Cory Gunther
If you want to kick up your YouTube TV video quality and monthly bill, Google just announced its new 4K Plus package with a few useful features. Earlier this year, YouTube promised upgrades were coming, and now some of those are finally available but at a heavy cost.
Starting today, YouTube TV will have a new add-on called “4K Plus” that delivers 4K video, increases the device streaming limit from three to unlimited, and offers an offline viewing mode.
Obviously, offering 4K video streaming is an option many users want, but more importantly, this plan allows for extra streaming options. Rather than only three accounts being able to stream YouTube TV at a time, now you’ll have “unlimited” device streams so the entire family can tune in.
Finally, this new plan also allows users to download DVR content for offline playback, perfect for flights and other times when you won’t have an internet connection.
Unfortunately, while this is all awesome, it’s also expensive. The 4K Plus plan increases your bill by $20 per month, on top of what you currently pay. And with all the price increases over the last 3-4 years, this could take some plans, like the base option that’s $64.99 per month, up to nearly $85 per month. At that point, you might as well just pay for traditional cable.
There are a few silver lining, though. For one, you can get 4K Plus free for one month right now, and if you hurry, YouTube will let you lock in a price increase of $9.99 for 4K Plus instead of $19.99. Then, all YouTube TV plans will soon support 5.1 Dolby audio, which is a welcomed addition.
Source: YouTube Blog via TechCrunch
