As you may know, it's possible to use the YouTube on TV (youtube.com/tv) Smart TV Web App version of YouTube by modifying the browser user agent (as was noted here https://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vi ... php?t=9736).
While the most common methods such as creating a batch script or adding arguments to a shortcut can work, I've found them to be unreliable for a variety of reasons.
I was so sick of the issues I was experiencing that I created my own application for YouTube on TV to solve the issues I was having, because ... well ... why not?
The application must be added to the WMC start screen using whatever tool you prefer, but once added it works extremely well considering.
So far YouTubeWMC enables:
- A Full-Screen YouTube Experience
- Proper Remote Control Navigation
- Native RC6 Back Button Support on Windows 10
- Hidden Mouse Pointer
Important: If you are running Windows 7, you will also need to use a tool such as the AdvancedMCERemoteMapper to remap the "Back" button to the "Backspace" command.
Installation:
- Ensure you have .NET Framework 4.5.2 installed
- Go to https://github.com/L2N6H5B3/YouTubeWMC/releases and download the most recent appropriate package for your OS
- Right click and "Unblock" the .ZIP before extracting
- copy the contents of the .ZIP to a static location (I generally use C:\Program Files\Windows Media Center Apps\YouTubeWMC)
- Add YouTubeWMC.exe to the WMC start screen through whatever tool you prefer (MC Studio, etc)