Search Results for: youtube

Jumping to specific parts of a video on YouTube can be a pain, but Google is taking steps to make things easier.

DVD/Blu-ray-style chapters are being rolled out, making it quicker and simpler to skip straight to the section you're interested in seeing. But while this is a feature that will be welcomed by many YouTube users who are tired of sitting through pointless introductory waffle before the meat of a video, the use of chapters is dependant on the creator of the video.

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With so many people self-isolating due to the Coronavirus, the internet is getting hammered. No, people are not learning new things en masse on Wikipedia. Instead, they are doing exactly what you'd expect -- watching streaming video from services like Netflix. Look, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a little entertainment -- especially when it can take your mind off a global pandemic. The problem, unfortunately, is that high definition and 4K video use up a lot of bandwidth.

You see, if enough people watch high-quality video all at once, the internet could slow down and become unusable. And so, in some parts of the world, such as Europe, services like YouTube and Netflix are providing lower-quality video streams (480p) to reduce the overall impact on the internet. Sadly, Google has now decided to do this globally with YouTube -- including in the USA -- for at least a month. Ugh. Thankfully, there is an easy way to get around that.

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The COVID-19 Coronavirus is undoubtedly a bad thing. However, there are some good things to come from the tragedy. Companies are stepping up to accommodate the needs of customers. For instance, some insurance companies are temporarily not canceling policies for non-payment, while some restaurants are offering free food delivery. From an entertainment perspective, Disney+ released Frozen 2 early, while some streaming services such as Sling TV, are offering some totally free content.

Today, Google and T-Mobile announce a really nice promotion to help some folks bored at home in self-isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Starting tomorrow, T-Mobile customers can score two free months of YouTube Premium. This is a part of the carrier's famed "T-Mobile Tuesdays" where it provides weekly perks to its customers. YouTube Premium not only includes an ad-free YouTube experience, but access to the YouTube Music streaming service too. Yes, while you are stuck indoors due to the COVID-19 virus, you can enjoy truly unlimited music!

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As a result of the self-isolation, social distancing and quarantining caused by coronavirus, huge numbers of people around the world are now working from home. As Microsoft will attest, this is putting networks and services under huge strain as they struggle to keep up with a massively increased demand.

Streaming videos services have been sucking up huge amounts of bandwidth, causing congestion and poor online performance in Europe. To help counter this, both Netflix and YouTube have said they will reduce streaming bit rates to help cut down on traffic.

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YouTube TV is without a doubt the best streaming television service, but it is about to lose a lot of subscribers. You see, the TV service has lost the New York Yankees! As a New York Mets fan, this doesn't really bother me, but there are many hardcore Yankees fans in NY, and not watching their games is a huge deal breaker.

Sadly, YouTube TV sent out an email alert to its impacted subscribers in the New York area to tell them that at the end of this month, they are losing the Yes Network -- the channel that broadcasts the majority of Yankees games. In addition, FOX Regional Sports Networks will be dropped as well.

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It's been almost two years since I cut the cord and switched to YouTube TV and I couldn't be happier. The picture quality and DVR remain top notch, while Google has consistently offered more and more channels -- some at no added charge, some at a premium. Since I initially subscribed, I now have additional channels that I watch regularly, such as Food Network, Discovery, and Tastemade. Believe it or not, I even find myself watching PBS on occasion. True, the price has gone up a bit from when I first subscribed, but look -- you get what you pay for, folks. YouTube TV is the best streaming television service and worth every penny. All of your devices, such as smartphones and tablets, become portable TV screens. It rules.

And now, the best is getting even better. You see, YouTube TV has made a deal with WarnerMedia to bring both HBO and Cinemax to the streaming service this spring. That is not all, either. The upcoming HBO Max video on demand service will eventually come to YouTube TV as well. If you didn't know, HBO Max will be the only place to stream wildly popular TV show Friends -- that is a big deal for a lot of people.

