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Safari Users Unable to Play Newer 4K Video On YouTube in Native Resolution (macrumors.com)

Posted by msmash on from the what's-happening dept.

It appears Google recently turned on VP9 codec on YouTube for delivering 4K video. However, because of this, Safari users are unable to watch videos uploaded to the service since early December in full 4K resolution. From a report: Specifically, YouTube appears to be storing video on its servers using either the more efficient VP9 codec or the older H.264 codec. Safari only supports the latter, which explains why recently uploaded 4K videos are only able to be viewed in up to 1440p. Funnily enough, the same videos can be streamed by Safari in native 4K as long as they're embedded in another website, suggesting that the VP9 codec support requirement only applies to videos viewed directly on YouTube's website. Until Apple updates Safari to support the VP9 codec, Mac users who want to access newer 4K video on YouTube in native 2160p resolution are advised to use a different browser.John Gruber of DaringFireball writes, "I'm curious what Google's thinking is here. My guess: a subtle nudge to get more Mac users to switch from Safari to Chrome. 4K playback is going to require H.264 support if they want it to work on iOS, though."

12 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. iOS by sims+2 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Do any iOS devices even have native (hardware decoding) support of h.265 let alone VP9?

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    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    1. Re:iOS by Shawn+Parr · · Score: 5, Informative

      The iPhone 6 (A8 processor) and newer can natively encode/decode H.265 in hardware. However there is no API for 3rd parties to access it currently for some reason. The only place in practice it gets used is in FaceTime calls between users with the capable hardware.

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      Shawn's Tech Articles
  2. Re:1 percenter first world problems. by tepples · · Score: 2

    I watch most of my videos in 240 or 480p. Upscaling makes mos of them look good enough

    I watch screencasts of tech support scam baiting. The 480p stream is just barely enough to be able to make on-screen text legible.

  3. Web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This says more about the sad state of the web than anything else.

    Remember the big stink that was made about video support on HTML5? How it was going to make flash obsolete and whatnot?

    Well, you should look at a matrix of supported formats for HTML5 video. Long story short, only h.264 is well supported out of the box by every browser (desktop + mobile).

    VP9 and Theora are not supported by Edge nor Safari. h.265, IIRC, needs plugins on Firefox and Chrome. The picture is even bleaker on mobile.

    Codec support is all over the place. It's a fucking mess.

    Sadly enough, flash is still the only full proof way of displaying video (with controls that don't suck, but that's another issue).

  4. Lightning is cheaper by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because a Lightning adapter is cheaper than an Apple TV.

    But then because of limited throughput over Lightning, the Lightning adapter uses AirPlay protocol anyway, and it isn't even full 1080p.

  5. Edge supports VP9 by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    Windows 10 "Anniversary Update" includes Edge 14, which supports VP9. That leaves Apple as the holdout supporting only codecs that require payment of a royalty to a patent pool.

  6. Who needs 4k video? by GuB-42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    4k is good for video editing, it is good if you watch blockbuster movies on a bigass screen, but for YouTube videos on your computer, really? It is a tech demo, there is little use for it.
    To enjoy 4k, you need a monitor that supports it, that is large enough relative to the viewing distance, enough bandwidth and processing power. You also need a 4k source. Few people produce 4k video : it is more expensive, more difficult and the result is only marginally better.
    If you manage to check all the boxes, then the browser is the least of your worries.

    One day, maybe 4k will actually bring something, but it is a bit too soon. Still, it's interesting how far ahead Apple is when it comes to removing stuff (floppy drive, ethernet port, headphone jack, ...) but not so much when it comes to actually support the technology of the future.

    1. Re:Who needs 4k video? by PhrostyMcByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To enjoy 4k, you need a monitor that supports it, that is large enough relative to the viewing distance, enough bandwidth and processing power. You also need a 4k source. Few people produce 4k video : it is more expensive, more difficult and the result is only marginally better.

      I think you'll find these boxes are checked more and more.

      On the consuming side, 4K monitors are coming down in price very quickly and are at the point where it's reasonable for the layperson to get one. 4K makes a notable difference on a 24" monitor at the common 2-3' distance -- anyone who says otherwise has bad eyesight or hasn't used one yet. Bandwidth-wise 4K uses about 20-30mbit, which is a lot of users these days. With H.265 they should be able to drop that number considerably for most videos.

      On the production side, 4K video is already becoming increasingly more common on YouTube as the latest inexpensive professional and amateur cameras -- even phones and gopros -- all support 4K. Editing really isn't much different versus 1080p -- it's not like they're using rendering farms to create special effects.

    2. Re:Who needs 4k video? by DRJlaw · · Score: 2

      To enjoy 4k, you need a monitor that supports it, that is large enough relative to the viewing distance, enough bandwidth and processing power. You also need a 4k source. Few people produce 4k video : it is more expensive, more difficult and the result is only marginally better.

      Yes. Flipping that video option toggle on the iPhone 6SE, 6s, 6s plus, etc. is so expensive and difficult. I can't believe I was able to accomplish it myself...

  7. Re:"4K" playback on iOS? by DesertBlade · · Score: 2

    ATV does not support 4k. It uses HDMI 1.4 "The Future of Televisions is here" and it is 1080p without HDR.

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    Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
  8. Re:Really?!? by DickBreath · · Score: 2

    So you provide a concrete example of what elrous0 was saying, as you insult Android which can play the videos that Apple users are unable to play.

    I don't care what mobile OS you use. I'm not trying to convince you to use the one I use. But if you like yours so much, why do you care about others? And if you have a legitimate complaint about other non-Apple OSes, then state what those issues are.

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    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  9. Thanks Apple by Game+Genie · · Score: 2

    As I deal with the constant issues with Android (late/missing OS updates, poor software availability, inconsistent mess of an interface) I keep trying to remember why I ever dumped iOS. Then Apple pulls shit like refusing to ship a codec that every other browser supports. I don't care at all about 4K, but it's nice to be able to view WebM videos embedded in Wikpedia pages.