YouTube TV Gets a Major Upgrade with AI Video Upscaling and New Discovery Features YouTube is rolling out a suite of new features specifically for its TV apps, with a headline upgrade being the introduction of automatic AI video upscaling. This new technology, which YouTube calls Super Resolution, is designed to enhance the visual quality of videos on larger screens. The initial implementation will focus on upscaling videos that were originally uploaded in a resolution lower than 1080p to a high-definition quality. YouTube has stated that it plans to expand this capability to include 4K upscaling in the future. For creators concerned about the process, the platform will retain the original video files and all existing resolution options. Creators also have the ability to opt-out of the AI upscaling feature, as well as automated audio adjustments, if they prefer. In a move to support higher quality content creation, YouTube is also testing larger video uploads with a select group of creators. This would allow for footage with less compression and better overall quality to be delivered to viewers. Additionally, creators will soon be able to upload much higher quality thumbnails, as the file size limit is being dramatically increased from 2MB to 50MB. For viewers, the TV app experience is being updated with new content discovery tools. Taking a page from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube is introducing immersive previews on the homepage. This feature will allow users to see and flip through previews of videos from their favorite channels directly on the home screen, aiming to make it easier to find new content. Another smart addition is a new contextual search function. When a user performs a search while on a specific creators channel page, the results will prioritize videos from that channel. This makes finding a specific video from a creator much more efficient. These updates reflect YouTubes increased focus on the television viewing experience. With recent data showing that more people are now watching YouTube on TV than on mobile devices, these improvements are a direct response to the shifting habits of its global audience. The combination of AI-enhanced video quality and refined discovery features signals a significant investment in making the big-screen YouTube experience more engaging and visually impressive.
