YouTube offering higher quality video / Stage6 ends services!

[Denizzje]

Indeed, very good that they use real stereo now too ! They should create 16:9 support though.

[bayme]

Indeed, very good that they use real stereo now too ! They should create 16:9 support though.

Yeah finally stereo! I wonder if they will convert the existing ones. Does anyone have an example of an older stereo upload?

Have you also noticed they pull the data of yet another bunch of servers? (not the video.l.google ones anymore) Now it's an IP-address directly.

It does not work... on every video I try it keeps searching for the HQ video. Even afther the movie is finished...

The greasemonkey script tries the fmt 6 version, is my guess. I haven't looked at it yet. On a sidenote, Alexa, you might be interested in the Config Mania add-on for Firefox. For me it has superseded things I formerly did with greasemonkey. I now only have Config Mania, AdBlockPlus, Stylish, Sage and WindizUpdate as my Add-Ons.

[Denizzje]

YT is starting with stereo I guess!

The alternative ending of "I am legend" movie on YT adding &fmt=18 gives you a AVC and AAC stereo file but with FLV extension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IItXJJO2fB4&fmt=18

Anyway I thought that it was the new format so I tried to reupload a video, but now fmt=18 gives the YT flv standard format

Here is the bitrate and resolution information of this movie (click for enlargement):



Note that it is 480x202 instead of 480x360 and the bitrate is quite low compared to the rest (I hope that is only for this movie)

[-Sandro-]

I noticed both lower bitrate ( ) and different servers, in fact mp4 files are really slow to download. Sometimes dont even start to

[-Sandro-]

YT is starting with stereo I guess!

The alternative ending of "I am legend" movie on YT adding &fmt=18 gives you a AVC and AAC stereo file but with FLV extension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IItXJJO2fB4&fmt=18

Anyway I thought that it was the new format so I tried to reupload a video, but now fmt=18 gives the YT flv standard format

Here is the bitrate and resolution information of this movie (click for enlargement):



Note that it is 480x202 instead of 480x360 and the bitrate is quite low compared to the rest (I hope that is only for this movie)

The resolution is like that because the aspect ratio is 2,35:1 . The problem with other formats than 4:3 remains

[dissociative]

Indeed, very good that they use real stereo now too ! They should create 16:9 support though.

Yeah finally stereo! I wonder if they will convert the existing ones. Does anyone have an example of an older stereo upload?

I personally noticed that they transcoded an old flv stereo upload to fmt=6 when I took a look to my firefox cache folder, also I heard that they aren't using the best H.264 video encoder, someone said that they were using XviD AVC instead of x264 and neither the best AAC audio encoder. they sure are using FAAC instead of Nero Digital

[-Sandro-]

Indeed, very good that they use real stereo now too ! They should create 16:9 support though.

Yeah finally stereo! I wonder if they will convert the existing ones. Does anyone have an example of an older stereo upload?

I personally noticed that they transcoded an old flv stereo upload to fmt=6 when I took a look to my firefox cache folder, also I heard that they aren't using the best H.264 video encoder, someone said that they were using XviD AVC instead of x264 and neither the best AAC audio encoder. they sure are using FAAC instead of Nero Digital

in fact 125kbit aac should be perfect (of course it depends from the source too) but the compression artifact can be cleary heard

[ricardouk]

... someone said that they were using XviD AVC

XVID AVC?!

I thought that hasnt been released yet, all i heard about xvid avc was on the doom9 codec tests from a few years back.

[reez]

hey check it out
http://image.bayimg.com/pajjbaabc.jpg
here's the vid(btw when you click it the url stays the same)
wish i could spare your ears of another complaining vlogger but
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWO686ROPnE
NOTE: for some reason it doesn't ALways appear

i definitely don't think stage6 shut down for the reasons they say, i also think they will be back. stage6 was AWESOME! ANY video uploader or a original content maker would feel that a S6 account was MANDATORY. I mean ANYone(everyone) can(is) host(ing) shitty quality vids..but here's one service that brings you TV quality to the crappy amateur internet...you can't tell me that there aren't people willing to invest into that. CONCLUSION: Google should have bought STAGE6(and their dogs) instead of the internet's beloved whore Youtube. I'm sure we would have had some awesome legit Movie service by now(like what itunes had planned).

[anyonecancopy]

What do you mean "it does Not work" , Its working for me and I opened the script and look .........&fmt=18 NOT &fmt=6
__________________________________________________ ______

15. if(!dUrl.match('&fmt=18')){
16.
17. (dUrl.match('&'))? newurl = dUrl.replace(/&/, '&fmt=18&'): newurl = dUrl+'&fmt=18';
18.
19. window.location.replace(newurl);


__________________________________________________ ________

Denizzje ,I don't know why it didn't work for you..did you upgrade to the new flash player?

