I wish I knew how terrible Fubo TV looked on a 4K TV before subscribing

From YouTube TV recent price increaseI decided to check out Fubo TV and for the most part I liked it. I get the channels I want, and it works on all my devices – all for a lower price than YouTube. I think a lot of people will have the same experience, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.

If you buy a TV in 2025, or have bought one in the last few years, there’s a good chance it has 4K display. This resolution is becoming more and more the norm every day, and while your typical cable network doesn’t broadcast in 4K, many services have the option of selecting a 4K plan in which certain channels upscale the resolution.

YouTube TV broadcasts in 1080p, and although it’s not 4K, it doesn’t interfere with your viewing experience. However, I had a hard time adjusting to the 720p output on Fubo TV. That resolution doesn’t look particularly good on a 65-inch 4K TV, and while Fubo offers a lower price than YouTube TV, it could certainly be a deal-breaker for many people.

Not the best viewing experience on Fubo

Quality takes a big hit

When it comes to cable, I usually don’t worry too much about picture quality, considering I don’t watch movies there, but even I have limitations. Seeing 720p resolution upscaled to 65 inches is one thing, but it comes with even more problems. In my experience, fast-paced programs like sports often result in pixelated images, which degrades the already low 720p resolution.

This isn’t a big deal when you’re watching a news station, but for me Fubo’s main benefit was having access to local sports again. This is also an important argument in favor of the service, so seeing not very good quality is an unpleasant feeling. I don’t want to make too many comparisons, but it’s hard not to remember that I went to Fubo right after YouTube TV, so the drop in quality was immediately obvious.

You can mitigate the problem by watching what’s happening on a small screen, such as a phone or tablet. I usually watch TV unless I’m sleeping, so most of the time I watch at a lower resolution of 720p where the problems are more obvious. Even if you’re used to watching videos in 720p, it’s hard to avoid motion blur, and I can’t imagine many people wouldn’t notice it.

It’s a shame because I really like Fubo, and while it’s hardly cheaper than YouTube TV at the moment, it’s still a few dollars difference that can add up over time. I just don’t know how long can I hang there with reduced quality. I hate to say it, but there’s a reason YouTube TV is the most expensive option: it’s the best service—at least for what I’m looking for.

Fubo still has some advantages

It is ahead of other areas

While Fubo isn’t the highest quality, it does outperform its competitors in some areas. In my Fubo reviewI came across a very nice multi-view function. While YouTube TV offers this, the service only selects sports programming for you. Fubo lets you choose what you watch, so you can combine an NBA basketball game with a movie if you want. It’s not perfect viewing, but it makes it easy to switch between channels. In sports, this is cool because often all you need is the score, so you don’t necessarily need sound to accompany it.

Additionally, Fubo’s big advantage over its competitors is its inclusion of regional sports networks. This is an additional fee applied at the end of the payment process and varies depending on where you live, but is still cheaper than paying for the standalone FanDuel Sports Network app. For some people, these two features are worth the sacrifice in quality, and I thought the same for a while. I’m still a fan of Fubo, but as time goes on I realize that I appreciate a cleaner picture in everything.

It’s a double-edged sword: one service is a better fit than another, but I can’t help but feel selfish and wish all the best features were in one place. Competition is good, but I don’t see why YouTube TV can’t just copy how Fubo’s multi-streaming system works.

Difficult decision

Where to go next

The big discount made switching to Fubo worth it for at least a month, but I’m not sure if I want to continue with it. Being able to watch local sports is nice, but it can only take me so far. Since I’m primarily an NBA fan, I won’t need this in April, which will encourage me to check out other services. In all likelihood, I would go back to YouTube TV, and I’m not sure I would look back from there.

After YouTube TV’s price hike at the end of 2024, I started checking other platforms more often. This is what originally brought me to Fubo. I took it too indoor antenna for local stations and it was great to try. The antenna streams a lot of networks at 480p, so in most scenarios the quality is even lower than the Fubo. I have no doubt I’ll be watching Hulu Live TV and Sling TV before the end of the year, just to see what’s good.

The worry is that YouTube TV, the most expensive service, will dominate the rest as it is the most feature-rich and the highest quality platform. Ultimately, the service you get comes down to personal preference, and I would still recommend any of them over cable. The advantage of Fubo, YouTube TV and other services is that you are not tied to a long subscription. You can switch between services as you wish, and following my example with Fubo until April, I can cancel or pause my subscription and review other services without paying a termination fee.