For slow connections and emerging markets, YouTube lowers base resolution to 144p

Alex Allegro

Screen Shot 2013-04-05 at 3.43.49 PM

YouTube has recently added a new 144p video resolution option for select videos, according to users who noticed the change.

Up until this option was added, YouTube made playback quality from 240p to 4K resolution available. While these higher resolutions offer pristine quality, they do require significant bandwidth and fast internet connections.

We speculate that this new 144P option is a move to address these issues. This new base choice will open up YouTube video viewing in countries and regions where people are limited to basic internet connections.

YouTube reaches 1B monthly users

Alex Allegro

happy-5th-birthday-youtube--501ecffedf

According to Alexa, YouTube is the third-most popular website in the world. According to YouTube, it just reached 1 billion unique monthly users for the first time in history. Some of the accomplishments YouTube is boasting on its blog include the fact that 1 in 2 people on the Internet view YouTube and viewership is roughly Super Bowl audiences. The full happy-go-lucky list of truly how big 1 billion really is is posted on the blog and available below.

What does a billion people tuning into YouTube look like?

  • Nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube.
  • Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly ten Super Bowl audiences.
  • If YouTube were a country, we’d be the third largest in the world after China and India.
  • PSY and Madonna would have to repeat their Madison Square Garden performance in front of a packed house 200,000 more times. That’s a lot of Gangnam Style!

Note: YouTube is trailing Facebook in the Billion-User Club by just a few months.

‘Jash’ YouTube channel launches with Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Reggie Watts, and others

Seth Weintraub

As we mentioned in October: A new YouTube channel created by Daniel Kellison (who co-created “The Man Show”, was the original producer of “Jimmy Kimmel Live’, and a producer of “Late Night With David Letterman” and “The Late Show With David Letterman”). Called “Jash”, the channel will feature separate channels with stars Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Reggie Watts.

Looking forward to some funny videos here like the below:

Read more

New YouTube One channel layout now available to everyone

Jordan Kahn

Last month we told you that YouTube had rolled out its new YouTube One Channel design to a limited number of parter channels, but today the new channel layout is officially available to everyone. You can check out an example of the new layout here. YouTube announced on its Creators blog that all users can now opt in to the new channel design by visiting the One Channel website below:

Check out www.youtube.com/onechannel and click the button at the bottom to get started. We’ll migrate your channel to the new design, and walk you through it. For a limited time, you’ll be able to switch back to the previous design if you like.

YouTube provided some tips to get you started with the new channel design: Read more

Google makes YouTube do the Harlem Shake with latest easter egg

Jordan Kahn

Harlem-Shake-YouTube

Harlem Shake has unarguably been the biggest YouTube trend in recent months and even hit No.1 on Billboard thanks to the inclusion of YouTube views on the Hot 100 List. Today, YouTube’s official Twitter account points us to Google’s latest easter egg that offers a Harlem Shake style surprise when searching for “Do the harlem shake” on YouTube. Click the link in the tweet below to try it for yourself.