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How YouTube Determines What Video Quality To Play
Oct 6, 2014Web and InternetComments (3)
YouTube has two different players that it uses to play videos. One player is made with HTML5, while the other is made with Flash. They look very similar, but the video quality they default to is very different.
For Chrome and newer Internet Explorer browsers, YouTube shows the HTML5 video player on their site. With this player, the video quality is based on the video player size and connection speed only. YouTube no longer has a set default video quality of 360p; it's now dynamic and based on each user as they're viewing the video. The video quality can also change during playback if the user's connection improves or degrades (1). The user can still choose the quality level they want from the settings menu in the video.
For the Firefox browser, YouTube still shows the original Flash video player (version 3). This defaults to 360p in most cases, but can be controlled with the query string (if you're linking to or embedding the video).
For the HTML5 player, these are the video qualities that will be played depending on the video player width:
Again, the user's connection speed and settings can override this. For example, the user may choose a higher resolution from the settings menu.
When viewing videos on youtube.com on a desktop browser, the video player size will be either 640, 854, or 1280, depending on the browser width and whether it's in default view or "theater" view (wide).
For Chrome and newer Internet Explorer browsers, YouTube shows the HTML5 video player on their site. With this player, the video quality is based on the video player size and connection speed only. YouTube no longer has a set default video quality of 360p; it's now dynamic and based on each user as they're viewing the video. The video quality can also change during playback if the user's connection improves or degrades (1). The user can still choose the quality level they want from the settings menu in the video.
For the Firefox browser, YouTube still shows the original Flash video player (version 3). This defaults to 360p in most cases, but can be controlled with the query string (if you're linking to or embedding the video).
Player Size And Video Quality
For the HTML5 player, these are the video qualities that will be played depending on the video player width:
| Embed Width | Default Video Quality |
|---|---|
| 725 px or less | 360p |
| 726 to 1088 px | 480p |
| 1089 to 1632 px | 720p |
| 1633 px or higher | 1080p |
Again, the user's connection speed and settings can override this. For example, the user may choose a higher resolution from the settings menu.
When viewing videos on youtube.com on a desktop browser, the video player size will be either 640, 854, or 1280, depending on the browser width and whether it's in default view or "theater" view (wide).