YouTube to use AI to improve sharpness of low-resolution videos - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Google's YouTube will use AI to improve the visual clarity of low-resolution videos on TVs, the web, and mobile devices. The upscaling feature will initially apply to videos below 1080p, with an opt-out option for content creators.
Google's YouTube service will use artificial intelligence to improve the visual clarity of many low-resolution videos on its platform when viewed on TV screens, the web, and mobile devices, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
YouTube will initially roll out a feature known as upscaling for videos that were originally uploaded at resolutions below 1080p, according to a blog post on Wednesday by senior product director Kurt Wilms. The company will support upscaling to even higher 4K quality "in the near future," he added. A Google spokesperson confirmed that the upscaling launch will also include videos displayed on YouTube's web and mobile interfaces.
Some creators may disagree with the platform making adjustments to their content, but Wilms said that the original files will always be kept intact. YouTube participants can completely opt out of the "super-resolution" upscaling feature if they don't like how it looks with their videos, he said.
Super-resolution videos will be clearly marked, allowing viewers to easily see any video as it was originally presented, he added.
The implementation of upscaling should theoretically improve the YouTube experience for viewers streaming videos on large-screen TVs, Wilms wrote, adding that the TV screen is YouTube's "fastest-growing surface." But it can also make videos clearer on larger smartphones and foldable devices.
Many of the platform's most popular creators have been publishing content in 4K resolution for several years, but there is a huge number of old clips that were uploaded before ultra-high resolution became the norm. Many of them have a maximum resolution of 480p or even lower.
YouTube is also significantly expanding the allowed file size for video thumbnails, which can now be 50 megabytes compared to the previous limit of 2 megabytes, allowing for more detailed thumbnails to be displayed on TV screens.
In addition to these changes, Wilms said the company is testing "larger video uploads with selected creators," which will lead to even higher quality as YouTube competes with Netflix Inc. and other streaming services for viewers' time.
In the summer, YouTube angered some creators when it quietly used machine learning to improve the clarity of Shorts – its short videos designed to compete with content on TikTok and Instagram Reels. In this case, YouTube explained in a social media post that "no upscaling" was involved.