I noticed that old obsolete Goyomora method videos now plays without any pauses.
for my area, Northeastern U.S.A it seems that YT has raised the streaming output. at the same token with &fmt=18, the Tripp45 method plays non-stereo and blurry , but if i press the original button on the player it plays correctly , now if i play a frifox method video , it plays perfectly in stereo and not blurry. but the video padding is a killer.. i don't know if this has something to do with the fact that i updated to the new flash player..

Every video uploaded with flash or mp4 or wmv uploaded after mar 7th 11pm E.S.T that was in stereo, has been playing on my updated player in full stereo that is if it was in stereo to begin with..

But I urge you to give the player upgrade a try... it really works - I love it. I posted a MP4 musicvideo , and it took about 1 hour for YT to convert it to HQ , and its in stereo, but you must &fmt=18 or get the upgrade for the player like I described to do it for you.

Look at the MP4 video I uploaded...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SI_z5wAP5U&fmt=18


Alexa

[reez]

did you not see my post guys
http://image.bayimg.com/pajjbaabc.jpg
YOUTUBE is trying out an HQ button of their own

[dissociative]

also anyone has an idea of why when youtube encodes content such as anime to &fmt=18, it does look considerably washed in comparation with fmt=6? the edges of the objects look weird like some kind of spatial processing filter was or is being used or its just my machine? I think that it looks similar to what the avisynth filter SpatialSoften() does

[reez]

i've seen it again. i remind you i don't have greasemonkey scripts or anything
http://image.bayimg.com/cajkmaabc.jpg
youtube obviously wants to put a button

[dtfinch]

I don't see it yet, but I believe you.

Edit:
If I view source on a video page, I see "var availableVideoFormats = null;"
That probably has a list on yours.

Then in http://s.ytimg.com/yt/js/base_all_with_bidi-vfl34789.js , there's a recently added changeVideoQuality() function and such.

[anyonecancopy]

i've seen it again. i remind you i don't have greasemonkey scripts or anything
http://image.bayimg.com/cajkmaabc.jpg
youtube obviously wants to put a button

I believe you too... Youtube must be testing the new player in specific areas... I guess in the next scheduled maintenance they will update more players..

I kinda like mine because of the enclosed download button.


Alexa

[reez]

I kinda like mine because of the enclosed download button.
Alexa

so you MADE yours? huh...script kiddy? :P

[anyonecancopy]

I kinda like mine because of the enclosed download button.
Alexa

so you MADE yours? huh...script kiddy? :P

hehe , reez...Im not the script girl..i didnt make it

But I would like to try it one day.....


Alexa

[k.]

[anthony111]

does any one notice that youtube is offering some videos to play in high quality, check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urwejpUG7nQ

if you look towards the left side of the video, it says Watch this video in higher quality.

[tulio]

bitrate changes from video to video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dh63XiHV3Ug&fmt=18

General #0
Complete name                : C:\Documents and Settings\Administrador\Desktop\C0E27D12d01.mp4
Format                       : MPEG-4
Format/Info                  : ISO 14496-1 version 2
Format/Family                : MPEG-4
File size                    : 1.89 MiB
PlayTime                     : 10mn 235ms
Bit rate                     : 26 Kbps
StreamSize                   : 82.4 KiB
Encoded date                 : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:47
Tagged date                  : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:47

Video #0
Codec                        : AVC
Codec/Family                 : AVC
Codec/Info                   : MPEG-4 AVC
Codec profile                : Baseline@L2.1
Codec settings, CABAC        : No
PlayTime                     : 10mn 232ms
Bit rate                     : 22 Kbps
Width                        : 450 pixels
Height                       : 360 pixels
Display Aspect ratio         : 5/4
Frame rate                   : 29.970 fps
Chroma                       : 4:2:0
Interlacement                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)           : 0.005
StreamSize                   : 1.58 MiB
Title                        : (C) 2007 Google Inc. v06.24.2007.
Encoded date                 : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:47
Tagged date                  : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:48
BitRate_Max                  : 288096

Audio #0
Codec                        : AAC LC
Codec/Family                 : AAC
Codec/Info                   : AAC Low Complexity
PlayTime                     : 10mn 235ms
Bit rate mode                : CBR
Bit rate                     : 3096 bps
Channel(s)                   : 2 channels
Channel positions            : L R
Sampling rate                : 44.1 KHz
Resolution                   : 16 bits
StreamSize                   : 227 KiB
Title                        : (C) 2007 Google Inc. v06.24.2007.
Encoded date                 : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:47
Tagged date                  : UTC 2007-12-08 23:22:48

