YouTube Adds 4K Video Support & Moves Towards An Even More HD Future

Written by John Thompson on July 10, 2010 · Filed under Internet 

It’s been a big summer so far for the folks over at YouTube… First came Vuvuzela support, promptly followed by a update of the YouTube mobile site in HTML 5, and now this.

By ‘this’, I mean 4K video support, which is now available to users who are uploading content which was originally shot and encoded in 4K resolution. That’s a whopping 4096 x 3072, putting our measly 1080p and 720p “high definition” standards to shame.

Of course when viewed over YouTube, the content isn’t truly 4K. It’s still stored in a heavily compressed format, but it does indicate a push towards ultra high definition technology being used.

Most users will probably struggle to play back the 4K content available to view on the site, with many users still incapable of viewing full HD 1080p encoded content. However, for those able to enjoy the high resolution stream, it’s a great move on YouTube’s part.

Hopefully, it will encourage the growth of 4K technology, with further R&D being invested to improve various standards and make it ready for the average household’s consumption in a few years time.

Is 4K + 3D going to be the new video standard for TV’s of the future? Could this be the true future of Google TV? You may want to hold off on buying that 3DTV just yet, as a new standard may be just around the corner… If you want to view the all the 4K videos for yourself, you can do so here.

Via: YouTube Blog