The viewing of multimedia content is often carried out on mobile devices such as smartphones, which have long since adapted the technical specifications of the screens to the highest level, all to allow viewing in very high definition. Streaming services aside, among the most popular we find YouTube, a real free mine where you can find videos of all kinds and above all often qualitatively comparable to smart TV with 4K definition.
Support for 4K on YouTube was born in 2015 and immediately allowed standard users as well as Premium users to benefit from the video quality of this resolution. Now, however, a rumor suggests that things could change, creating Series A users and Series B users, as if you are not a Premium user, you will no longer be able to watch video content in 4K, unless you pay.
YouTube may no longer be free if you are looking for 4K content
Youtube Premium is a subscription that theoretically should offer some advantages over the free version. For example, you will not be inundated by advertising when watching videos, which in a certain sense also goes against the ideals of a true fan, as there are many Youtubers who bear the expenses of the channel thanks to the revenues derived from views and advertising.
In addition, YouTube Premium also allows background or floating window playback, content download and the ability to preview experimental functions such as zooming in on the video. Until now, however, in terms of resolution and video quality, no discrimination and limitations have been made, but a rumor published on the social Reddit by the user @hatesmokealarms, suggests that this will no longer be the case. There is no evidence in this regard but the user has posted a screenshot showing the YouTube resolution selector, where the invitation to become a Premium user appears for the 2160p (4K) playback option, which would otherwise be blocked. By clicking on it you access the section of YouTube subscriptions, but at the moment the well-known platform has not declared anything about this provision, so it remains a rumor.
It could be a sample experiment done on some accounts, which is not new in the history of the “tube”. So everything could return to normal in a short time, after YouTube has found answers to its ideas from users, even if they return a positive feedback to the test, in the future the company could easily make the change.
If so, YouTube would violate the platform's original principle, condemning most of its users to play content in 1080p. On smartphones, the problem would not be so serious due to the size of the screen, but on Smart TVs with native 4K resolution and large screen diagonals the drop in definition would be all too evident.