[anyonecancopy]

also anyone has an idea of why when youtube encodes content such as anime to &fmt=18, it does look considerably washed in comparation with fmt=6? the edges of the objects look weird like some kind of spatial processing filter was or is being used or its just my machine? I think that it looks similar to what the avisynth filter SpatialSoften() does

I noticed it too.... Plus i have noticed that ALL newly converted stereo videos has a interlaced look to it and to get rid of it you must press the original size button on the player, Anybody notice that?

Can someone point out a stereo video posted AFTER Mar.7th 2008 that does not have this look? those still picture videos don't count.


Alexa

[reez]

here's another way to tell how much they're "deploying" the button
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Awww.youtube.com+%22watch+this+video+in+higher+quality%22

[dissociative]

I noticed it too.... Plus i have noticed that ALL newly converted stereo videos has a interlaced look to it and to get rid of it you must press the original size button on the player, Anybody notice that?

I think that's because the youtube flash video player scales every video to the full width of the player window, 480x360 and this is likely to happen with videos that have a resolution that is not multiple or doesn't match the aspect ratio of that player box size, and looks like the videos played are scaled up with a low quality video scaler that produces artifacts vertically making the content look like interlaced video

[alberto666]

What about google Video? I tried, but doesn't work in the same way.

Any similar option?

[Denizzje]

Now this is strange, my latest video, an 104 minute 1935 German propaganda movie, doesn't go to HQ anymore if you put &fmt=18 behind its link, but &fmt=6 again. I don't know what codec it is in now. But I see quite some compression artifacts, while the source is very good (DVD -> 640x480 Xvid with around 1000-1200kb/s video bitrate).

Note: I uploaded it only 2 days ago, and probably because of the large size of the movie it showed up atleast 18 to 24 hours later in my videolist. Maybe &fmt=18 will work in a day or 1-3 too but it just takes a while because of the very large size of the movie.

Note 2: If go to the &fmt=6 version of the movie, I see a link where you can go to the low quality version of the movie, while there isn't one to the HQ.

[wonderpierrot]

&fmt=18 is no longer working for any videos, regardless if is mine or someone's elses, even all of the videos people posted here in 18 format. It will simply just play the original low quality 320 x 240 flash format.

&fmt=6 works fine on the other hand, and I also noticed a "Watch this video in lower quality/watch this video in higher quality" link beneath the video player when using this format.

So I'm guessing YouTube is making 6 (480 x 360 FLV) the official HQ format for HQ videos?

[stsin]

Noticed more changes with YT:

Now when viewing a HQ stream, a link shows up underneath the video window:
"Watch this video in lower quality for faster playback."

After clicking that to view the LQ version, there's another link underneath:
"Watch this video in higher quality."

Which both work.

Also, now when using &fmt=6, if there's no conversion for that, it will view the LQ version. Instead of the continual black loading screen.

While all my uploads have been converted to H264 (viewable with &fmt=18 ), Only thing YT was converting to the high bitrate H263 Sorenson (&fmt=6) were WMVs. But after tonight, it converted all my MP4 uploads too.

[wonderpierrot]

Nvm my previous post, I had forgotten I had downgraded to a previous version of flash, hence the inability to play the mp4 files.

All of my WMVs both works at 6 and 18. Interesting to see which format they decide to use and how.

[reez]

hey "OH SO NICE PEOPLE!" go to this link
http://www.youtube.com/video_quality_settings
-__-

[anyonecancopy]

Dearest Denizzje, I am surprised at your Language, But iI take it that You Must have been Joking around.. & I do thank you for the great info you provided.

though agree with rees , For some reason, I chose the correct settings also... and it just plays in low Quality

I refreshed the videos but even after a few times and it was useless useless, same Low-Q

That HQ option settings choice was not there until just today ,that I have noticed ..But it must be That we are one step closer in winning this HQ Youtube struggle we been fighting for so long.

Has anyone noticed that .wmv uploaded videos posted after Mar.7, 2008 plays in a faster speed with the lipsynch off and the videos end half way before the reported time that it finished , I tried a new upload size of 496x368 and it virtually removed that terrible interlaced look of the HQ videos posted.. so for Hq videos my experiments on video size its no longer 480x360 but more like 496X368 ...Try It and see for yourself

I Appreciate all your input, remember we are in the same team , this Is a team effort ..I love you all...



Alexa Anderson