Google brought the HDR support for videos back in November. But it remained in the shelf due to the lack of compatible devices. Provided some companies followed the suit to make their high-end smartphone displays HDR-compatible, YouTube is finally adding HDR video support for these.
The search engine giant has rolled out a YouTube update to a series of select smartphones. including the Google Pixel, LG V30, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and Sony Xperia XZ Premium. For some strange reason, the newer model Xperia XZ1 missed HDR support.
High Dynamic Range, aka HDR, makes videos vibrant and adds deeper contrast. For the same reason, a video on an HDR-compatible screen looks a lot more appealing. YouTube in another update brought playback speed controls. So you can speed up videos to 2.5x on both Android and iOS applications. You can also play videos as slow as 0.25x as well.
Once you get your hands on the new update, the application will show options for 60 fps videos up to 1440P resolution as well. Although some users did complain of jittery playback and frame drops.
To watch HDR-compatible videos you won't have to do anything special, if your device is capable, the new YouTube app automatically plays the HDR stream. HDR content on YouTube is still in its infancy, although we may see wider adoption with more devices being added.
