YouTube extends enhanced 1080p to everyone

YouTube has extended its higher-quality 1080p feature to all Premium subscribers worldwide on desktop, as confirmed by spokesperson Paul Pennington to The Verge. The company had initially introduced the "enhanced bitrate" 1080p option on iOS in April, following a previous testing phase

While browsing YouTube on Chrome using a MacBook Air, a non-Premium user noticed the enhanced bitrate option on a few videos last Friday. However, attempting to access it prompted a subscription offer for YouTube Premium. Potential subscribers should be aware that the Premium service now comes at a slightly higher cost than before.

Non-Premium subscribers can still access the regular 1080p option on YouTube. However, for Premium subscribers, there is an added benefit of an enhanced bitrate option that provides videos with more detail and clarity, especially those containing intricate visuals and motion, as mentioned in a YouTube blog post from April.

Moreover, the enhanced 1080p feature is not limited to desktop users only. Premium subscribers can also enjoy it on living room-focused devices like Chromecasts and video game consoles, as confirmed by Paul Pennington. While it hasn't been made available for Android devices yet, there were reports in June that at least one person spotted the feature on Android, according to 9to5Google.