Google has announced a new 4K add-on feature to its virtual pay TV service, YouTube TV, that will allow subscribers to live-stream the limited amount of available linear 4K content in the Ultra HD format.
The new add-on feature isn't cheap--Google is charging $19.99 for it. And that's not exactly competitive pricing, considering rival virtual MVPD fuboTV currently has a 4K/HDR feature in beta, offered to its subscribers at no additional cost, that also lets users stream select 4K events, such as Major League Baseball games on FOX.
With the so-called "4K Plus" feature, YouTube TV subscribers--who already pay $64.99 a month--will have a very traditional pay TV-like monthly bill of 85 bucks.
Google is trying to soften the blow, however. For one, 4K Plus has an offline download feature that lets users download content off their cloud DVR onto devices like smart phones, convenient for post-pandemic things like plane trips. You can't get the offline viewing feature without 4K Plus.
Google is also offering 4K Plus free for the first month, and for $9.99 for the next months after that, so subscribers won't really feel the acute hard times for a year.
“With a compatible 4K-enabled TV and/or streaming device, you can enjoy watching content in one of the best, most crisp resolutions,” said YouTube product manager Kathryn Smith in a company blog post.
Separately, Google also said that YouTube TV will add 5.1 Dolby audio capabilities to "select devices, with the feature rolling out in the coming weeks.
