YouTube for TV Adds Changes: Comments (Maybe), A New Start-up Sound (Definitely)

  • Sienna Granger

YouTube constantly adds slight changes to its apps, and those for Smart TV are no exception. The latest update refreshed the start-up animation and sound which is hard to miss. Another addition that could be noticed by many viewers is the ability to see the comments alongside the video you’re watching.
 
Seemingly not-so-important, the startup sound was quite seriously taken by the YouTube team. It was even considered worth it to show how the sound was created, note by note.
As they put it, YouTube required an instantly recognizable sound, the one that would immediately represent the main video streaming platform of the world. And this describes the result quite well.
 
The sound is indeed very recognizable. Starting low and ending high, it doesn’t resemble any of the existing start-up sounds. It can’t be confused with, say, Netflix or Disney Plus. If you hear it for the first time, it may seem too aggressive, yet this effect disappears after two or three times. The official blog says that it “signifies the irresistible gravitational pull”. YouTube addicts would agree.
 
Another new addition in TV apps is the ability to read the comments to the video as you’re watching it. This didn’t get as loud an announcement as the new loading sound, yet it’s been spotted already in effect. The Android TV version of YouTube now can show the comments, and you can optionally view them along with the video itself. This feature doesn’t appear, though, on webOS version (for LG TVs) or on that for Apple TV where the new start-up sound isn’t heard either.
 
If you have already updated your YouTube TV app, how do you like the way you’re greeted now? Does this sound set your mood up right? And what about the comments: are you able to see them now as the video is playing? We’d like to read your responses, so welcome to the comments section!

 

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