioned isn't actually true with YouTube TV. Yes, it has a deject-based DVR, just recordings there expire after nine months. This is probably not a big deal. If I cared most the show I'd lookout it in those 9 months, right? That said, I've saved shows in my DVR to watch "some mean solar day" one time I got bored of them, including Rick and Morty.

Y'all do lose the ability to set specific episode recordings, and do piddling things similar fix custom first and end times.

In that location aren't many other places where YouTube Television receiver isn't as good, and the other I've noticed and then far may be more well-nigh how I recollect virtually Boob tube more than than annihilation else.

YouTube TV ditches the idea of recording shows in exchange for the concept of adding shows to your Library. And while that sounds like nothing, you practise lose the ability to set specific episode recordings, and do petty things like set custom outset and cease times for a show or special. YouTube TV says it will intelligently arrange the end time for an effect, for either i infinitesimal (for most shows) and 30 minutes for live sports. I haven't striking a wall with this even so, simply it'south the kind of control I practise like having.

My Spectrum cable service is also better, sometimes, on my iPhone. Its app is flawed in that y'all can't encounter every channel when you're on cellular and not Wi-Fi, just Spectrum does give you motion-picture show-in-motion-picture show, while YouTube Television cuts out when you leave the app. That said, I've encountered buffering issues on alive streams from Spectrum, which I didn't get on YouTube TV.

Oh, and 1 more thing. This isn't necessarily something cable gets right, or fifty-fifty tries to do, but it'southward something I don't like about YouTube Boob tube. It'southward not exactly figured out what I want to watch. The home screen is constantly putting Olympics stuff in the chief box, and I don't think I've watched any (or much at all) Olympics on YouTube Tv then far. Hopefully over time it grows to figure out what I want. Or peradventure that'due south merely how these services work, always suggesting something that'south popular.

Does YouTube Television set hitting the sugariness spot for channels and cost?

YouTube TV has the channels I truly need ESPN (for whenever Pablo Due south. Torre is making ane of the WWL's shows better), USA and FOX for WWE's programming, TNT for the NBA playoffs and All Elite Wrestling, and a few other channels that it's overnice to take — FX, FXX, Cartoon Network and others.

So far, there'due south but a couple of channels I'd like to add to it: AXS and Vice. Both air other wrestling programming (Bear upon and MLW) that I've had passing, just never abiding, interest in. Both of those shows put their content up on free streaming services (Twitch and YouTube), so it'due south not a huge loss.

I tested out the 4K Plus YouTube TV parcel, just to see what it was like. And as I should have known, it didn't really matter to me. There isn't enough content in that location, and I don't want to watch the Tokyo Olympics, the big centerpiece of the 4K streams at the moment.

Then, I'd probably go with the $64.99 per calendar month YouTube Television package, and not the $84.99 per month (currently $74.99 for the get-go year) 4K Plus Package. Savings wise, this isn't a huge bargain for me unless I can get my roommates to switch with me. I'd not actually be saving whatsoever money ($63 is basically my half of the plan as information technology is). They'll want the Aye Network for Yankees games, simply I'll note we still get the games that air on WPIX, ESPN and Play a trick on.

Answering your cord-cutting questions

Reader Alan wrote in, asking nearly concerns over cutting the cord, including the concern he'd lose five.one surround sound. YouTube Television set recently added this audio standard for costless, while AT&T Telly has it for some live channels, and Sling has it for video-on-demand content.

Alan's also got some concerns that his half-GBps internet connection won't be fast enough. I've looked effectually and that should be enough, unless others are hogging your speeds.

YouTube TV suggests speeds of up to 13MBps for quality HD video and 25MBps for 4K. Sling TV suggests "constant" speeds of 25 Mb/s or more for households with internet use on multiple devices. Hulu and Fubo suggest similar rates.

YouTube Goggle box is ranking loftier — for now

This is just the kickoff of many cord-cut adventures. Next fourth dimension, I'll written report dorsum about what information technology's like to apply Hulu with Live TV — if information technology'south better or worse than YouTube Television or cablevision.

But for now, the $65 per month YouTube Television receiver is looking like a contender to crush. Of class, I can see the more than affordable Sling and Philo (starting at $35 and $25 per calendar month, respectively) on the horizon, and wonder if either of them volition cut it.

For now, though, I've got to give credit to YouTube Tv set for creating an fantabulous user experience, and a better cable box. I'd love permanence and more than minute control for my DVR (and background audio for mobile), but that isn't as great as everything YouTube TV offers.

Stream Time is where Tom'due south Guide senior editor Henry T. Casey dives into the big choices we brand nearly streaming media. Nosotros tackle it all, from the best and worst streaming services and devices, to the never-ending list of shows to watch.

Be sure to check out my guides to the all-time streaming devices (and best streaming services ) for more recommendations. Email me at henry.casey@futurenet.com or leave a annotate beneath with anything y'all'd like to see me cover in the streaming earth — I might just accost information technology in a future installment.

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Henry is a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple tree, reviewing devices and services for the past six-plus years. Prior to joining Tom'south Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He'southward likewise covered the wild globe of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other manufacture veterans.