YouTube has updated its watch screen for TVs.
According to the platform’s announcement, the redesign aims to provide a “more intuitive experience with easier, better control accessibility, and fewer interruptions.” The update relocates the video title and several controls, according to The Verge, and adds a new “Description” button to access the creator’s information and other features.
My Chromecast has already received the update; however, it may just be rolling out to specific devices now and will take some time to be implemented on every device, so don’t worry if your device hasn’t received it yet. After all, the announcement for this feature back in April said it would arrive “this summer.”
To add more detail, the update now moves the video title to the top-left corner instead of just above the video scrubber. Also, the description and metadata are no longer included with the video title; instead, they now have their own dedicated buttons on the screen. The channel’s profile picture and subscribe button are also separated, with the profile picture now taking users directly to the creator’s channel.
To make it easy, YouTube has now organized all of the buttons into distinct groups; features relating to the channel itself (thumbnail, description, subscribe) are on the left-hand side, while features relating to the video itself (like/dislike, comment, bookmark, etc.) are on the right-hand side. Previous, next, and pause/play remain in the center.
YouTube says the subscribe button will always remain visible and adapt to paywalled content, and it will also show “notify me” for upcoming livestreams. However, mine didn’t exactly function as described, as the button seemed to disappear into the channel’s profile icon when i was watching a video from a subscribed channel.
YouTube also adds that Music and Premium subscribers will also see a new “Display Mode” control. Also added was a new “Multiview” for live sports, but YouTube TV is not available in Canada.
Source: The Verge
