Before you rush out to buy a 4K TV, YouTube may not be viewable in 4K for some time. It will show off 4K streaming at CES but using its own VP9 codec, not the current H.265 commercial codec that most use.
This isn’t a bad thing though. VP9 actually uses about half the data that H.265 needs so you should be able to stream without worry of lag or loadtimes. The issue comes from companies invested in H.265 who don’t want a change. However, the big G has said it may introduce H.265 at a later date anyway.
READ: 4K UHD streaming to begin on Netflix in 2014 with House of Cards
Google tried to launch an earlier version of this codec, VP8, last year to no avail. But this year when it shows off the latest version it has many other companies behind it. To name a few: LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba. Even chipset developers like ARM, Intel and Broadcom are supporting the new codec. So things are looking good for VP9 this time around.
Francisco Varela, global director of platform partnerships at YouTube, points out: “This certainly isn’t a war of the video codecs.” This is simply the first YouTube 4K announcement and may be followed by H.265 support. He went on: “By 2015, you’ll be surprised every time you see that spinning [loading] wheel.”
2015 does sound a long way off but in order for the hardware that supports VP9 to hit shelves we may have to wait. By then PCs, mobiles and TVs should be able to decode and play VP9 4K videos. And since that should be around the time 4K prices start to drop, we’re prepared for the wait.
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YouTube to stream in 4K after demo at CES next week
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