How To Get 4K On YouTube TV? – Complete Guide

Are you wondering how To Get 4K On YouTube TV? Well, worry not!

The process for having 4K streaming quality on your YouTube TV account is very straightforward and requires the same things wherever you live.

Getting 4K on YouTube TV requires you to sign up for the 4K Plus add-on, which gives you access to live and on-demand 4K shows. Further, ensure your internet connection matches the required speed and that you have a 4K TV or monitor capable of displaying 4K quality.

The guide below will break down all you need to know about the above-mentioned things.

How To Get 4K On YouTube TV – Is It Possible?

Does YouTube TV Have 4K is a reasonable question when we consider that YouTube has become one of the top content platforms. 

Currently, the highest quality for streaming is 4K, and YouTube TV offers it! However, the 4K option must be included in your subscription or for content that you watch. 

It is crucial to notice that not all content is available on 4K, and that is not YTTV’s fault but simply a matter of the channel broadcasting.

The Necessary Things To Get 4K On YouTube TV

How to watch 4K on YouTube TV? You must consider three major points:

• Having the correct subscription,
• Good Internet with 5GHz and enough download speed
• TV with 4K resolution.

Step #1: Include 4K In Your Subscription

To get 4K Plus on YouTube TV. First of all, 4K streaming on YouTube TV is only available if you pay for an additional service, which is the YouTube 4K Plus add-on,

Such an add-on costs $20 (but you can often get a discount for the first months). 

How 4K Plus Works

The add-on will not immediately turn all YouTube TV content into 4K quality.

Rather, it includes a few channels that can stream at 4K quality if your Internet has enough broadband.

The channels are:

• ESPN
• Fox Sports
• NBC Sports
• MLB Network
• FX
• FXX
• Nat Geo Wild
• Travel Channel

As you can see, half of those channels are sports channels. Currently, it seems YouTube TV is focusing on higher-quality streaming for sports fans, which is a bit reasonable.

However, sports in 4K is genuinely a fantastic experience.

Note: It is notorious that many customers would probably love to watch more movie channels in 4K. Fortunately, you can find plenty of on-demand shows that will stream in 4K into your device.

How To Get YouTube 4K Plus

Getting 4K Plus requires you to have an active YouTube TV subscription or choose it for your package when subscribing for the first time.

If you’ve already subscribed and want to give 4K Plus a shot, here is how:

1. Open the YouTube TV app/website.
2. Click on your profile icon
3. Head to “Settings”
4. Click on “Your membership.”
5. Scroll down to “Add-ons” 
6. Choose “Get Add-ons.”
7. Find “YouTube 4K Plus” 
8. Choose “Get YouTube 4K Plus.”
9. Confirm your payment information

Once the platform confirms your payment information, your account will automatically have access to 4K content.

Remember that a few 4K-ready channels will be available, and you can watch any other channel that eventually streams 4K content.

Note: Many channels on YouTube TV only stream in 720p or 1080p because they are common TV channels. Sometimes they are even local TV channels that haven't stepped up to match the 4K standard.

Step #2: Have A Good Internet Connection

Depending on where you live, you should have no problem with your internet connection having enough speed for 4K streaming.

That is because of the 4K streaming requirements, which any ISP usually meets.

What’s The Required Internet Speed

According to most streaming platforms, including YouTube TV, 4K streaming requires between 15mbps and 25mbps (download).

However, you must consider that more than one device in your home will access the router simultaneously. 

You Need 5GHz Internet

It is not only important to have a good internet speed, but it is also necessary to have the correct frequency.

Since streaming 4K material needs a high bandwidth and reliable connection to offer a high-quality image with little buffering, we recommend you check if your router provides 5GHz.

Difference Between 2.4Ghz and 5GHz

2.4GHz can make the connection jammed even if you have a lot of speed.

It happens because all adjacent electronic equipment competes for bandwidth in the 2.4 GHz frequency range. 

Internet connectivity on the 5GHz frequency spectrum is quicker and more stable than on the 2.4GHz band. 

Data is managed differently on 5GHz, so that the router allows data to “go through” quicker.

Tips To Improve The 4K Streaming

Here are some tips to have the best connection when trying to watch 4K content:

• Set up the router close to your TV;
• If the above is not possible, then set up a signal repeater close to the TV;
• Ensure the 5GHz network reaches your TV, and ensure the TV connects to it;
• If the router is far from the TV and 5GHz can’t reach it, then use an Ethernet cable, so the internet connection becomes lossless;
• Have at least 100 Mbps of download if you live in a house with more people.

That last tip considers that different people occupying the same house will eat away a few shares of the network’s download speed. 

Note: Currently, most internet contracts in the US go beyond 100mbps, so you should probably be fine.

Step #3: You Need A Compatible Device

Finally, let’s discuss the most important thing: having a 4K-ready device. Of course, that usually means a 4K TV. 

You might be thinking, “what if I have a 4K TV stick but not a 4K TV?”.

In such a situation, all the content the TV stick receives in 4K resolution will be downscaled to match your TV’s actual resolution.

Understand What 4K Means

It is impossible to watch 4K content without a 4K screen. However, if you don’t know much about resolution, you might find that weird since your TV stick says it will play 4K content.

4K is a resolution, meaning it has four times more pixels than the already standard 1080p resolution.

For all those pixels to be shown when streaming 4K content, your TV’s screen must have physical capabilities to display them. 

4K Sticks Don’t Turn TV Into 4K

Unfortunately, a TV stick can’t make the content look like 4K on a regular 1080p or 2K TV.

So if you have a 4K stick and you plug it into the TV, you should deactivate the 4K streaming, as it will only consume more data without making any difference.

Find Compatible Devices

Right now, the market is flooding with 4K TVs. They are all smart TVs with many features, such as built-in gaming hubs (Xbox and GeForce Now, for example).

You will not need a 4K stick to watch your favorite content on YouTube TV 4K Plus.

That is also possible if you would rather watch 4K content on a 4K monitor because you prefer to switch between work and fun in the same environment. 

Step #4: Enjoy YouTube TV 4K

Once you ensure you’ve subscribed to the 4K Plus add-on, your TV has 4K resolution and your router can handle data transmission.

All you have to do is the following:

1. Turn your TV on;
2. Open the YouTube TV app;
3. Watch any channel that is 4K-ready (remember the list in Step #1).

What We Learned

How to get 4K on YouTube TV is a fairly common doubt since 4K is now very popular with the flood of 4K TVs and monitors in the market.

The guide above covers all you need to know before being able to watch proper 4K content on YouTube TV.