YouTube Premium gives users access to higher bitrate videos

All existing YouTube Premium subscribers can now watch videos on the platform in 1080p resolution. The Verge writes about it with reference to the service representative Paul Pennington.

Interestingly, the option to enable higher quality (bitrate) is demonstrated not only to subscribers but also to ordinary YouTube users. However, users of the free version of the video hosting service cannot choose this option — the platform directs users to the subscription page, which, by the way, has recently risen in price once again.

YouTube promises that with a subscription, high-quality video will be much clearer, which is especially noticeable when watching videos with lots of details, dynamic scenes, and landscapes.

The enhanced video quality will be available not only on the web version but also on Google Chromecast and game consoles, the YouTube representative said. The feature is not yet available to Android users, but selected YouTube Premium subscribers were able to evaluate the new feature back in June.

Recently, YouTube Premium users have been offered another feature that is still experimental: the platform’s neural network compiles text descriptions of videos, which helps viewers understand whether a video is suitable for them before they start watching it.

Special quizzes created with the help of an artificial intelligence system are being tested on mobile devices. This international experiment targets a small percentage of YouTube viewers on iOS and Android who have recently watched English-language educational videos.