High Resolution YouTube Videos

As reported by Slashdot, YouTube is rolling out high resolution video! Despite the fact that this feature isn’t fully implemented, for those of you that can’t wait – like myself – you can view the high-res versions simply by changing the URL like so:

Change This:

Into:

Yup! Just tack on &fmt=6 to the end of the YouTube video URLs and enjoy the high-res goodness.

Cybernet News additionally states:

If the YouTube video just sits there loading then that is a sign that the video has not been converted to the higher resolution yet. To really see the difference you should view the video in full screen mode by clicking the button in the bottom-right corner of the player.

Note: Alternatively you can add &fmt=18 and it will play the high-resolution version when available, otherwise it will play the regular version. Here’s a Greasemonkey script that will automatically add &fmt=18 onto the end of each YouTube URL.

Note: YouTube has millions of videos and this feature isn’t officially released…so it will take some time for the high-res feature to become available on many videos. But…the URL tweak is worth it if it means there is a chance the video is higher quality.

High Resolution YouTube Videos

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