If the monthly price for all these streaming TV services keeps going up, the least they can do is add some new features and better video quality, right? This is what YouTube says you can expect soon from YouTube TV; today, the company announced that, in the coming weeks, the service “will present a new add-on package with 4K streaming, offline viewing and unlimited simultaneous streams at home”.
Unfortunately, a YouTube TV spokesman didn’t have much to share other than high-level news about upcoming additions. It is unclear whether there will be limits on channels or programs that support offline downloads, nor is YouTube giving examples of what content will be available in 4K. One would expect for some sporting events. Currently, customers have a maximum of three simultaneous streams, but it appears that YouTube will remove these restrictions as long as you’re watching from home.
Offline viewing is very rare among streaming TV apps. Hulu allows you to download TV shows and movies on demand to watch offline, but this does not apply to recordings from your live TV service. Sling TV does not offer this functionality, nor does AT&T TV.
The “add-on package” language suggests that you will have to pay more than the standard $ 65 monthly subscription to access these features. YouTube TV increased its basic subscription until last June. But the company still announces that, even with the rising cost, YouTube TV still doesn’t come with any hidden fees and offers unlimited cloud DVR space. The service has more than 3 million customers.