YouTube might feel at home on your smartphone or within your browser, but if you’re primarily digging into your subscriptions feed on the biggest, best display in your house, things might look a little different.
Top comment by matteventu
It's a server-side switch, I've had it for about a month and a half on one account, and it arrived only a couple of days ago on a different account - on the same YouTube app (webOS TV).
It takes a while to adapt the muscle memory (and eye memory, i.e. where to look for the video title) but then once you get used to the different places of stuff, it's functionally identical to the previous UI.
tapping left or right on your remote now launches the UI rather than simply skipping forward or ahead.
I think that was the case also on the previous UI.
What was a complaint with the earlier version of this new UI, was that if you tapped the left/right button on the remote, it would bring up the UI and the "focus" would be on the play button, hence tapping again left/right would move the focus across the buttons on the same level (next/previous video, subscribe, like/dislike, etc). If you wanted to skip forward/backwards, you'd have to move "up" from the buttons level to the progress bar level, and only then tap left/right to actually move within the video.
While now when the new UI comes up, the focus is already on the progress bar, so another tap on the left/right button on the remote will immediately skip forward/backwards on the scrub bar (like it used to do with the previous UI).
YouTube is rolling out a redesigned video player for its TV apps, and while it’s not a complete overhaul of the experience, it does add a handful of helpful features to try and streamline the overall UI. Google originally showcased this redesign back in April as part of YouTube’s 20th birthday, and largely speaking, the version that’s coming to your streaming stick appears to be practically unchanged from that early look.
In terms of what’s new, Google has an entire list’s worth of changes. Some of these tweaks are minor — the video title is now located in the top-left corner, rather than making it part of the overall video player UI, and the new “Description” button serves in its place as a selectable option for viewing video details — but others go a long way. Actual playback controls, with options for play, pause, and skipping forward and backward, are a welcome addition, making YouTube feel a little more like a proper streaming app.
The “Subscribe” button is now permanently visible and adaptable; Google says it will change for “pay-gated content and “Notify Me” for upcoming live streams.” Live sports — a rarity on YouTube, but not unheard of — will also show options for multiview, while paid subscribers to YouTube Music or YouTube Premium will see a “Display Mode” option. That said, not everything feels like an improvement. While those playback buttons are a welcome change, tapping left or right on your remote now launches the UI rather than simply skipping forward or ahead. It’s not the end of the world, but it definitely feels like a muscle memory I’ll have to unlearn.
I’m seeing this player on both Google’s TV Streamer and an Apple TV unit, so it’s safe to say this new UI should be rolling out to users fairly broadly.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments