How to download shows on youtube tv

YouTube TV is today revealing more details about two anticipated new features: 4K playback and offline downloads. As it turns out, the service will be bundling them together in a new add-on package it’s calling “4K Plus.” There’s no getting one without the other.

4K Plus is available starting today and will cost an extra $19.99 per month on top of the standard $64.99 YouTube TV subscription. That sounds awfully expensive, but at least there’s this: customers will receive a free one-month trial — and if you sign up early, 4K Plus will be discounted to $9.99 each month for the first year. That’s easier to swallow than $20, but you’ll eventually be shifted over to the full price once that initial promotion expires. So for the first year, you’re looking at a $75 monthly bill, and $85 if you keep 4K Plus after that. Add in taxes and fees and, well, ouch.

Jump to specific moments.GIF: Google

For now, offline downloads will likely be a bigger deal for many customers than 4K streaming. Outside of select sporting events, there’s still a dearth of 4K content on network and cable TV. (For that reason, some competing services like FuboTV don’t charge extra for 4K streams.) YouTube really isn’t in any position to solve that dilemma, but it’s promising that 4K Plus subscribers will be able to “watch major sports events this summer in 4K, plus live content from networks like NBC, sports like college football and basketball later this year, and on-demand content from FX, Discovery Networks, Tastemade and more.” You can search for “4K” to see all available 4K programs. YouTube TV is also preparing for the Olympics with new features that will let you quickly jump to specific sports or moments of an event without having to manually scrub through.

When asked whether offline downloads will face any channel or content restrictions, YouTube told me that anything recorded to your cloud DVR from the base channel package can be downloaded to YouTube TV’s mobile app. So in theory, you shouldn’t run into any frustrating limitations or channels that block the feature. I’d hope for as much considering the price! However, the company noted that some premium network add-ons might not allow offline downloads.

At least among streaming TV services, offline viewing is a rare convenience. Sling TV doesn’t offer it, and Hulu only supports offline downloads from its on-demand library of shows and movies. In the case of YouTube TV, you’re actually pulling down the entire DVR recording as it originally aired, so this approach is somewhat unique and Tivo-esque. YouTube told me that customers will have full control over playback, and rewind / fast-forward should work without issue.

Adding 4K Plus to your account also enables “unlimited” concurrent streams for any devices that are on your home Wi-Fi network. YouTube TV usually limits customers to three simultaneous streams, and this will still apply for devices that are outside your home.

Dolby 5.1 surround is coming to YouTube TV

In welcome news for all YouTube TV customers, the service will also be introducing support for Dolby 5.1 surround sound “soon.” And this doesn’t require any special plan or add-on. YouTube says 5.1 audio has consistently been among the biggest feature requests from subscribers. It’ll be rolling out to “select devices” over the coming weeks. Smart TVs are first on the list, with other platforms to follow in the near future.

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With YouTube TV record process becomes quite simple and absolutely cheap as long as the service is available in your area. Because YouTube TV can be accessed on your web browser, a mobile app, or on any of the streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, Xbox One, Fire TV, etc., the compatibility of the platform has no constraints whatsoever.

In the following sections, you will learn what YouTube TV is, how to record shows on YouTube TV, what advantages and disadvantages it comes with, and what could be the best alternative if you are giving it a second thought.

Part 1: How to Record TV Shows on YouTube TV

Since the service has its own DVR, you don’t need any additional device or storage space to record YouTube TV. All you need to get the job done is either a mobile app, streaming device, or a computer with a web browser and an Internet connection.

Assuming that you have access to the basic elements like a computer with the Internet and a subscription plan to the service in question, the steps are given below explain how to record on YouTube TV:

Step 1: Search the Content

Sign in to your YouTube TV account on your web browser, and use the Search box at the top to search for the TV show you want to record.

Step 2: Record the Content

Click the Add button at the right side of the content you want to record. This would begin the recording, and the content will be added to your YouTube library.

Step 3: Access the Recorded Content

Go to your YouTube TV account, click Library from the top, and click to play the recorded TV show you want to watch.

