You can now watch a video in 8K on YouTube, provided you have the necessary gear to run it.
The two minute video, called “Ghost Towns,” was uploaded to YouTube in recent days. It appears to show an abandoned mining settlement.
But the truly notable thing about this video isn’t the content – it’s the fact that it offers the option to watch it at 4320p, or 8K.
Of course, very few people will be able to view this as intended, as the equipment necessary for such playback simply isn’t widely (or affordably) available. Indeed, there aren’t even many 8K camera out there for shooting such content.
In fact, this very video is a bit of a bodge job. It was shot on a RED Epic Dragon 6K camera in portrait orientation, then stitched together into an 8K landscape video using Adobe After Effects. Some shots were simply scaled up 125 percent from 6.1K.
As Google told 9to5Google, YouTube has actually supported 8K since 2010. However, the specific 4320p/8K setting was only added as an option in the menu earlier this year.
Related: Best 4K TVs
Another interesting point made here is that 8K and beyond will prove necessary if we ever want to experience truly pin-sharp VR content. Which, obviously, we do.
If you’ve got the necessary equipment (and a sufficiently meaty internet connection) to watch this video, either Chrome or Safari will do the job.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
