About six months ago YouTube gave their viewers the option to see videos in high-quality or as they call it, “HQ.” This is wonderful news for anyone who always liked YouTube but did not like the loss of quality of videos. Not to be confused with high-definition (HD) this new format can be switched from normal view with a click of a button.

high quality button in youtube allows users to switch between HQ and normal.

Colleagues have said they don’t notice much of a difference, but I can if I watch closely. It also seems to very depending on the video. Perhaps reflecting the quality of the original video? There is a subtle difference. Let’s examine a side by side comparison:

side by side comparison

Clearly in this example there is a difference in quality.