YouTube TV Review - Is it Better than Cable for Cord Cutters?

VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:01 - Price
01:56 - Channel Lineup
02:55 - Family Sharing & Streaming Limitations
04:29 - TV Interface
06:24 - Sports
06:58 - Channel Guide
07:30 - Play & Pause Live TV
08:33 - DVR Recording
09:01 - Search
09:29 - Library: Watching recordings and video on demand
11:50 - Managing DVR/ Expiration Dates
12:58 - Push Notifications
13:14 - Mobile App
14:19 - Web Browser Interface & Settings
16:21 - Channels DVR and TV Everywhere
18:11 - Conclusion

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[mrguystarr]

We had YTtv at $50 for about a year when we first cut the cord. Overall we were pleased with the service. When YTtv increased to $65, that's when we decided to cancel. The extra $15 included extra channels but we had no interest in.

[lizulmer]

I had a large satellite dish back in the 90's, loved it because I could pay for a basic channel lineup, and add 10 more channels that I liked.... when lightning took it out and I went to cable I hated it! A lot of channels I had to pay for that I never watched.

Thanks for this video, it was very helpful. I'm trying to pick a new streaming platform since my Xfinity bill has gone sky high (it's $ 278 for phone, cable, and internet now).

So this sounds cheap to me! Now I just have to pick a new internet provider. 😁

[traviscunningham_]

Great review Lon, informative and detailed.

I’ve been a YTTV user for a long time. I love the service. Some things could be improved, but I am very happy. I have the 4K package, and love the ability to have unlimited streams in the house.

I think it also works very well when you’re traveling or abroad.


I was a subscriber to PlayStation Vue before YTTV. I actually think that product was superior to YTTV in many ways. I think if Sony would have marketed this as Sony Vue rather than PlayStation Vue it would have been more successful.

If you’ve never seen that service or what it looked liked, it would be an interesting retrospective. Very much ahead of it’s time in my opinion. I loved that service.

[AAWinnerMichaelCaine]

For your use case with your mother I might recommend Philo TV if/when you want something similar to YouTube TV, but cheaper. Philo is also the only other streaming service that does infinite DVR, and the only one with MeTV (a classic television reruns channel that's normally only OTA broadcast). It's $25/month and has *most* of the channels people want, with the big exception being that Philo lacks local channels. They also have an app on all the major platforms including Roku, Samsung smart TVs, Android TV, and mobile devices.

[jmcguire]

I've been with YTTV for 2 years. I like the unlimited DVR and the channel lineup for the most part. I don't like that they don't carry YES, NHL Network or MLB Network. I agree that they aren't much different from traditional cable providers.

[dbrakowski]

A fellow Mets fan! I knew I liked you for a reason ;) I've had YTTV since the beginning and have been very happy with the service.

[nyc]

The reason that both YouTube TV and traditional cable are so expensive is because the media companies that own the networks sell all of their networks in packages and force the providers to offer them all. They explicitly ban a la carte options. They're shooting themselves in the foot as linear television gets less and less popular, which is too bad, because I do think it still plays an important role for live broadcasts, which we're making harder and harder to access. I think we'll eventually reach a breaking point, and the price will come down or more a la carte options will be available, but will it be too late that nobody wants them? We shall see!

[insainllama]

I had AT&T U-Verse TV since it was bundled with my fiber subscription. I moved and they moved me to AT&T TV (now DIRECTV stream) and it’s served me well. The problem now is that the price has become a bit ridiculous for what you get. They still include a max subscription as well, but it’s not a huge benefit since I was getting that with my AT&T unlimited phone plan before I became a tv/fiber subscriber anyway. At the intro price, DIRECTV stream is a good “cable” service that has given me no issues when compared to my old xfinity service. But the non intro price makes the service hard to recommend

[brucehall]

YouTube TV just keeps going up and up and if you add your internet in with the cost as you have to have the internet cable isn't too much more. I know Sling TV probably doesn't have as much as YouTube TV but it does cost less...

[OldMan_PJ]

The antenna or using a free service like Pluto TV is the way to go.

[GadgetAddict]

We don't use YouTube TV but we do pay for YouTube premium, meaning no ads.

For me, that subscription is worth more than what we pay for Netflix, Disney+, HBO etc.

[Stan_sprinkle]

I really miss my setup I had in korea. $40 per month, total, for gigabit internet service and 300+ channels of cable. Now I pay google $150 a month for those things.

[InDreamsYourMine]

Was going to switch my parents over to YouTube TV, but ended going with DirecTV Stream, as YouTube TV was missing a few channels plus have the option of Purchasing DirecTV Stream boxes for ease of use.

[gameoverguy]

I had Comcast as well and I had the same experience that your mother did with the price that was outrageous... I got rid of Comcast all together and got YouTube TV and T-Mobile home internet and I couldn't be happier.. because in my area T-Mobile home internet works very well

[richardsmith]

I've tried it off and on. Decided to give it a try again when they got the Tennis channel back. Of course they decided to put it on the sports tier, which they didn't mention when they announced it was coming. No way I'm paying nearly $100 a month after taxes for a cable replacement.

[TylerJosephSmith]

I just cannot justify the price. I had it for a long time, but didn’t feel like I was watching it enough for the cost.

[exodous]

Eh, I think the best way to cut the cable is just not watch TV anymore. I stopped paying for satellite and just slowly stopped watching normal TV. I just watch youtube and movies mainly. It is weird going to someone's house and they have TV. I have youtube premium so I don't see any ads at all and seeing them actually brings back nostalgia but the second time I see the same commercial I'm done watching any commercials.

[RFK_]

Yes, it would be nice if you can pick and choose the desired channels, which YT TV could bracket with a cost. I am sure we as consumers have similar desires as far as what channels are needed. They could charge a figure for channels that are appropriate from their side. We can decide if we wish to pay that value, and not worry about any of the unwatced channels we do now. Wasted channels we really don’t watch for sure.

[Paperclown]

beurocratic jargon relabeling things for their usage. Cord Cutting used to mean not paying anything. Free OTT and fine selection of torrents with sonarr is Cord Cutting.

[Gorilla_Jones]

This entire streaming model is out of control. With everything it's coming out to a car payment. I have it and it's OK, no MSG so no Knicks! No Patriots. You have to spend for the NFL subscription, but then it blacks out the Pats!!! 🤬

The best feature is the DVR.

If it wasn't for the Mets I'd throw all these TV streaming in the trash.

The absolute worst part is I pay for YouTube premium and I get no discount at all! 🤦🏻‍♂️

So I'm paying $90 a month, and $80 a month for my internet, so I'm right back to Cable prices. 🙄

All this crap is a rip off.