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URL trick pumps up Youtube video quality?
JonDarkwood | 12:17 AM on 05.30.2008 16 comments


Apparently by adding &fmt=18 to the end of YouTube urls, it activates some feature that hasn't been implemented yet, improving the quality of both video and audio. On some videos it is more noticable than others -- It really depends on the source that was uploaded to begin with. If it was half decent in the first place, then you should be able to tell.

For an example see my Drawn to Life also cocks vid;

Normal

Abnormal

Isn't that just nifty. Too bad a simple snippet of code can't improve the quality of the content, or else there wouldn't be so many Linkin Park Naruto MSPaint Slideshow AMVs.



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14 comments | showing # 1 to 14
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Bizznet's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 00:47
Bizznet
cool. How'd you find this out?
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 00:57
Too Much Coffee Man
it does look sharper but the video is the same. I dled it from both links & they're both the same 756KB FLV file.

not sure what it's doing, but it's not really a higher bitrate/quality file. maybe its just some feature of flash they implemented to sharpen it.
JonDarkwood's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 01:03
JonDarkwood
Maybe if you download it, you get the same file, but streaming it, the file gets compressed differently going out of their servers?

I found it out from another video, but i've lost it since I saw it.
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 01:44
Too Much Coffee Man
ah youre right. it's a mp4 file, so i was downloading the low quality flv twice. confused me since the link to both are on both pages. its actually 480 x 360 instead of 320 x 240. its in stereo now too. pretty cool.
Electro Lemon's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 01:53
Electro Lemon
Answering Questions:

Yes, this trick is real. It works for most videos that have been uploaded in a higher definition. If you've noticed, a lot of videos have the option to watch them in a higher quality. Thats what this is, but you're enabling it yourself.

1. Downloading it with those links both come from the same source, and they're unencoded, so the quality will be the same and the same FLV file, essentially. The link gives you the upgrade, but the downloaded file is the same.

2. This is a fairly old trick :D Lifehacker covered it back in Jan.
JonDarkwood's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 02:04
JonDarkwood
Lifehacker did? I don't know how I missed it then since I read that site every day. :(
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 02:10
Too Much Coffee Man
Here's a bookmark you can add. Just drag it to your bookmark bar or right click it and add it as a bookmark. clicking it at a youtube page will make a
"Download as MP4 (right-click and select Save link as)"
link below the description.

[url=javascript:if%20(document.getElementById('download-youtube-video')==null%20&&%20!!(document.location.href.match(/http:\/\/[a-zA-Z\.]*youtube\.com\/watch/)))%20{var%20yt_mp4_path='http://www.youtube.com/get_video?fmt=18&video_id='+swfArgs['video_id']+'&t='+swfArgs['t'];%20var%20div_embed=document.getElementById('watch-embed-div');if(div_embed){var%20div_download=document.createElement('div');div_download.innerHTML='<br%20/>%20<span%20id=\'download-youtube-video\'><a%20href=\''+yt_mp4_path+'\'>Download%20as%20MP4</a>%20'+%20%20((navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Safari')!=-1)?'(control-click%20and%20select%20<i>Download%20linked%20file%20as</i>)':('(right-click%20and%20select%20<i>Save%20'+%20(navigator.appName=='Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer'?'target':'link')%20+'%20as)</i>'))+'</span>';div_embed.appendChild(div_download);}}void(0);]bookmark me (not click, bookmark)[/url]

It sends the wrong MIME type so you have to rename it whateverlblahblah.mp4 from the standard get_video.htm
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 02:11
Sharpless
Actually, YouTube has been putting "view in higher quality" links on some video pages, in recent weeks. I'm not sure how they choose which videos to allow in higher quality, but it's definitely out there.
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 02:12
Too Much Coffee Man
lol well that didn't work.

just copy this and paste it into a bookmark URL and rename it Youtube mp4. can bookmark this page for instance then just go to the bookmark's properties and change them.

javascript:if%20(document.getElementById('download-youtube-video')==null%20&&%20!!(document.location.href.match(/http:\/\/[a-zA-Z\.]*youtube\.com\/watch/)))%20{var%20yt_mp4_path='http://www.youtube.com/get_video?fmt=18&video_id='+swfArgs['video_id']+'&t='+swfArgs['t'];%20var%20div_embed=document.getElementById('watch-embed-div');if(div_embed){var%20div_download=document.createElement('div');div_download.innerHTML='<br%20/>%20<span%20id=\'download-youtube-video\'><a%20href=\''+yt_mp4_path+'\'>Download%20as%20MP4</a>%20'+%20%20((navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Safari')!=-1)?'(control-click%20and%20select%20<i>Download%20linked%20file%20as</i>)':('(right-click%20and%20select%20<i>Save%20'+%20(navigator.appName=='Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer'?'target':'link')%20+'%20as)</i>'))+'</span>';div_embed.appendChild(div_download);}}void(0);
Rifter01's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 02:52
Rifter01
Interesting tidbit :) I never heard of it before now.
Gantz's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 04:15
Gantz
most videos uploaded after march have this option aswell as those they dub worthy

also you could just, y'know, turn it on
http://www.youtube.com/video_quality_settings
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 04:34
Aaron Mxy Yost
People watching videos over the internet? What will they think of next?
BlackSheep's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 07:53
BlackSheep
he's dancing on a dick you pervert!
king3vbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/30/2008 10:36
king3vbo
penis dance indeed
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