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YouTube has announced an update aimed at improving the viewing experience on television screens. A key feature will be AI-powered automatic video upscaling, which the platform had previously tested on some videos without creator consent. Now, both creators and viewers will have the option to opt out of this feature, according to The Verge.
The system will automatically upscale videos below 1080p to HD, with 4K support expected soon. Users can still watch videos in their original quality, and creators retain full control over their content.
The AI upscaling will currently apply only to videos from 240p to 720p, and videos already enhanced to HD by creators will not be affected. AI upscaling is already used by TV manufacturers, such as Nvidia on Shield TV, but YouTube is introducing the option to opt out in response to creator complaints about unwanted changes to video appearance.
Other updates include increasing video thumbnail size from 2 MB to 50 MB to support 4K images, interactive previews on the homepage, a redesigned “Shows” section for series and playlists, and improved contextual search prioritizing videos from specific creators.
According to YouTube’s Senior Director of Product Management Kurt Wilms, TV viewing is the platform’s fastest-growing area: “We aim to create features that make creators’ content look great on any screen. That’s the beauty of YouTube — record and upload once, and it looks amazing everywhere.”
Over the past year, channels earning six-figure revenues from TV views have grown over 45%, and total watch time for shopping-related videos reached 35 billion hours. These updates aim to enhance this trend, making YouTube more user-friendly for viewers and profitable for creators.
