Comments on: YouTube videos go HD with a simple hack

Want to host high-definition videos on YouTube? No problem. Just get your copy-and-paste skills ready because all it requires is changing the video's URL!

[userNoname]

What's the frame rate?

[Josh.Lowensohn]

30fps. The camera I used for the test footage was a Flip Mino HD which captures it at 30, although even on the source it looks closer to 15 doubled up to 30.

[cp4alex]

Thanks, I still remember the "fmt14" thing for higher quality. By the way, mind posting a guide to actually embedding the HD version like you did?

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Sure, will do that right now :)

[dredgerie]

An easier way, instead of trying to remember to add a script on the page you want to watch, is just to go to the page and click the link under the video that says watch in higher quality. Youtube now automatically plays the video at the highest resolution available (whatever it was uploaded as).
When this was announced last week, that was all explained.

[COKEDUDE]

Where's the link under the video that says higher quality? I don't see it. I've checked like 6 different videos.

[cp4alex]

Actually, this new "trick" gives you better resolution than the YouTube option. It'll probably be integrated in the site very soon.

[SJ2571]

Hmm, doesn't seem to work with any videos I tried. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdPrB_lcpBc&fmt=22. However, the old version of &fmt=18 does work. Comments?

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Could be working only on newly uploaded videos--older ones may have to be re-processed. The three I uploaded today worked without a hitch.

[dredgerie]

if the video resolution is lower than 720p, it won't upgrade it. It'll simply play it at the resolution it was uploaded at. fmt=6 is flv format and 480x360 at a low bitrate. fmt=18 is MP4 and is a higher bitrate, but same resolution. fmt=22 is 720p

[SJ2571]

So what's fmt=18 for? Works here for most videos, and I've been using it for months successfully.

[DRAKULIAN]

I have never seen either &fmt=6 or & fmt=22 work, not now, not ever.

&fmt=18 is the one you want.

[dredgerie]

you can also log into youtube, go into playback setup under my account, and you can set playback to automatically play the highest resolution available if you have broadband.

[Cheiz87]

The comments i see here don't agree with what i see.

Actually clicking "higher quality" at youtube or changing the Playback setup in my accound does enhance the quality a little, but it's still nowhere near when i add &fmt=22 to the URL.
When i click the HD embed here its best quality. When i click on it while playing i am referred to the youtube page and get the video in lower quality (also when clicking on High quality). When adding &fmt=22 to the URL i get the HD quiality back again and can also watch it full screen.

I'm using FF3

[tandon1232003]

How to display movie on laptop on plama tv with display lead

[Timothy01]

Wouldn't the length of the HD video have to be short so it would fit under the 100mb limit?

[Vertago]

I think they changed the limit to 1gb

[mateen110]

Josh,

&fmt=22 is only if it was recorded in HD. That's why most of the videos if you type &fmt=22 it will just take it back down to lower quality.

&fmt=18 is the one that most people should use. This increase bit rate, and increases the quality of the videos. (don' t have to record in HD to use &fmt=18) Try it on any video right now!

[Crash2100]

What's the big deal anyway? Most of the stuff on YouTube has the quality of a homemade film with less than VCR quality video.

[a921]

Is there a way to filter the search for Hi Res video? Now that YT is allowing higher quality video, I'd like to add that to search criteria. I'm trying to keep the low res video out of the results. Thanks.

[cnetdude1977]

The HD version definitely requires a tripod. Shaking ruins the HD video completely. Looking forward to the tutorial.

[DRAKULIAN]

by SJ2571 November 20, 2008 3:27 PM PST

"Hmm, doesn't seem to work with any videos I tried. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdPrB_lcpBc&fmt=22. However, the old version of &fmt=18 does work. Comments?"


This is correct. It is <b>&fmt=18</b> (not 22) that forces YouTube videos into HiDef, and it's been that way for a long time, long before this article was published. I've never seen 6 ro 22 work, and unless or until they change it, clearly for all, stick with &fmt=18.

[DRAKULIAN]

Okay, final found a video where &fmt=22 works, and I did a comparison between that and fmt=18. Here are the two links with the hack already entered:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTiL7ZQglF8&fmt=18

--VS--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTiL7ZQglF8&fmt=22


The 22 seems a bit better than the 18 for this video, however, 22 still does not seem to work for most vids, whereas 18 does. It's likely just a matter of time or else it will only be for new special uploads from here on.

[blade2577]

For this video I barely see any difference (if at all) however the loading time for &fmt=22 was higher than &fmt=18. &fmt=14 didn't seem to work at all, and the difference between &fmt=6 and &fmt=18 was tiny, again, if at all.

[loanstar744]

ha my laptop is dell with a rage mobility video card by ati and its a pentium ||| and youtube videos in HD do bother it.it runs as fast as normal

[w0033093]

Yes, well, this would be a great and informative article if it were true, the article I mean! Did anyone bother to look at the embedded code in this article webpage code?

There are two different sources for both these video's, that is they are not rendered from the same source:

src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mgan4rt7ZHw&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22"

and

src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mgan4rt7ZHw&hl=en&fs=1"

You can see the difference plainly enough. Don't believe me? Go to your View (firefox) menu and select 'Page Source' on that menu while viewing this article and see for yourself.

I have included a snippet below...

<p>HD Version:</p>

<object width="630" height="380">
<param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22" name="movie" /><param value="window" name="wmode" />
<param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><embed width="630" height="380" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mgan4rt7ZHw&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22"></embed></object></p>

<br />
<p>Regular version:</p>
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mgan4rt7ZHw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mgan4rt7ZHw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[nwongfeiying]

I commend you on finding an unreleased parameter (what you call a "hack") :\

/facepalm

[Chronis67]

I tried watching the HD video and I noticed the frame rate was studdering. So I check my CPU usage and it was in the 80 and 90 percents. I have have a AMD Athlon XP 2800+, so while it does have a few years on it, I would have though it should have been powerful enough to watch an HD video.