YouTube TV is testing improvements to picture quality

To ensure that its users have a good viewing experience, it is essential for YouTube TV to maintain a smooth streaming performance, especially after implementing a substantial price increase of $72.99 per month for its subscribers.

Users of YouTube TV have expressed concerns over poor picture quality, low bitrate, and other issues that negatively impact the streaming experience. Recently, the company has addressed these issues by increasing the bitrate for some live content and fixing the 5.1 surround sound syncing problem. Additionally, the YouTube TV app for Apple TV has undergone a significant upgrade.

In a recent Reddit post, YouTube TV revealed that it is currently testing transcoding changes that would increase the bitrate for live 1080p content. This would result in higher video quality; however, it may also lead to buffering issues if viewers do not have a strong internet connection. As a result, the picture quality improvement will only target devices that support the VP9 codec with high-speed internet connections.

The test is set to roll out over the next few weeks, and if successful, the changes will be made permanent by the summer. However, there are currently no plans to upgrade 720p content.

In addition to the bitrate changes, YouTube TV has found and is working on a solution for the 5.1 audio/video sync issue that some subscribers experienced following the 5.1 audio update in June 2022.

YouTube TV has also made several bug fixes to the YouTube TV app for Apple TV, addressing issues such as 4K playback problems, HDR implementation, and black screens when opening or switching between content. The company is also working on a solution for app crashes on the first generation Apple TV 4K.