What Is YouTube’s 1080p Premium Resolution, and How Do You Use It?
YouTube started experimenting with the 1080p Premium early in 2023. It’s an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that supposedly provides a better viewing experience overall.
Unfortunately, not every video supports this quality. With that said, you can still find tons of videos that make use of 1080p Premium. If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, this is how you can use this new resolution.
What Is YouTube’s 1080p Premium Resolution?
YouTube’s compression algorithm has become more obvious over the years—and for a good reason. The platform currently hosts over 800 million videos. Streaming all this data requires massive resources; YouTube might crash altogether if it overlooks rigid bandwidth management.
That said, cutting bitrates every time small or fast-moving elements appear (e.g., confetti, rain, or snow) hurts video quality. Even high-resolution videos will look muddy. Remember: you need bits to improve clarity and crispness, not pixel size.
To provide a better viewing experience, YouTube tested a video quality called 1080p Premium, which offers enhanced bitrates. And with videos transferring more bits, details should look sharper and crisper.
The below photo shows a side-by-side comparison of 1080p and 1080p Premium.
Here’s a closer look. Notice how the right image’s features (e.g., nose contour, necklace, hair strands) are less blurred.
What Do You Need to Enable 1080p Premium on YouTube?
At the time of writing, this feature is available on PC, iPhone, and Android devices, but you still must meet these conditions to try YouTube’s experimental enhanced bitrate option. This is everything you need to enjoy a 1080p Premium resolution.
1. A YouTube Premium Account
The 1080p Premium resolution is exclusive to paid subscribers. Again, hosting videos with enhanced bitrates costs massive resources—YouTube won’t waste this service on free users. So, if you want to try this feature, you’ll need to subscribe to YouTube’s premium service.
There areseveral factors to consider before getting YouTube Premium. You might find the upgrade trivial if you just want higher-quality videos.
2. You Need a Device That Supports YouTube’s 1080p Premium Resolution
YouTube’s 1080p Premium is available on iOS, iPadOS, Android, and desktop. As long as you’re watching the right video, which we’ll cover in just a moment, you’ll see the option to switch to 1080p Premium.
3. A YouTube Video Uploaded in 1080p
Even if you have a YouTube Premium account and a compatible device, 1080p Premium still won’t appear on every video. You can only enable it on videos uploaded in 1080p. Videos uploaded above or below 1080p will only show the standard quality settings.
How to Use 1080p Premium on YouTube Premium
If you have a compatible device and a YoutTube Premium account, you should see the 1080p Premium option on select videos. Here’s how you may enable it:
Videos are set to load in 1080p Premium by default, but you canpermanently change your YouTube account’s video quality settingsacross all devices.
Enjoy YouTube Videos in Premium Quality
Remember: YouTube is primarily looking for ways to add value to its paid subscription service, so it makes sense that 1080p Premium is an exclusive feature for YouTube Premium subscribers.
So if you like new features and want to enjoy a better viewing experience, consider getting a subscription. Apart from enhancing bitrate quality, a Premium subscription removes ads, enables smart downloads, and lets you queue videos.
Want to save a video from YouTube to watch whenever you want? Here’s how it works.
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