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YouTube TV adds your Google movie collection to its library
No more switching between streaming apps
YouTube TV aims to be a one-stop-shop for all of your entertainment needs, bundling streaming add-ons like HBO Max and Showtime into its collection of live channels. Not everyone wants to subscribe to a million different services, of course. If you prefer buying or renting new releases over signing up for a new subscription, YouTube TV has you covered. Any movie you've purchased or rented from YouTube or Google Play will now appear within the Library tab across all of your devices.
Your movie purchases from Google can only be played in 480p on the web, even if you bought the HD version
We’re not sure when exactly this provisional limit will go away
In case you don’t already know, Google syncs all your Play Movies & TV (now Google TV) purchases with YouTube, making the latter a neat way to stream your rentals on the web. On a normal day, you’re able to watch your movies at full resolution (depending on what you paid for) across all your devices, but it seems that YouTube’s been restricting the video quality to 480p on the web since last week — even for HD purchases.
Google Play Movies adds support for DC Universe, Epix Now, and Pluto TV
Look your show up on Play Movies, watch it on those apps with the tap of a button
One of the good things about Google Play Movies is that if you have a whole bunch of OTT apps or streaming subscriptions, the app will actually link you to those services if the shows you're looking for are available there. Three new services are now being recognized: DC Universe, Epix Now, and Pluto TV. But those services won't be prompted for everyone at the same time.
Google Play Movies celebrates Black icons and movements with new collection, including several freebies
Take this opportunity to learn from watching and listening
In light of the myriad protests honoring the death of George Floyd, one of many Black people killed in police custody, Google is showcasing a selection of movies and documentaries about Black icons as well as the abolitionist and rights movements. Some of them are being offered on deep discount, if not for free.
Google Play Movies is still one of the best ways to purchase movies and TV shows online, thanks to its integration with YouTube purchases and support for Movies Anywhere. However, the service has been slow to adopt new technology. HDR compatibility didn't start rolling out until 2017, and support for the HDR10+ standard (which was created in 2017) is still missing — but not for much longer.
Netflix has been one of the largest movie and TV streaming services available since pivoting from its DVD-rental model in 2007. Despite mass popularity throughout the greater half of this decade, Netflix has managed to completely avoid integrating with the Google Play Movies app — at least, that was until now. We have confirmed that Play Movies can finally search for content exclusive to Netflix, as well as the brand new Disney+ streaming service.
Google hasn't talked about its Daydream VR platform much lately, but it still exists and works with phones like the Pixel 3. Daydream has never had extensive app support, and there's one less Google app available today. Google has quietly retired the Play Movies & TV app for Daydream.
It's understandable for mobile tech enthusiasts to be suffering from a bit of an attention-span issue right now. After all, we're just a little over a week away from the start of Mobile World Congress 2019, one of the biggest new-product expos of the year. With all those fresh hot devices waiting in the wings, how are we to focus on anything else? Somehow, though, we're managing to keep at least some attention on the present, and over the past week we've covered a lot of tempting deals — here are some of the best that are still active:
If you're looking to build up your collection of digital movies, Google Play has a few discounted titles right now. The majority of the on-sale movies are just $5, a $10 reduction from the usual price, while others are $6-11. There's a good mix of old and new titles, so there's something for everyone.
While most of Google's core apps have gone through some pretty monumental changes in their adoption of Google's Material Theme, many of the other apps have been slower to take on a new look. In some cases, like the latest Play Movies & TV app, the changes are also much gentler, spanning over the course of a few versions.
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Google added 4K movies to its library back in late 2016, following the launch of the Chromecast Ultra. Since then, many people — myself included — came to realize that there was one big oversight: It's not possible to upgrade your existing HD movies to 4K. There was no upgrade pricing or even an option to remove a movie from your account and then purchase it again in 4K at full price. As it turns out, that issue will be rectified soon: Google is bringing upgrades to Play Movies, and it looks like they will be free.
It used to be that the TV show you wanted to watch was on one of a few cable channels and the movies were available as physical rentals from your neighborhood video store. Nowadays, with streaming services popping left and right, you hear about a new show and have no idea where to watch it. Is it on Hulu? Or HBO? Or Amazon Prime? Or the network's own service only? Google took a step to alleviate that in March when it started displaying the streaming services any show or movie is available on after you search for them in Google Play Movies. Back then, it said the same would come to the Play Store, and now it has.
The latest version of Google Play Movies & TV is making the rounds, and this one has quite a bit to discuss. There are several surface-level changes, including a new bottom nav bar, improved support for Rotten Tomatoes, and even some rearrangements to the screens in the app. Digging a bit deeper, we can also see there's a new Guide screen in development, some degree of support for external content providers, and even a rating system for content.
We're not sure if this is a bug or a sign of things to come, but if you've purchased a movie on Google Play Movies in HD that has a 4K version available now and you open your purchases in the YouTube app on Android TV, you might spot a 4K sign below it. However, when you start playing it, the highest resolution available is 1080p.
Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.
As long as Google Play Movies has existed, there has been one major problem - you can't delete movies or TV episodes from your library. That might seem like a minor issue, since it doesn't cost users anything to keep content, but it has become more pressing since Google Play added support for 4K movies.
It's that time of year when kids are out of school, it's really freaking cold outside (at least where I am it is), and friends and family find themselves all stuck together for long and often awkward periods of time. What better way to pass that time than with some cinematic or televised entertainment? Well lucky you, because Google Play is giving you one rental of any eligible movie for just $0.99 as well as offering three TV episodes to purchase, also for $0.99.
Late last year, Google gave us a nice early Christmas present in the form of 4K video on Google Play. But unfortunately, that gift had a region restriction. Only those of us in the US and Canada were able to pick up media in the expanded resolution, leaving other markets with just HD content. Now people in the UK can get in on the UHD fun, too.
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- Today's the day! Grab your movie here. Maybe you can even zip down to the corner store for some snacks and get a pre-Halloween party going.
Following the exclusive launch of Peter Dinklage's Rememory on Play Movies, Google doesn't seem to be slowing down and is already at it with another exclusive for its movies and TV service. This time, forget the drama, we're full on horror/thriller/gore with Amityville: The Awakening.
Disney's Movies Anywhere has just launched a new service that allows you to store and access all your movies in one place. It has support from 5 major Hollywood studios, but more importantly also from 4 digital retailers where users already have movie libraries. Content from Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu can be brought into the Movies Anywhere app, which is great for anyone with a fragmented collection spanning more than one of those services. Now, you'll only ever need to use one app again.