HD Tutorial: Youtube Tags
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Description
***WATCH IN HD*** Here are your tags: yt:crop=16:9 (Zooms in on the 16:9 area, removes windowboxing) yt:stretch=16:9 (Fixes anamorphic content by scaling to 16:9) yt:stretch=4:3 (Fixes 720x480 content that is the wrong aspect ratio by scaling to 4:3) yt:quality=high (Defaults to a high quality stream, depending on availability) EXTRAS: &fmt=18 --- High Quality &fmt=22 --- High Definition
HD Tutorial: Youtube Tags by Marcus Brownlee from MKBHD introduces a set of YouTube tags that were historically used to influence how videos are displayed and streamed. The video walks through four specific tag examples: yt:crop=16:9, which zooms the video to fit a 16 by 9 frame and may crop top and bottom content; yt:stretch=16x9, which stretches content to fill the wide screen but can distort elements like logos or overlays; yt:stretch=4x3, which fixes 720x480 content to 4 by 3, avoiding awkward letterboxing by resizing to the proper aspect ratio; and yt:quality=high, which attempts to force the default stream to a high quality by default. The presenter explains practical implications of each tag, including how they affect viewer experience and video presentation, such as the tradeoffs between cropping versus stretching content, and the impact on the appearance of overlays like watermarks. A key portion of the talk is devoted to the yt:quality=high tag, which mirrors the URL parameter fmt=18, and the host questions whether it should be enabled by default for all videos to ensure higher quality playback where possible. The video also touches on viewer connectivity constraints and asks the audience for feedback on whether enabling HQ by default improves overall viewing experience. In closing, Marcus invites comments on whether to apply these tags globally to future uploads, highlights the possibility of streaming in HQ when available, and suggests that viewers may still prefer standard HD if their connection cannot reliably handle higher bitrates. Overall, the tutorial emphasizes experimentation with tags to control playback quality and display behavior, while acknowledging that some tags may no longer be supported on the platform and encouraging audience input for future videos.
Topics · video-tutorial · technology · education · video-production
Questions answered
- What are the four YouTube tags demonstrated in the video and their primary effect on video display?
- The four tags are yt:crop=16:9 which crops the video to a 16 by 9 area, yt:stretch=16x9 which stretches the video to fill the wide screen, yt:stretch=4x3 which fixes 720x480 content to 4 by 3 without distortion, and yt:quality=high which tries to default to a high quality stream when available.
- Should the yt:quality=high tag be enabled by default for all videos, according to the video, and why or why not?
- The host proposes experimenting with enabling yt:quality=high by default to ensure viewers get higher quality playback when possible, but notes that some viewers may have bandwidth constraints, so the decision should be guided by audience feedback.