Pros and Cons

YouTube TV comes with the following pros and cons:

Pros

● Unlimited DVR Storage

Since all the programs are saved to your YouTube TV’s Library section that is there on the YouTube’s server itself, you don’t have to worry about the DVR, storage devices, or their capacity anyway.

● Shows Durability/Availability

After recording shows on YouTube TV, they remain in your Library. And after up to 9 months, they are automatically removed. However, depending on the validity of the show you recorded, it may get erased from the Library before 9 months if it reaches its expiration date.

● Time Auto-Extension

While recording sports, YouTube TV automatically extends the scheduled recording for up to 30 minutes if it detects that the game is taking more than expected time to finish.

Cons

● Expenses

YouTube TV is a subscription-based service. At the time of this writing, it costs $49.99/month, making it one of the most expensive streaming platforms available today.

● Non-Selective Content

At the time of this writing, YouTube TV doesn’t allow you to record a single episode of a TV show. When you begin recording, the entire series is recorded. However, this isn’t much of an issue as you already have unlimited DVR storage space to save plenty of programs in.

● Uncontrolled Removal

You have no control over the removal of the recorded shows once the threshold duration of 9 months is reached. All you can do to get the series back is to re-record it, which is possible only if the show hasn’t got expired and removed from the YouTube platform altogether. Note: You can manually delete the shows from your Library before 9 months by clicking the Remove button that appears next to the title.

Part 2: Best Alternative to Record TV Shows

If you want to record YouTube TV channels on Mac/Win without breaking a sweat, install Wondershare UniConverter. Here you can record live TV stations in full-screen or customized mode. As you capture the TV channel, you can add video overlays or Picture-in-Picture effects (PIP), voice narrations, system audio, and unique annotations like texts, shapes, and drawings. Plus, users can download YouTube content directly on their local storage.

Wondershare UniConverter – Best YouTube TV Recorder

• It can record YouTube TV stations in full-screen or customized mode.
• Record TV stations with video overlays, voice narrations, and unique annotations.
• Preset the output format, frame rate, and quality.
• Download YouTube videos with 30x download speed.
• Edit the recorded YouTube TV stations by trimming, cropping, merging, adding subtitles, and more.
• Convert the recorded video to MP4, AVI, WebM, MTS, MOV, DV, and more.
• Best YouTube TV recorder for Mac OS X 10.9+ & Win 10/8/7.

Below are the steps to record a YouTube TV channel on Mac/Win using Wondershare UniConverter:

Step 1 Open the Screen Recorder function.

Install and run Wondershare UniConverter, then click the Screen Recorder tab. After that, tap the Screen Recorder button to run the screen capture tool.

Step 2 Select a capture area.

Launch the YouTube TV station, then drag the cropper to fit a particular section of the screen. Alternatively, open the Recording Mode menu, then set the capture area as Custom or Full Screen. If you want to record a video in Custom mode, enter the video frame dimensions, then lock the aspect ratio.

Step 3 Configure the input devices and recording settings.

Sometimes you may want to include voice narrations and a PIP effect as you record a video. In that case, choose a mic and a Facecam under the Microphone and Webcam sections. You can also select a sound output device under the System Audio drop-down list.

Additionally, click the Settings menu (gear-like icon) to set the output quality as low, medium, or high. You can also select the target format as MP4, FLV, or AVI. Plus, this app lets you preset the frame rate, folder path, and keyboard shortcuts.

Step 4 Start recording the YouTube TV channel.

If everything looks set to record, click REC to start the recording process. Now open the taskbar, then click Annotations to start adding texts, shapes, arrows, lines, and drawings. After you’ve captured enough, click Stop. You can now preview and edit the video as you want.

Conclusion

Even though YouTube TV record doesn’t require any DVR device and also offers unlimited storage space, the recorded shows last only for up to 9 months. Compliments to Wondershare UniConverter that allows you to save the recordings on your PC for as long as you want without any additional subscription plan or data expiration threshold.

Can you download YouTube TV shows to watch offline?

Can you download videos on YouTube TV?

How do I download a show from YouTube?

How do I download TV shows to watch offline?