YouTube has supported HDR — high dynamic range, a video format offering a sharper picture, more vibrant colors and higher contrast — since 2016, but until now only for on-demand videos.
On Tuesday, it’s launching HDR for YouTube livestreams, making it the first major video platform to support the tech (available to creators who use a compatible encoding setup).
By “bringing HDR to live streams, we’re unlocking the most spectacular image quality for live content yet,” YouTube said in a blog post announcing the feature. Meanwhile, YouTube has supported 4K resolutions for livestreaming since November 2016, so now creators can broadcast live in Ultra HD with HDR.
Any viewer can watch YouTube HDR livestreams on supported devices, which include the latest Android mobile devices, Chromecast Ultra devices (connected to HDR TVs), HDR-capable smart TVs and streaming devices, and Windows and Mac PCs with HDR graphics support and compatible display. Viewers on other devices will see the stream in standard dynamic range (SDR).
YouTube said it will “continue to iterate on this offering” to expand options for streaming HDR from additional encoders and mobile devices.
YouTube Live HDR requires using HLS output. The feature supports HEVC hardware encoders with a bit depth of 10 bits, including those from Cobalt and Telestream, as well as the Mirillis Action! software encoder (version 4.12.2 or later) and one of the following compatible graphics cards: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-series or later; AMD Radeon RX 5700 or later; Intel 10th Generation graphics or later