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Kazakoff
Kazakoff
High Definition at YouTube
Nov 9 2009, 5:40 PM EST | Post edited: Nov 9 2009, 5:40 PM EST
Hello Screencasters:

A while back we heard that YouTube was going to be broadcasting in High Definition. Last Spring Richard Baer (ANTS team member) actually monkeyed around with Camtasia settings to produce a High Def Video and upload it to YouTube. Its resolution was good, but it was slower to load.

Today, Paul Pival (aka the Distant Librarian and fellow ANTS Team Member) told me that as long as you upload your video to YouTube using the 1280x720 pixels (a 16:9 aspect ratio), YouTube will treat it as a high definition video.

Now High Def videos are large, so you in order for you to create a high quality file using the minimum file size, you will have to compress it. The YouTube site recommended the H.264, MPEG 2 or MPEG4 codec. Another video on YouTube recommended the H.264 codec. If you are interested in producing library videos to YouTube in High Definition (or Submitting a High Definition Video to ANTS) you might want to check out the following sites:

YouTube FAQ's re: High Def http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=132460&topic=16621

Video on YouTube and High Def settings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDRYnaajUcY&NR=1&feature=fvwp

We have yet to test out what a 16:9 video would do to files playing on handheld devices. Most of our videos were created using something close to the 4:3 aspect ratio - and when these files are converted to mp4 (for handheld devices like iphones and ipods), they play well (i.e. they are clear and none of the video was cut off). It may be that these device's aspect ratio supports 4:3 - but 16:9 may be cut off. I don't know.

Are there any iphone users out there who know whether widescreen plays well on an iphone or ipod? I would like to know.

Cheers,

Carmen Kazakoff-Lane Do you find this valuable?    
Kazakoff
Kazakoff
1. RE: High Definition at YouTube
Nov 13 2009, 12:40 PM EST | Post edited: Nov 13 2009, 12:40 PM EST
Hello:

I just wanted to add something to my last post. On Monday night I went home and tried a high definition 16:9 video on an ipod touch (with Wireless Interent Access). It displayed well and no part of the video was removed (I checked it against the same video playing on my computer screen.)

Now iphones and ipod touches have screens that can be viewed any direction you hold it - so holding it so the horizontal screen is wide, means that you can get the 16:9 to play on it without any grief. I don't know about other smart phones with flash however ... particularly those with smaller screens. So it would be great if other people tried 16:9 HD videos on YouTube and let us know how they display.

Cheers,

Carmen Kazakoff-Lane Do you find this valuable?