Difference in the playback quality of a recording played back in VLC and on YouTube

Z

zygomatic

New Member
Hello, everyone!

Can someone tell me why is there a difference in the image quality of a recording that's played back in VLC and when the same recording is uploaded and played back on YouTube?

Here are a couple of screenshots...
Notice the quality of the lettering in the upper right hand corner of the window that's in foreground.

Thanks!
 
koala

koala

Active Member
Youtube recodes everything to normalize bitrate, codec and container integrity, so the quality of this recoded video is always a bit worse than the original.
 
koala

koala

Active Member
The Youtube version is sharp, while the VLC version is a bit blurred, as if it has been rescaled or a blur filter applied. Perhaps some postprocessing filter within VLC. I don't know how VLC postprocesses video, but you might try Media Player Classic. It has an image export function where you get exactly the frame that is stored in the video as *.png.
 
InteractiveDNA

InteractiveDNA

Member
zygomatic

I highly recommend that you always up-convert your videos to 3840 x 2160. If you fail to do that, YouTube will use an old encoder and decoder. Even if your videos are in 720p, up-convert them to 3840 x 2160.

I will soon make a tutorial in how encode videos to get the best YouTube decoder playback after I finished the tutorial I am doing on the best stream platform. Also, there is another HUGE benefit in encoding video on 3840 x 2160p, most 4K televisions and desktop YouTube player prioritized the 4K. Check it out!

On 4K televisions all the 4k contents have the Icon in 4K vs. no icon, meaning free adds for your content. Also, all your videos will be encoded on a better encoder

Example:
Regular 4k uploads
3840 x 2160p (4k) at 29.97/30/59.98/60fps - NEVER 24fps35-45 MbpsHigher Mbps better quality
HDR 4k uploads
3840 x 2160p (4k) at 29.97/30/59.98/60fps - NEVER 24fps
44-56 MbpsHigher Mbps better quality

Streaming 4k uploads speed
3840 x 2160p (4k) at 29.97/30/59.98/60fps - NEVER 24fps
8-25 or higher MbpsHigher Mbps better quality
Always try the google search on the Speed Test. Click on the Blue Box. NEVER try any other time of speed test. NEVER.

1601253110181.png


Once you have your upload SPEED after the test (example bellow is 9.66 Mbps)
1601253234483.png


You divide the Upload speed by 3. So your highest upload on the stream on OBS or any other application should be 3Mbps. If you have some buffering problems with a speed like the example about, reduce the stream upload to 2.7 or lower. You internet provider sucks.

If you do YouTube streams, create your own stream key, don't use the auto. Make sure you have something like this if you stream
1601253544843.png


And save.

I hope this info helps you a little bit and others.
For more info in how to stream and other technology, visit my channel.

Best,

InteractiveDNA
 
Z

zygomatic

New Member
koala said:
The Youtube version is sharp, while the VLC version is a bit blurred, as if it has been rescaled or a blur filter applied. Perhaps some postprocessing filter within VLC. I don't know how VLC postprocesses video, but you might try Media Player Classic. It has an image export function where you get exactly the frame that is stored in the video as *.png.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the advice! Unfortunately, no luck with the MPC nor with the GOM Player.
I'll post the clip so that anybody who's willing gives it a try on his own player. Why do I have a feeling that the problem might be in color spacings? What else does YouTube do to a clip when it renders it?

InteractiveDNA said:
zygomatic

I highly recommend that you always up-convert your videos to 3840 x 2160. If you fail to do that, YouTube will use an old encoder and decoder. Even if your videos are in 720p, up-convert them to 3840 x 2160.
Click to expand...
Thank you for all the info you provided, InteractiveDNA. Again, the problem is in the playback on my local video player and not with the playback on YouTube.
 
koala

koala

Active Member
You didn't post anything about the circumstances of the creation of the video, where the pictures are one frame only. The OBS logfile that contains exactly the recording session of that video would help. Also the information what sources you're recording and what resolution they have. Your screenshots are 4k, but that does not necessarily reflect the resolution of the sources, or of the canvas, or of the output resolution. The log could tell about this.
If the original clip isn't too big, share it.
Currently, I have no idea what might have happened. It doesn't seem Youtube sharpened the video during the recode, because the text looks not sharpened but sharp in the first place. As if the Youtube video is the original and your original some processed version.
 
koala

koala

Active Member
You did not attach the same video file the Youtube upload is from, or the screenshot. I wasn't able to find the frame from your screenshots. There is no frame where the Serum window does not obscure the time scale. It's also not the video file from your log.

A screenshot I made from the video file you attached is sharp.
Your screenshot YT_serum.png is sharp.
Your screenshot vlc_serum.png isn't sharp.
I deduct from this you might have processed your video file after the Youtube upload and blurred it without realizing this. Or you exported the screenshot with a media player that blurred the image due to some postprocessing. Or maybe you really switched them with each other.

This is a comparison of all 3. The top is an extract from your video file I made with Media Player Classic Home Cinema without postprocessing shaders. It's as sharp as the screenshot as your YT_serum.png.

Unbenannt.png
 
Z

zygomatic

New Member
Problem solved! VLC's default DPI setting, that can be set in the properties menu of every .exe file, was overridden and set to System instead of Application. That did the trick.

Koala, thank you very much for your suggestions, patience, time and willingness to help!
 
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