Summary
- TV is the best place for longer, higher-quality YouTube videos.
- Using the YouTube TV app helps me avoid unwanted video recommendations and toxic comment sections.
- YouTube subscriptions are easy to navigate with a TV remote.
I used to watch YouTube on my computer. Then, I switched to watching primarily on my phone. But these days, when I think of YouTube, I think of my TV.
TV Is a Natural Home for Longer Videos
What I watch on YouTube has changed. Short how-to videos made sense in a web browser, but that’s not what I watch much anymore. Now, a short YouTube video still easily lasts 20 minutes. Some are hour-long documentaries. You can even legally watch feature films for free!
At the same time, video quality has skyrocketed. Old YouTube videos would have looked pixelated on a large screen. Now, YouTubers film at such high resolutions that I don’t fully appreciate their work when watching on a 6-inch display.
The TV is the perfect place to fully appreciate the length and picture quality of modern YouTube videos.
Recommended Videos Are Tucked Away
Watching YouTube without having a video you don’t want to see placed somewhere in your peripheral vision is difficult. This is Google’s monetization strategy after all, to keep you watching by hooking you in to something else that you might find interesting.
If you allow Google to store your watch history, these recommendations will be tailored to you and more likely something you want to see, increasing how long you stay on YouTube. If, like me, you don’t let YouTube save your history, then the recommended videos will generally be about whatever outrageous thing is happening in the world and someone’s hot take on it.
YouTube on a TV makes these videos easier to avoid. They only appear when I pause a video, and the recommendations don’t seem to be as extreme.
I like that on a TV, I can open the YouTube app, browse my subscriptions, and watch a full video without seeing any toxic thumbnails unless I pause.
Comments are even more tucked away since you have to explicitly navigate to the comments icon to see them. I have yet to do this on television.
Don’t get me wrong—sometimes I do want to read YouTube comments. When I do, I pull up YouTube on my phone. Watching YouTube on my phone encourages me to read the comments, whereas on the TV, it’s easier to forget they’re there.
Subscriptions Are Easy to Navigate With a Remote
I’ll admit. I’ve long been put off by the idea of using YouTube on TV, more so than its reality. A big part of this has to do with the fact that I did not subscribe to channels in the past. Instead, I just searched for what I wanted to see. The thought of doing this with a remote or even voice controls felt like a non-starter.
I primarily subscribe to a bunch of channels that I find interesting, pay for YouTube Premium to support their work without viewing ads, and make a habit of checking what new videos they’ve posted regularly. This is actually easier to do on my TV than on a phone. More video thumbnails fit on the screen at one time. The experience feels less like I’m scrolling through yet another social media app. Rather, it makes YouTube feel more like the video streaming platform that it is.
Now I’m Better Able to Enjoy Videos
Opening YouTube on a TV means I enjoy each video more. I make an intentional experience of it. I’m sitting down to watch a video rather than just letting it play while I do something else. I can fully see all the details since I’m not glancing at a phone several feet away.
Sure, I still use my phone sometimes. There are some YouTubers I like to listen to while washing dishes. But those videos I want to sit down and actively watch have found a home on my TV instead. I sit down, prop my feet up, and enjoy.
