Back in 2016, YouTube added the support for HDR video playback on its platform. Fast forward to now, YouTube has announced that it is bringing HDR support for live stream videos, too.
YouTube shared this piece of information on its official blog. Moreover, after the addition of this new YouTube HDR live stream feature, it becomes the first “major platform” to support HDR for live streams.
HDR means High Dynamic Range. It basically increases or enhances the picture quality of the videos, and you can see more detail. Now YouTube content creators will be able to live stream their videos in HDR.
However, one thing to note is that viewers need to have a capable or HDR-supported device to see the content in its full glory. Well, there are a lot of smartphones and smart TVs that support HDR viewing. So, it should not be much of a problem.
Note that YouTube content creators can live stream in 4K. But the addition of HDR would really make the live stream videos more vibrant and detailed.
At launch, this new YouTube live stream feature supports HDR10 & HLG standards
As stated by YouTube, during the initial stage, this YouTube HDR live stream feature supports the HDR10 and HLG standards. However, YouTube is keeping positive and hopes to expand this offering to more standards in the future.
Recently, YouTube pushed several new features for YouTubers to make their live streams more fun. The addition of Live Redirect lets creators host a live stream that redirects to the upcoming Premiere just before it starts.
Along with this, YouTube also added some new countdown themes based on different vibes and moods. For more information on that, you can head over here.
YouTube has been the most used video streaming platform. During the pandemic, YouTube’s services, as well as live TV streaming service YouTube TV, saw a surge in viewership.
To give you some numbers, over 100 million users in the US, watch YouTube and YouTube TV on their TV screens every month. So, the addition of this HDR live stream functionality would add more users to this number.
As already mentioned, viewers need to view the HDR live stream videos on supported devices. For instance, they can make use of the YouTube app on HDR TVs, a Chromecast Ultra, or an Android device with an HDR display.
Adding HDR to live streams, YouTube can pitch extra dollars to advertisers. The company also believes that this YouTube HDR live stream feature would be beneficial for a wide range of live streams. This includes gaming, live events such as music and sports, and nature or travel streams.