YouTube Now Offering Video in 4K. But What About 4K TVs?

In December last year YouTube launched Full HD videos with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, but now it's giving filmmakers access to 4K video streams, without any downscaling.  That means video measuring 4096 x 2304 pixels.

There's a handy tip from the firm's engineer, Ramesh Sarukkai, who points out that you'll need a very fast connection to make the most of this content.

What's the point?

Is this new feature aimed at the handful of people in the whole world who have a 4K TV?  Or perhaps the idea is to push the limits of bandwidth before people start streaming 3D video?  Or maybe it's just to encourage the development of more 4K content, because the introduction of 4K hardware isn't that far off.

We know that Google, which bought out YouTube, is already working closely with TV manufacturers ahead of the launch of its Google TV service.  Sony is just one big name that's taking part.  Maybe the search giant knows something about future hardware releases that we don't ...

If you really want to push your Internet connection to the limit, or rack up a huge mobile data bill, there's a playlist with all of the current 4K videos.


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