Hello again, fellow Vimeans! As some whispers on the web may have indicated, we have begun to roll out adaptive streaming in the video player for a small percentage of creators and their videos.
The right file at the right time
Adaptive streaming means that instead of loading the video as a single, large file, we load a bunch of much smaller files as the video plays. We can then choose from all the qualities available, factoring in your Internet connection speed and screen size, to make sure that playback is always the best it can be and is never interrupted. To see adaptive streaming in action, hit play on the videos below:
We’ve already implemented adaptive streaming on iOS, Apple TV, and Xbox 360, and over the next few months, we'll be updating the rest of our mobile and TV apps to use it. We're still in the process of testing the performance of these features, but everyone will have access to them within the next few months or so.
2K and 4K streaming, coming soon
Adaptive streaming is great, but we’ve got even bigger news to share: with these improvements, we can now support 2K and 4K resolutions! That's right: ultra-high-definition streaming has arrived for a small percentage of creators and their videos, and we're rolling it out gradually to all members — everyone should have it by early next year.
Here's what you can expect once we enable adaptive streaming for your account:
- PRO members: Any 2K or 4K video files you’ve uploaded since August 4, 2015, or anytime thereafter, will be streamable in 2K and 4K on compatible devices and connections.
- Plus members: Any 2K and 4K video files you’ve uploaded will also be transcoded and ready for ultra-HD viewing.
- Basic members: Start transcoding your 2K and 4K uploads!
Why the gradual rollout? We could talk about how this has been an “enormous undertaking” with tons of “moving pieces,” but in reality: this is insanely complicated stuff. We want to do it right.
Easier HD transcoding and embedding
In addition to adding 2K and 4K resolutions, for Plus and PRO members, we”re automatically making both 720p and 1080p versions of the videos you upload (no need to upgrade each individual video any longer), and we”ll do the same for Basic members starting next year. And to make sure that adaptive streaming works well for all, we’ve also removed the HD embedding restriction from Basic members” videos — which means people can watch your HD videos outside of vimeo.com, too!
Hello, higher frame rates
To top it off, we’re also supporting up to 60fps for all HD videos from all creators uploaded from today on. Given all these awesome updates, now is a great time for Plus and PRO members to start uploading 2K, 4K, and high frame rate video files. For videos you’ve already uploaded at a lower resolution or frame rate, simply use our replace feature to swap out the source file.
Phew! Talk about a whopping update. While the videos you upload may not be available for 2K and 4K playback straightaway, you and your viewers will be able to see them in all their glory as soon as we enable adaptive streaming for your account. This is just a start — we have more great things coming up, so keep your eyes open for more updates! If you have any questions about the rollout, visit our dedicated forum topic.
Until we meet again, Brad
UPDATE We’ve rolled out adaptive streaming to 100% of new video uploads! Additionally, we’re now creating 1080p, 2K, and 4K versions (up to the quality of the source file) for all new files uploaded by all members and making them available for streaming within our player. If you uploaded your video before we made this change, you may need to replace your video file to have additional versions created. To see which versions are already available for your video, click the HD icon in the player.
If you're creating content other than streaming, before your content reaches the video player, discover tools like the video trimmer, merging feature, compression tool, and GIF creator.
