4K on YouTube

[xStep]

YouTube announced at the VidCon 2010 conference that they are now supporting 4K (4096 x 2304 pixels) video. Here is a short playlist they've put together.

Out of curiosity, I tried playing one on my version 1 MBP. It was very jittery even after waiting for the transfer to complete. This MBP can play the 1080p just fine. Of course choosing the 4K option is ridiculous for a laptop and most users.

 

[TheXIIIth]

You'd definitely need high end broadband to view 4K.

 

[aarond12]

The question is: WHY!? I seriously doubt your monitor can support 2304p.

-Aaron-

 

[handsome pete]

The question is: WHY!? I seriously doubt your monitor can support 2304p.

-Aaron-

Not to mention that acquisition of 4k material is still very expensive and not even close to being ready for the consumer market.

 

[Avatar74]

The question is: WHY!? I seriously doubt your monitor can support 2304p.

-Aaron-

One reason I can think of is that Google may be trying to corner the digital exhibition and broadcast market. The theatrical distro is obvious... feeds that could be used by digital exhibitors to download and exhibit features.

On the TV end, you've got sites like EPK.TV that host electronic press kits that media outlets doing pieces on those movies would previously need to request DVCProHD/Betacam XP, etc. tapes overnight from the studio. Now, for my movie reviews I can download EPK materials in any format I need, from H.264 to DVCPro 100, over a fast broadband connection.