**The Impact of Bit Rate on Streaming Video Quality**
When it comes to streaming videos on YouTube, one of the most common questions people ask is how good their video quality will be. The answer lies not just in the number of pixels, but also in the bit rate. In fact, YouTube's 1080p premium option is a great example of this concept. While it may seem counterintuitive that paying for a higher bit rate wouldn't necessarily mean better picture quality, the truth is more complex.
**What is Bit Rate?**
Bit rate refers to the amount of data that is used to encode each frame of video. In other words, it's a measure of how much information is required to represent each pixel on your screen. A higher bit rate means that each frame has more data, which can result in a higher quality image. However, this isn't always the case.
**The Role of Compression**
Streaming video on the internet requires compression to reduce the amount of data used. This is because high-definition video can be very bandwidth-intensive, and compressing it allows for faster loading times and reduced strain on your network or device. There are several techniques used to compress video, including discarding data that isn't necessary (such as the original two frames) and discarding data for parts of the image that look similar.
**YouTube's Compression Techniques**
While YouTube doesn't publicly disclose their typical bit rates for 1080p videos, they do use variable bitrate (VBR) encoding, which means that the bit rate can change depending on the specific scene. This is done to ensure that scenes with a lot of constantly changing visual elements have a higher bit rate to capture the detail and motion.
**The Difference Between Regular and Premium 1080p**
Both regular and enhanced versions of 1080p videos appear to use relatively low bit rates, typically in the single digits of megabits per second. However, some users have reported that the enhanced version has more detail and fewer artifacts than the regular version. While it's difficult to notice these differences without a side-by-side comparison, they can be subtle and challenging to spot.
**The Cost of Higher Bit Rate**
One way for YouTube to differentiate their premium option is by offering a higher bit rate. This allows users who are willing to pay extra to enjoy a more detailed and artifact-free image. However, this raises questions about whether it's worth paying extra for a higher bit rate. While some users may appreciate the extra quality, others may not notice the difference or may be deterred by the added cost.
**Conclusion**
In conclusion, while the number of pixels is an important factor in determining video quality, it's only one aspect of the equation. Bit rate and compression play a crucial role in determining how good your streaming videos look. By understanding these concepts, you can make informed decisions about which option to choose when watching videos on YouTube or other platforms.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen you think about video quality the first thing that probably comes to mind is that little gear on YouTube that allows you to adjust the vertical resolution 720p 1080p 2160p but that isn't the only Factor impacting how good your streaming videos look in fact YouTube kind of tells you this themselves with that 1080p premium option that pops up on certain videos which is part of the YouTube premium paid subscription but how is this different from just plain 1080p seeing as the two options give you the exact same number of pixels the answer is bit rate and it's part of the reason more pixels doesn't always mean a better picture on a fundamental level bit rate is exactly what it sounds like a higher bit rate means that each frame of the video you're watching has more data that ultimately forms the image you see streaming video on the internet is often compressed so it doesn't take up as much bandwidth and loads in your device more quickly to do this some of the information from the original video that's uploaded to YouTube is discarded to put this in perspective uncompressed 1080p video at 30 frames per second can take up around a gigabit and a half of data per second which is a higher bit rate than many home internet connections would be able to easily handle compressed video on the other hand might only take up a few megabits per second or even below 2 megabits per second depending on the surfice immediately you can see how important video compress compression is there are several ways to compress video but a simple example is to only keep data representing how pixels change from one frame to the next and discarding the rest instead of storing two complete raw frames another is to discard data for parts of the image that look very similar such as on a large green football field these techniques make it possible to save lots of bandwidth with hopefully minimal or even imperceptible loss of quality but all video compression isn't created equal too much compression will make your videos look like a blocking mess even though they still might be at a high resolution while too little will put more load on your network or device for no appreciable gain so how much does YouTube compress your videos and how does that 1080p premium option differ we'll tell you right after we thank our sponsor pulseway their all-in-one remote monitoring and management software lets you see everything from operational data to system issues all in one place monitoring is simple set it up in minutes then deploy across your endpoints with preconfigured policies you also get reliable remote control of any monitored system making it feel like you're right there in person and thanks to their mobile app you can access realtime data receive alerts and have troubleshooting tools right in the palm of your hand for our viewers only they're offering 40% off on all their plans so start your free trial today and unleash the true power of it with pulseway Google hasn't publicly disclosed their typical ranges for YouTube video bit rates for either regular or premium 1080p videos we can tell you that YouTube does use variable bid rates meaning the bit rate at any given moment will depend on exactly what's happening in the video with scenes featuring lots of constantly changing visual elements generally using a higher bit rate and we can also tell you that both the regular and enhanced versions appear to mostly be in the single digits of megabits per second both of which are of course far lower than uncompressed video as to whether it actually looks better after all it's a feature you have to pay for some users have said that videos have more detail and fewer weird artifacts that can result from compression