YouTube has announced it now supports the video resolution which has become the recent darling of moviemakers – 4K.
Although 4K is a nascent resolution (it's 4x the quality of 1080p) it is one which is being picked up by the most forward-thinking of cinemas, with Sony and Apollo cinemas currently at the forefront of bringing 4K to the UK.
As for the filmmaking side, Red is the current pioneer in bringing 4K shooting to the masses.
The announcement that YouTube is now compatible with the format is great news for filmmakers who want to upload their movies in the format they were filmed.
And it also means that if you have a 25-foot screen and the right sort of projector, you can have YouTube on a massive screen for the first time, without a dip in quality.
Although TechRadar expects the 4K button (labelled Original) won't be the most used – unless Soderbergh decides to debut his next run of movies on the site in this way – it is great to see YouTube looking to the future with its upload options.
4K limitations
"Because 4K represents the highest quality of video available, there are a few limitations that you should be aware of," notes YouTube.
"First off, video cameras that shoot in 4K aren't cheap, and projectors that show videos in 4K are typically the size of a small refrigerator. And, as we mentioned, watching these videos on YouTube will require super-fast broadband."
For those that do have the capabilities, though, YouTube says: "We're excited about this latest step in the evolution of online video.
"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."
Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
f3technologies
July 15th 2010
4. This $5 million is going to be great for some filmmakers, but it also looks like just another attempt to forestall the decline of the traditional ad-funded model, which dates from the 1950s.
New business models for online video content are cropping up everywhere. I work for one of the more unique online video distributors, FargoTube (at http://FargoTube.com), which is fundamentally a social-networking platform. Musicians, film studios and other content owners use it to sell their videos online while staying in touch with their fans. In contrast to YouTube, content owners can integrate FargoTube into their own websites. Viewers can choose to subscribe to a musician's (or filmmaker's or film studio's, etc.) Tube for a monthly fee, usually $1 to $10, or just pay by the video.
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njpollard
July 13th 2010
3. @romi - unless you were sitting less than 6ft from your 70" TV, you'd never be able to distinguish between 1080p and 4096p, even with 20-20 vision.
IMHO, the bitrate is equally important. Just look at the difference between BBC HD and ITV HD to see what I mean.
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legolash2o
July 12th 2010
2. WHAT???? my internet connection can't properly stream 720p, it prob won't even load 4K! :(
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romi
July 12th 2010
1. With a flood and mass market penetration of 70" flat panel tvs , the 4096p resolution tv is needed for these sizes and above.
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