A Better Way to Watch TV
YouTube TV has built an incredible user experience
Yes, television is still a big part of our lives.
No, we don't treat TV like we used to. Most homes have multiple screens of various sizes that we use to consume "television shows." There aren't very many specific appointment-viewing programs anymore. Most people don't think of the primetime hours between 7-11pm as the only hours to watch TV.
For a younger generation, the idea of a large screen on the wall that they can't take with them is strange. They'd rather just watch content on their phones or computers. These things can go with them everywhere. They're more personal.
I've never been a huge TV watcher. For most of my life, I didn't pay for cable subscriptions or premium channels. Sure, I have a few shows that I enjoy (Seinfeld, Jeopardy!...that's about it) but I'm not the type to have a DVR jam-packed with shows in need of binging.
TiVo Changed TV
I've previously written about my love for TiVo. The brand name may not cary the gravitas that it did years ago. In fact, it feels more like a relic, a tech punchline. And I have come to terms with this. TiVo isn't really a relevant player in the streaming space anymore. Their time has come and gone. They didn't evolve fast enough. They were passed by in the streaming wars. The idea of a huge hard drive to save all of your TV shows was not important anymore when all of your content could stream instantly.
For this longtime TiVo devotee, it was hard to move on. I still have a TiVo in my garage that has a lifetime subscription and I can't seem to sell it. If there are any takers out there, please let me know.
But yes, I have moved on. And I've found a TiVo replacement. In fact, I've found a replacement that blows my old TiVo out of the water. It's called YouTube TV and I truly think that they've taken the torch from TiVo as the most innovative force in the modern television game.
Yes, YouTube TV has iterated on the television viewing experience and I'll say that they've damn near perfected it.
What is YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is a streaming subscription service. You could call it a competitor to paying for a cable package. It offers you a bundle of channels for a monthly charge. It sounds pretty simple right? Instead of paying your cable company, you just pay YouTube TV instead. YouTube has been a household name for quite some time now, so people have come to trust it for their streaming needs.
And as someone who was so against paying for cable for some many years, I was hesitant about this. I don't watch most of these channels, why should I pay for them? It's a fair question.
Even in my days of being a hardcore TiVo user, I wasn't paying for cable. I was just using my TiVo connected to an HD antenna. It was basically just a personal DVR for content that was freely available through the HD airwaves. YouTube TV combines a traditional cable television subscription with the ease of a personal DVR.
Yes, YouTube TV gives you access to all of these channels. But what really sets it apart in my eyes is the virtual DVR that it offers. If you want to record any TV shows or movies, they are stored in the cloud. No need for a physical hard drive of any sort. You have an unlimited personal storage cloud for all of your video content. It's pretty sweet. And you can setup all the recurring recordings like you would in the old days with TiVo so you never miss a show. Note that you can also follow a favorite sports team (or whole league) and automatically record all of their games. This has been super useful for me when I'm busy and can't catch a sporting event life.
Ok, this all sounds great right? But I haven't even gotten to the one thing that has kept me using YouTube TV now for well over a year. It's the seamless integration with Google Assistant. Yes, this is the game-changing feature for me and it would be hard to give it up.
There are quite a few DVRs and cable boxes that include voice controls these days. Just hold down a button on your remote and you can ask it to find virtually any movie or TV show. That's great, and YouTube TV offers that functionality too if you're using it on a Google TV with Chromecast device that comes with a remote. But this isn't just voice control, this is Google Assistant. It can answer all sorts of questions beyond finding you movies.
And when you have a smart home that is integrated with Google Assistant, this gets really powerful. For example, I have a Google Nest Hub Max in my kitchen. It's perched on a windowsill just above my sink. It's in a perfect position for viewing while washing the dishes. And with my hands all wet and soapy, I can dictate voice commands to control content from YouTube TV that's playing on my smart display. It's a fantastic user experience. Telling Google to play NBC Sports Bay Area will instantly connect to the live stream from that channel in YouTube TV. And I'm now watching the Golden State Warriors game while washing the dishes. And when I'm done with the dishes, I can walk into the other room and tell any of my smart speakers to play NBC Sports Bay Area on the Den TV and that stream will now show up on the big screen.
It's just so darn convenient. YouTube TV has made a product that I'm happy to pay for. And that wasn't the case for most cable subscriptions/DVRs in the past. It was a badge of honor to turn my nose at the cable companies. They weren't going to get me to sign a contract and be a subscriber forever! I was in control.
And yes, YouTube TV has a subscription too but it just feels better. You can easily pause or cancel your subscription at any time. You can even add premium options like NBA League Pass or NFL Red Zone as needed. You don't have to call anyone or try to get a bundle deal or some other scam. It's just all clearly laid out in a way that's easy to understand and control through a web or app interface.
Conclusion
This is not a paid endorsement for YouTube TV by any means. I just wanted to share my praise for something that has really become the most pleasant and efficient way to watch TV in the modern smart home. Of all the little side projects and services that Google has launched over the years (Google Voice, Google+, Google Music, Google Reader, the list goes on and on) YouTube TV may be the best of the bunch. Now, of course it could certainly go the way of any of those other doomed services. Google may lose interest in the space and pivot to something else, but it seems unlikely. And I'm sure they're making a fine profit here as well, it's not a free product after all.
Consider this a tip of the cap to Google/YouTube for really nailing this experience. Let's hope they don't screw it up.
Anyone else out there using YouTube TV?
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
P.S. - Hey, it’s a new year! Could you use some help reviewing what worked for you last year and what could be better for 2023? Need some help building positive habits or ditching negative ones? Iterating on a new business idea and need some guidance? Or maybe you just want to say hello and pick my brain for a bit, that’s fine too! If you’d like to chat, feel free to book some time with me here!
I'm interested to check it out. I haven't watched TV in ... decades? Just YouTube (for news briefs) and Netflix and HBO, and then TED Talks and such. Thanks!