Reports coming from some Reddit threads is saying that the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and the Galaxy Note 8 are the first devices to support HDR on Youtube. The update is live and if you have one of these phones you can enjoy HDR playback 1440p resolution at 60 FPS. Although, users are also reporting issues with the playback. Some say there are dropped frame rates and stutters at 1440p. Some are also saying that for HDR-enabled handsets, the videos are locked to HDR mode and videos can’t be scaled down and brightness is at max in landscape by default. You might not have these problems but nonetheless, some are reporting it.
Also, the Xperia XZ Premium is now an addition to that list. Apart from that, the LG G6 and the Galaxy Tab S3 are next candidates for the feature. HDR content came to YouTube in November 2016 but since then the adoption has been slow. Technically, the Galaxy Note 7 was the first device to support it, but that was short lived and nobody got to use it. What we can say from user comments is that the feature needs some polishing before it is the ideal choice.
What is HDR on YouTube?
Simply put, HDR is a video format that makes colors more accurate and realistic across a wide range of colors. It also makes for deeper blacks and whites. It can be viewed only with compatible hardware. HDR does not mean QHD resolution. To view such videos, you need content that has been shot for that particular HDR format. Sadly there isn’t a lot of content to go by. But that is changing fast as some top creators are uploading with HDR format nowadays.
Source: Reddit (1)