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Nowadays, anyone can easily become a YouTuber or Twitch streamer. With that said, not everyone can become rich and famous from doing it. Many young folks have big dreams about becoming the next iJustine or Pewdiepie, but that is rarefied air. Instead, it would be wise to just do it for fun. Look, if you get fame and fortune from it, that is great. If not, oh well. Just have fun and hope for the best!

Today, Logitech releases a new webcam that should be a great choice for YouTube vloggers, Twitch streamers, and other content creators. Called "StreamCam," it can record video in 1080p60, connects via USB-C, and comes with a complimentary tripod. It is even optimized for Logitech's excellent Capture software. Best of all, it can be easily rotated to capture vertical video -- yeah, that's a thing.

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There are many music streaming services these days, such as Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music to name a few. Believe it or not, Google has two such services -- Play Music and YouTube Music.  It is very confusing to have one company offering two competing options, but they will eventually be merged into one under the YouTube Music brand.

The problem? As of today, YouTube Music simply isn't up to par with any competitors -- it has a messy interface that can be confusing. While it is slowly getting better all the time, it simply cannot compete with Spotify or Apple Music -- the gold standards. Today, however, YouTube Music is gaining a pretty cool new feature -- personalized mixes.

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Millions of people are regular YouTube users, and it's not hard to see why. The Google-owned site provides countless hours of quality video entertainment for free -- just watch the occasional short ad. I literally spend hours daily on YouTube watching quality content on my desktop computer, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV. Hell, even my television comes from Google's video service, as I subscribe to the wonderful YouTube TV.

If you aren't sure what to get someone for the holidays this year, why not give them the gift of YouTube? After all, it is something that they are pretty much guaranteed to love. This year, Google is making it easier than ever to give YouTube as a present -- you can now order a Gift Code through Amazon.

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Google has updated YouTube with a new-look interface on tablets and the desktop. Thumbnails are bigger and easier to see, some superfluous links have been removed, and there are changes to the way the video queue works.

But, of course, not everyone likes change. If you're not a fan of the new interface, there are steps you can take to stick with the old look.

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Google has today announced a raft of a new privacy features across a swathe of its products and services.

Google Maps is going to benefit from a new Incognito Mode just like Chrome and YouTube. YouTube itself is gaining a new option for automated history deletion, and Google Assistant -- recently dragged through the privacy mud along with other digital assistants -- is also getting new deletion options.

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Back in July, the YouTube app finally returned to the Amazon Fire TV platform. This was great news for both Google and Amazon, but more importantly, consumers were the big winners. Owners of Fire TV devices finally had an official app for watching YouTube.

Google and Amazon had promised that YouTube TV -- the search giant's live television service -- would come to Fire TV too, but for whatever reason, it did not debut with the return of the regular YouTube app. Thankfully, starting today, Fire TV owners can finally access YouTube TV on their devices -- as long as they have a compatible model.

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I am a big fan of YouTube. Not only do I watch videos on the site daily, I am also a paid subscriber to YouTube TV -- I love the service and happily part with my $50 each month. YouTube Music, however, is an entirely different story -- I kind of hate it. When testing it against Spotify and Apple Music, YouTube Music failed miserably. The user interface is just unnecessarily confusing. Quite frankly, I am not sure how Google got it so wrong. Sigh.

That's why I was rather bummed out by the news that Google will be pre-loading the YouTube Music app on all Android 10 devices, plus some new ones that will ship with Android 9. Yep, it will be foisted upon many unsuspecting customers. This includes buyers of Google's own devices, such as the upcoming Pixel 4.

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Almost immediately after having announced planned changes to the way channel verification works, YouTube has bowed to pressure from unhappy users and says it will rethink its approach.

Late last week, YouTube announced verification changes that meant many channels would lose their coveted check mark. Following a backlash, the company now says that no one will lose their verified status, so there is no need to appeal against it.

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On all branches of social media, account verification is what users yearn for. A little checkmark next to a username can lead to a massive increase in followers, and for creators this can in turn lead to a significant increase in earnings.

This is why there is a so much anger at YouTube's decision to introduce sweeping new changes that will see may users who have earned verification losing their verified status. As well as annoyance, there is a widespread feeling of confusion about what is happening, and why.

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