YouTube has made something of a mockery of the term Full HD by offering support for videos shot at 4K resolution.
4K, (4,096×2,304 pixels) is the video resolution being used by professional filmmakers, using highly expensive cameras. YouTube claims the ideal screen size for 4K video is 25′. Even IMAX videos are only displayed using two 2K projectors.
YouTube has provided a small gallery of five videos shot at 4K resolution. However, unless you’re sitting in front of a giant screen or have a projector the size of refrigerator close at hand, much of that extra detail will simply go to waste.
There is, of course, another problem with streaming 4K video on a domestic broadband connection: a lack of bandwidth. Such high resolution video crippled our test ADSL2+ line – which runs at around 4.5Mbits/sec – although YouTube makes a decent stab at buffering the video.
The 4K video will thrash the system resources of most mainstream PCs when viewed in full screen. Compression artefacts are also evident on screens that don’t support the native resolution.
So with so few people able to reap the full benefits of 4K video, why has YouTube decided to support the ultra-high resolution? “We’re excited about this latest step in the evolution of online video,” writes YouTube engineer, Ramesh Sarukkai, on the company’s blog. “We’ve been impressed by the 1080p videos you’ve uploaded over the last seven months and can’t wait to see (in 4K) what you do next.”
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