The best YouTube channels that you prefer to watch on TV

Luca Fontana

13.3.2018

Translation: machine translated

YouTube on the big screen - yes, it's possible. I did the rounds in the editorial team and collected the best channels and inspirations: A plea for "YouTube and chill".

Your TV offers you many opportunities to consume great content. Netflix or Amazon Prime bring you the latest series, and you can get real cinema bombast with the right sound system, Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays. When it comes to live sport, there is so much on sale that the overview can sometimes get a little lost - first world problems par excellence.

But what about YouTube?

YouTube is often neglected, even though certain content on the puny mobile screen is annoying in the long run. The focus here is on the consumption of moving images. And the great thing is that the choice is almost unlimited and free. I'll just ignore what you pay to your internet provider. You get exciting documentaries, Let's Plays and do-it-yourself clips that you can't see anywhere else.

Heaven, I've even spent afternoons listening to the calm, therapeutic voice of Bob Ross.

To give you a little more than a "Joy of Painting" channel, I've been doing the rounds of the digitec editorial team to make a note of the best channels you're better off watching on TV. All in the name of science.

Something for my gamer heart

Galaxus Junior Editor Ramon Schneider was relatively unambiguous with his statement about what he likes to watch on YouTube: "Let's Plays."

I can understand that. The Let's Play channel combines formats that revolve around the topic of gaming. The hunt for meaningless achievements has just as much space as droll goofing around - laughs included. And I dare say that rarely in the history of gaming has the "r" been rolled so passionately in a Let's Play as with these guys. Hats off to them.

Oh yes, the Angry Game Nerd. Nostalgic feelings come over me. Some of the videos are over a decade old, but the swearing gamer enjoys cult status. His shtick is simple: play ancient video games and go into a rage. To the point of white heat. I'll never forget his article on Superman for the Nintendo 64, which makes me jittery just watching it.

Speed runs exert an inexplicable fascination on mankind. And for Senior Editor Philipp Rüegg. Thousands of people watch videos of obsessives playing an ancient game on a continuous loop. Until every cheat, glitch and clipping error has been utilised in order to play through the game as quickly as possible.

Summoning Salt himself is not a speed runner. His videos are not about the run itself, but about the story behind the world record. The longer I watch his videos, the more I realise that I'm on the trail of a YouTube phenomenon. And I'm a little bit infected by it.

Nerdgasms of a special kind

He calls himself "the Hacksmith" and recreates film props according to the motto "Make it Real or die trying". His creations not only look like they do in the film, they also work like they do in the film. Whether it's Captain America's magnetic shield, lightsabers that cut through metal doors or Batman's grappling hook - he recreates it. It's amazing how much damage can be done with a discreetly equipped tinkering workshop.

My recommendation to you: Don't copy it! Unless you are Senior Editor Dominik Bärlocher. But look at it with a grin and marvel - why not?

The guys from "The Slow Mo Guys" have found their niche: They use wacky methods to destroy things or do crazy things. And then they record it with a Super Slow Mo camera. "That's the light fare for in between", says editor Martin Jud.

The TV in slow motion special is really worth watching: the camera zooms so far into the picture that the individual pixels become recognisable. Remember: a 4K television consists of over eight million pixels. It gets really freaky when the guys zoom in on a 30 Hz monitor (30 frames per second) and you can watch the image build up frame by frame. I feel like Ant-Man in the quantum dimension.

"Rocket Beans TV still has cool, TV-ready formats", says Galaxus editor Natalie Hemengül, "sometimes totally pointless, but also extremely entertaining". She's not entirely wrong. Whether it's Let's Plays, the chaotic and completely improvised morning show "Moin Moin" or occasional cinema news and reviews - there's something for everyone here. To whet your appetite for the coming game year, I've linked you to a preview of the popular format "Game Two". Enjoy!

Documentaries, documentaries everywhere

I can't emphasise it enough: Documentaries are awesome. No matter what you're interested in or how abstruse the topic is - somewhere out there in the YouTube universe there's a documentary about it.

An example: If you're a fan of crazy conspiracy theories in ancient Egypt, then I have a high-quality documentary for you that will take your breath away.

Are you more interested in the topic of eSports? Editor Kevin Hofer is too. In a quiet minute (Ha! Quiet... good joke), he recommended that I watch the documentary produced by ARD on the topic of "Rise of the eSports", which is extremely worth watching.

The article itself is over a year old, and I'm sure this gem has passed you by as much as it has me. Unfortunately, for licensing reasons, the video only works if you watch it yourself on YouTube. The documentary is good and, above all, relevant, so I'm linking it for you anyway:

Another example: My girlfriend devours every book and every scrap of information on the topic of space, the space-time continuum and other astrophysical phenomena. In the meantime, I am also hooked. If I enter the search term "black holes documentary 2017" in the search field, I get around 12,600 results.

We, the cinema freaks

If you follow my articles from time to time, you'll have already realised: I like films. I would never presume to be an all-knowing expert - but I do know a thing or two.

Writing scripts, for example: What sounds dry as dust is far from it. Well, I like writing, I write for a living and I watch films. If I combine these things, I eventually come up with "screenplay". If you like films and enjoy getting to grips with the craft of cinema, then take a look here:

Patrick Willems studied film studies and realised several independent projects himself as a director. He deals with the subject matter in an unmistakable way that is immediately captivating. His video essays (film essays) are exciting and informative at the same time. I mean, when do you ever see an expert in the field ponder whether "Ghostbusters" even has a plot?

I first noticed the Nerdwriter when, in a sudden fit of "I want to know something about Harry Potter", I discovered a video that expertly deduced why the third Harry Potter film was the best in the series. Coincidentally, it also happens to be my favourite part. Confirmed in my ego, I joined the two million subscribers. To this day, I enjoy numerous case studies dealing with all sorts of film industry topics.

Bonus round - David watches Germany lose

Senior Editor David Lee likes to put together playlists of live concerts that he particularly enjoys. At some point, he would also like to compile a playlist of legendary football finals that Germany has lost. Nice as I am, I did the work for him. Schadenfreude level? Over nine thousand.

Conclusion

When I'm gratefully researching YouTube, I always get stuck on videos of insane guys or glorious deeds. Hell, there are more than enough captivating documentaries and exciting video essays out there on topics that I didn't even realise I was interested in.

And because I can't get enough of it, I want something from you. And that means tips. Video, channel or documentary tips. Lots and lots of them. Don't hold back and write in the comments which earth-shattering YouTube channels you think are missing from the list above. I and many readers are curious.

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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