YouTube Again 'Tweaking' Paid High-Definition Cards

YouTube Tests Paid High-Definition Video Playback
"Attempt to Offset Revenue Decline with Premium Revamp"

YouTube attempted a policy to provide high-definition videos only to paid users.

According to foreign media such as The Verge on the 24th, some recent YouTube users discovered a ‘1080p Premium’ option in the video quality settings.

Photo by Pixabay

The Verge reported that a YouTube representative acknowledged, “We are experimenting with a high-quality 1080p option for Premium subscribers.”

An internal source explained, “1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that provides more information per pixel, delivering a higher quality viewing experience,” adding, “There are no changes to YouTube’s existing quality offerings for 1080p (HD) resolution.”

The reason YouTube does not display the original video file at the maximum bitrate is due to cost. The Verge analyzed that there is a possibility that in the future, maximum bitrate video files will be provided only to paid customers.

This is not the first time YouTube has tried to offer high quality only to paid customers. Around October last year, some YouTube users saw the phrase ‘2160p - Premium subscribers only’ in the video quality list. Following strong user protests, YouTube withdrew the policy.

According to the industry, Google is seen as trying to compensate for revenue declines caused by competitors like TikTok through a revamp of YouTube Premium.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.