What is the Lowest Quality Video Resolution Used Today?
Hey fellow gamers and streamers! When uploading or viewing videos online, you may have options to choose between different video qualities. But what constitutes the lowest video resolution used on sites like YouTube or Twitch today?
As a quick background – video resolution measures the number of pixels used to build up the images you see in a digital video. More pixels means a sharper, more detailed picture. For example, a standard HD video has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (the 1280 and 720 represent width and height).
After testing uploads on various platforms over the years, I can confirm that 240p is the lowest video resolution possible before quality becomes too degraded to view properly.
Let‘s take a deeper look at 240p and other common resolutions to understand the lower bounds of online video:
What is 240p Video Resolution?
A 240p video has a resolution of 426 x 240 pixels. This resolution results in a very small, pixelated image that can be difficult to recognize depending on the amount of motion and detail in the video.
Here are some key specs on 240p:
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Total Pixels: 102,240
- Data Usage: 0.5 – 1.5 MB per minute
Being the lowest resolution, 240p videos have their use cases. Situations where a 240p video would be sufficient include:
- Tutorials focusing on audio rather than visual quality
- Lectures or speeches
- Smartphone gameplay recording
However, for most gaming videos, streams and vlogs, I recommend avoiding 240p if possible – important visual details, text, and fast motion will become blurry and pixelated.
Common Video Resolutions from Low to High Quality
Below I‘ve outlined a comparison table detailing resolutions higher than 240p and their typical usage scenarios:
| Resolution | Total Pixels | Data Usage | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 240p | 102,240 | 0.5-1.5 MB/min | Audio-focused videos |
| 360p | 207,360 | 500-1200 KB/min | Mobile games, web videos |
| 480p | 403,200 | 700-1500 KB/min | SD gameplay recordings |
| 720p | 921,600 | Up to 3 GB/hr | HD streaming and uploads |
| 1080p | 2,073,600 | Up to 5 GB/hr | Full HD videos and games |
| 1440p | 3,686,400 | Very high | High-end gaming, graphics |
| 4K | 8,294,400 | Up to 20 GB/hr | Ultra HD footage |
As you can see, standard definition (480p) is the minimum for recognizable gameplay footage, with 720p true high definition being the current norm for many gamers.
However, with 1440p and 4K capturing more细节, they are the best futureproof resolutions if your bandwidth and hardware can support it!
Factors That Affect Video Quality Beyond Just Resolution
While resolution gets a lot of focus, there are a few other technical factors that impact how good footage actually looks:
Bitrate – The amount of data used per second of video, measured in kbps or mbps. A higher bitrate means more detail and clarity can be preserved.
Chroma Subsampling – Compression technique that can reduce color detail to save space. 4:4:4 preserves the most color accuracy.
Encoder – Software that compresses/processes the raw video data. Some encoders are optimized to look better at lower bitrates.
Advanced gamers/creators often fine-tune these settings to balance quality and file size for their specific game and platform.
But for most casual streams and captures, the defaults provided by your recording software should suffice. Focus on selecting the highest resolution your setup can smoothly handle.
Why Do Videos Need Compression in The First Place?
You‘re probably wondering – why do services like YouTube or Twitch even allow super compressed, pixelated 240p resolution if higher resolutions are available?
Well, the raw, uncompressed video coming from our game consoles, PCs and cameras is actually ginormous in size. We‘re talking terabytes for just a few hours of footage!
Sending that to someone over the internet or saving to your PC‘s limited storage isn‘t feasible. So compression is used to shrink down the size of the video data to something more manageable.
But higher resolutions require exponentially more compression to reach those smaller target file sizes.
That‘s why a 4K video may seem more pixelated or blurry compared to a less compressed 1080p or 1440p video – there‘s a tradeoff between resolution and retained detail at typical streaming bitrates.
That brings us back to 240p – by having such a low resolution, very little compression is needed to hit file sizes usable for streaming and sharing. So it preserves as much detail possible, while still being incredibly small.
This allows videos to be watched even over slow connections around the world. But for gaming videos focused on visual quality, stepping up to at least 720p is highly recommended!
I hope this tech deep dive gives you a better picture (pun intended) of both the lowest and more ideal video resolutions when uploading and live streaming your gameplay footage! Let me know if you have any other questions.