but that the differences can be relatively subtle and challenging to notice unless you're doing a side-by-side comparison which does make some sense considering bit rate like resolution is one of only a number of factors that go into exactly how good a video looks with other factors like HDR support color grading frame rate and the equipment used to record and play the video all making a big impact of course with Google being relatively opaque as to the actual numbers there was speculation that they actually lowered the quality of non premium 1080p in order to sell premium subscriptions but there hasn't been any hard evidence of this putting a higher bit rate option behind a pay wall as unpopular as it might be does provide a way for Google to dangle a carrot in front of folks who might be interested in paying primarily to remove advertisements while also ensuring their pipes don't get clogged trying to deliver high quality video to the massive number of free users watching content on their service we can't tell you whether it would be worth it as only you can decide whether a higher bit rate is worth a monthly fee but if you do want to give it a test run and you end up not being impressed just make sure to cancel before your trial runs out as I'm sure you don't need yet another recurring bill you might have forgotten about hey thanks for watching and if you like this video check out our other video on how the term 4K can be misleading don't trust it it's Shifty it's a Shifty termwhen you think about video quality the first thing that probably comes to mind is that little gear on YouTube that allows you to adjust the vertical resolution 720p 1080p 2160p but that isn't the only Factor impacting how good your streaming videos look in fact YouTube kind of tells you this themselves with that 1080p premium option that pops up on certain videos which is part of the YouTube premium paid subscription but how is this different from just plain 1080p seeing as the two options give you the exact same number of pixels the answer is bit rate and it's part of the reason more pixels doesn't always mean a better picture on a fundamental level bit rate is exactly what it sounds like a higher bit rate means that each frame of the video you're watching has more data that ultimately forms the image you see streaming video on the internet is often compressed so it doesn't take up as much bandwidth and loads in your device more quickly to do this some of the information from the original video that's uploaded to YouTube is discarded to put this in perspective uncompressed 1080p video at 30 frames per second can take up around a gigabit and a half of data per second which is a higher bit rate than many home internet connections would be able to easily handle compressed video on the other hand might only take up a few megabits per second or even below 2 megabits per second depending on the surfice immediately you can see how important video compress compression is there are several ways to compress video but a simple example is to only keep data representing how pixels change from one frame to the next and discarding the rest instead of storing two complete raw frames another is to discard data for parts of the image that look very similar such as on a large green football field these techniques make it possible to save lots of bandwidth with hopefully minimal or even imperceptible loss of quality but all video compression isn't created equal too much compression will make your videos look like a blocking mess even though they still might be at a high resolution while too little will put more load on your network or device for no appreciable gain so how much does YouTube compress your videos and how does that 1080p premium option differ we'll tell you right after we thank our sponsor pulseway their all-in-one remote monitoring and management software lets you see everything from operational data to system issues all in one place monitoring is simple set it up in minutes then deploy across your endpoints with preconfigured policies you also get reliable remote control of any monitored system making it feel like you're right there in person and thanks to their mobile app you can access realtime data receive alerts and have troubleshooting tools right in the palm of your hand for our viewers only they're offering 40% off on all their plans so start your free trial today and unleash the true power of it with pulseway Google hasn't publicly disclosed their typical ranges for YouTube video bit rates for either regular or premium 1080p videos we can tell you that YouTube does use variable bid rates meaning the bit rate at any given moment will depend on exactly what's happening in the video with scenes featuring lots of constantly changing visual elements generally using a higher bit rate and we can also tell you that both the regular and enhanced versions appear to mostly be in the single digits of megabits per second both of which are of course far lower than uncompressed video as to whether it actually looks better after all it's a feature you have to pay for some users have said that videos have more detail and fewer weird artifacts that can result from compression but that the differences can be relatively subtle and challenging to notice unless you're doing a side-by-side comparison which does make some sense considering bit rate like resolution is one of only a number of factors that go into exactly how good a video looks with other factors like HDR support color grading frame rate and the equipment used to record and play the video all making a big impact of course with Google being relatively opaque as to the actual numbers there was speculation that they actually lowered the quality of non premium 1080p in order to sell premium subscriptions but there hasn't been any hard evidence of this putting a higher bit rate option behind a pay wall as unpopular as it might be does provide a way for Google to dangle a carrot in front of folks who might be interested in paying primarily to remove advertisements while also ensuring their pipes don't get clogged trying to deliver high quality video to the massive number of free users watching content on their service we can't tell you whether it would be worth it as only you can decide whether a higher bit rate is worth a monthly fee but if you do want to give it a test run and you end up not being impressed just make sure to cancel before your trial runs out as I'm sure you don't need yet another recurring bill you might have forgotten about hey thanks for watching and if you like this video check out our other video on how the term 4K can be misleading don't trust it it's Shifty it's a Shifty term\n"
