There has been a surprising update from YouTube recently. 720p videos are no longer considered as High Definition. Any video below 1080p falls in the category of Standard Definition.
This does not mean that any 720p video has been taken down from YouTube. They are still there, just not grouped under the HD videos anymore.
This new change has taken some YouTubers by surprise, as the entire classification of video qualities has been ingrained in the minds of all video enthusiasts for a very long time. It was the rule of thumb that any video with 360p and 480p was ‘Standard Definition,’ and 720p and above was ‘High Definition.’ As much as the resolution improved, the videos would fall in higher definition categories like Full HD, UHD, etc.
There are still many people who own monitors and displays with 720p as classic HD. But now, for whatever reason, YouTube has suddenly changed the entire definition and classification of this resolution system!
When you open a YouTube video in any browser of your choice now, if you go and select the playback resolution manually, you will find a 720p option without the “HD” moniker in front of it.
This is an unprecedented move and that too, without any apparent reason. At least YouTube has not yet stated any particular cause for this action, so, only they know why they changed something so basic, without any prior announcement. And what difference would it make when the 720p videos are still there and are still having good, viewable quality? More pixels do not necessarily add to the value or quality of the video. Many a time, 720p and 1080p videos have been downscaled and super-sampled from 4K UHD, and that is just fine.
We all know that in terms of gold standards, 1440p and 2160p are in the ‘High Definition and above’ game. But while YouTube changed the classification for 720p, surprisingly it did not change anything for 1080p. They are still under the High Definition tag.
So, it is rather unfathomable as to why YouTube changed one thing and did not change the other while it was at it?
The community reaction is mix so far. There are many people out there who probably do not even care about the titles of the resolution in which their videos play. All they worry about is clear and well-defined video quality. A lot of people do not go and change the resolution settings manually, so they probably will not even know about this change. However, for those who worry about these things will probably find this strange and quite unreasonable!
Let us wait and see whether YouTube will provide any justification for this move, or it will just become a fleeting change from the company that will go unnoticed by the majority of the community?
Only time will tell whether this move will even change anything in the world of resolutions and pixels or not?
Read next: YouTube Is Rolling Out A New Monetization Icon To Help Creators Understand The Status Of Their Videos
This does not mean that any 720p video has been taken down from YouTube. They are still there, just not grouped under the HD videos anymore.
This new change has taken some YouTubers by surprise, as the entire classification of video qualities has been ingrained in the minds of all video enthusiasts for a very long time. It was the rule of thumb that any video with 360p and 480p was ‘Standard Definition,’ and 720p and above was ‘High Definition.’ As much as the resolution improved, the videos would fall in higher definition categories like Full HD, UHD, etc.
There are still many people who own monitors and displays with 720p as classic HD. But now, for whatever reason, YouTube has suddenly changed the entire definition and classification of this resolution system!
When you open a YouTube video in any browser of your choice now, if you go and select the playback resolution manually, you will find a 720p option without the “HD” moniker in front of it.
This is an unprecedented move and that too, without any apparent reason. At least YouTube has not yet stated any particular cause for this action, so, only they know why they changed something so basic, without any prior announcement. And what difference would it make when the 720p videos are still there and are still having good, viewable quality? More pixels do not necessarily add to the value or quality of the video. Many a time, 720p and 1080p videos have been downscaled and super-sampled from 4K UHD, and that is just fine.
We all know that in terms of gold standards, 1440p and 2160p are in the ‘High Definition and above’ game. But while YouTube changed the classification for 720p, surprisingly it did not change anything for 1080p. They are still under the High Definition tag.
So, it is rather unfathomable as to why YouTube changed one thing and did not change the other while it was at it?
everyone freaking out about youtube no longer considering 720p "hd"— Arcade Guy Ceej (STAY HOME & PLAY ARCADE GAMES) (@YourPalCeej) May 17, 2020
y'all seen that steam measures your installs in GB now instead of MB right? what the FUCK
disagree cuz some people still cant watch 1080p smoothly cuz of internet and stuff soo they choose 720p. and when youtube took away the HD tag the premium feels of knowing you're watch HD video isnt there anymore. hmm i dont know, just my 3 cents. https://t.co/i6slto4WbJ— jackfiq (@Afiq_zulkeflee) May 17, 2020
Cool. Zoom and Skype both have 720p video and they say “HD video calls”. Which is clearly a mistake.— Marcelo Moyano (@marcelosmack) May 16, 2020
720p isn't marked as HD on youtube anymore pic.twitter.com/j5trOUAgkS— LookAnAltAccount (@LookAnAlt) May 17, 2020
Guys, stop getting so pissed that @YouTube removed the HD icon from 720p. It's 2020, 720p looks like shit and isn't the standard anymore. 1080p is the standard and the lowest HD, that's why it's called full HD. 720p was considered HD but never full HD, so it was never really HD.— Maayan29 (@maayan292) May 17, 2020
The community reaction is mix so far. There are many people out there who probably do not even care about the titles of the resolution in which their videos play. All they worry about is clear and well-defined video quality. A lot of people do not go and change the resolution settings manually, so they probably will not even know about this change. However, for those who worry about these things will probably find this strange and quite unreasonable!
Let us wait and see whether YouTube will provide any justification for this move, or it will just become a fleeting change from the company that will go unnoticed by the majority of the community?
Only time will tell whether this move will even change anything in the world of resolutions and pixels or not?
Read next: YouTube Is Rolling Out A New Monetization Icon To Help Creators Understand The Status Of Their Videos
