Youtube Upload, increase quality/control (HQ hack obsolete)

[Wilcox]

It's interesting that people talk about cheating youtube - keep in mind that YouTube keeps usage logs - You can bypass the 10 min limit legaly, simply by following steps and having a director account or if you can argue that your content is yours - if you DO get caught cheating, and people CAN easily get caught, you get your IP banned and other legal measures depending on the video you posted. Not worth it.

AGREED.

[needsleep123]

Since when YouTube allow stereo audio ?
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IWKhbR33bww

[dark_guard]

Is it just me, or do fmt=18 videos look better than fmt=6 videos even though they have a lower bit rate? O_o

[bigguy5050]

Since when YouTube allow stereo audio ?
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IWKhbR33bww

that video was added 2years ago...

[needsleep123]

that video was added 2years ago...

Some new videos have stereo as well.

[tworegon]

Something very strange has happened. The video below was uploaded in June 07, just before I learned how to upload stereo flv files. I can absolutely guarantee you, that video has ALWAYS been mono - I've listened to it many times since it was posted.

As I was checking the comments today, I noticed it has now suddenly changed to STEREO. However, the stereo sounds worse than the mono - it's way over compressed and sounds too scratchy/raspy.

Something is going on behind the scenes.

If you have any videos from about the middle of 07 that you know for sure were uploaded as a stereo file, but converted to mono by youtube (as expected), then check it now, and let me know if this is going to be some sort of global thing going on.

I want to know if anyone else can confirm this strange/unexpected re-encoding of older videos.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxqofhLQ0wo (Adding &fmt=18 causes it to play in mono)

[Veeroos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxUAYsoV2Bo < check this, video from october '08 with stereo sound (no &fmt=18!), is it still possible?

[Frank823]

I want to know if anyone else can confirm this strange/unexpected re-encoding of older videos.

I've noticed that my videos that used the now-patched "trick" are also being reencoded. x_x

&fmt=6 / &fmt=18 still brings high quality for those though.

[needsleep123]

So, what's the conclusion ? YouTube started to convert all videos to stereo ?
It's a 72 kbps / 22000 hz stereo.

[niconicolife]

YouTube started something new. They might convert all videos to stereo.
check out &fmt=34

[Veeroos]

Indeed, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71A8u8ZdaP8&fmt=34 - AAC 34 kbps, 22050 hz, stereo

[niconicolife]

Some of files which were encoded to stereo adding &fmt=34 can be played without &fmt=34. I believe YouTube is going to let all files be stereo without adding &fmt=34.

[FulciLives]

I just tried to upload something and it is in stereo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4h9HEpplb8&fmt=18

I wonder how long that will last LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Captain Satellite]

Yeah, but you added the &fmt=18 tag, that's nothing new.

[FulciLives]

Yeah, but you added the &fmt=18 tag, that's nothing new.

I thought that was kind of new *shrugs*

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Captain Satellite]

OK, I didn't mean to rain on your parade - that's great!

Anywho, I uploaded this video two days ago and I'm always used to posting the stereo link so I didn't bother checking, but it is in stereo.


BSO / Rock This Town

[bayme]

I want to know if anyone else can confirm this strange/unexpected re-encoding of older videos.

Actually I can confirm this, but I can tell you it's not for the better, because they now also started to re-encode formerly uploaded FLV files, which means those all turned to sh_t quality! Even the format 18 version of an FLV upload sucks, because it's been re-encoded yet again. I really don't like this, and am seriously considering killing many of those uploads. Pretty disappointed in that decision, to be honest. Till now they left all our old FLV uploads alone (like they should)..

[atropine]

I"M AMAZED that even videos uploaded to youtube from 2006 have now been re-encoded and are in stereo now.

That must mean youtube keep, and have always kept the original video uploaded before its re-encoded. That's a lot of extra storage needed over the years. The 250kbit or so AVC encoding is so much more superior to the similar bitrate h263 encoding (as would be expected). At 320x240 even with a lot a camera movement and flashed frame effects the video isn't pixelating as it would have once.

It's just too bad that those that uploaded in flv320x240 stereo back in the day will now have the worst quality video/audio on youtube instead of the best in relation to everyone else that uploaded good quality stereo master videos to youtube and allowed youtube to do the encoding.

This used to be mono and the video quality was crap, now it looks and sound really good. There's wind noise on the mic but that's got nothing to do with encoding. From June 2006

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vUO6kYLb6As

[Orient_Express]

Something bizarre happen to some of my vids. Once they get re-encoded to stereo, days later they return to mono. This happened twice for one of my vids.

[atropine]

check what server they come from, & what the file name is.

original h.263 flv videos stream from youtube servers and have the file name get_video.flv

Newly encoded AVC flv are streamed from google and have the file name video_playback.flv

As long as the mono is coming from youtube and not google then it probably just means they're still playing around with the servers and your video will go stereo eventually.

[Veeroos]

Strange... I've created some flv's and one of them was processed with stereo sound, check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM3ctqyce0I

[Captain Satellite]

Is anybody having problems with their 'High Quality' link? I uploaded the video below last week and got the HQ link within minutes. It worked fine all week. Now when I click on it states the video is no longer available.

I uploaded three more videos this morning. The HQ link is there but says the video is no longer available. The &fmt=18 link won't work for two of the newer videos.

I'm baffled, guys! Any ideas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNDNhlbP1ls

Uploaded this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6x67mheqhk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlbovCJDNMc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzVFGmhgJXQ

[manono]

Now when I click on it states the video is no longer available.

I've been having that problem off and on as well. First, because it's not always like that (I can play the high quality versions sometimes, or sometimes the &fmt=18 ones but not the &fmt=6 ones), the video isn't really gone. I attribute it to the servers being overloaded sometimes and YouTube throttling them so they don't play the higher quality higher bitrate videos. That's just conjecture on my part, though. But rest assured that your higher quality versions haven't really gone anywhere. Try during slow periods maybe.

At the moment your first this morning one doesn't play, but the MP4 version does:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6x67mheqhk&fmt=18

[Captain Satellite]

Thanks for the reply. I believe you are correct, sir!

[bayme]

That must mean youtube keep, and have always kept the original video uploaded before its re-encoded. That's a lot of extra storage needed over the years.

It has been clear they did that from the start. Each new format was tested on previous uploaded originals.

[niconicolife]

You guys. Check out this video.
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&fmt=22
Really high quality.
video size 1280x720
video bit rate 2322kbps
audio bit rate 232kbps STEREO

YouTube's new format 22
Catch 22 !!

[FulciLives]

Tried to grab it with http://keepvid.com/ and I got a very crappy looking 480x270 MP4 video. Looked really bad compared to the link above which looked most excellent.

Kewl video and story

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[dark_guard]

That's really cool. Not alot of videos have this option enabled though. Is it possible to "upscale" videos that don't meet those quality standards in order to enable the fmt=22 option?

Also, that option doesn't work with vp7 videos - which is a shame as I found vp7 to give the best quality on youtube.

[tworegon]

Tried to grab it with http://keepvid.com/ and I got a very crappy looking 480x270 MP4 video. Looked really bad compared to the link above which looked most excellent.

keepvid downloads it as an mp4 at 20.7 meg

However, if I use the Real Player Plus, it downloads at 75.3 meg, and the quality looks equal to the youtube video.

Why the different in file size? Is keepvid compressing?

[manono]

Why the different in file size? Is keepvid compressing?

No, it downloads a different version, the "&fmt=18" version.