YouTube's Big TV Makeover: What's New and What's Next

YouTube has been a big deal on TV screens for a while now. It's even more popular than Netflix and Disney+. To keep its fans happy, YouTube is rolling out some cool new features. These include shopping QR codes, better video quality, and a new way to browse videos. First, let's talk about video quality. YouTube is using AI to upscale lower-quality videos to 1080p. In the future, it might even support 4K. The best part? Creators can opt out if they don't like the AI upscaling. They'll also have access to both the original and upscaled files. This is a big deal because some creators weren't happy with how their videos looked during testing. Next up, browsing videos on TV is about to get a makeover. The homepage will now have a channel surfing vibe. You can flip through previews of popular channels and get snippets of content. This new interface also supports the Shows design, which lets creators package content together for binge-watching. Lastly, YouTube is making shopping easier. Users have watched a whopping 35 billion hours of shopping content in the last year. To make it simpler, YouTube is introducing shopping QR codes. Creators can include these codes in their videos. Users can scan them with their mobile devices to open product pages. This is a big step up from reading off shortened URLs or directing people to links in the description. These new features are starting to roll out in YouTube Studio. However, it might take some time for everyone to see them. Creators who don't want their videos upscaled should check the Advanced Settings to opt out before their videos are processed.