YouTube continues to experiment with new features for its platform. One of the users, in particular, noticed the “1080p Premium” option in the playback quality selection menu.

YouTube is testing a "1080p Premium" option with an enhanced video bitrate

As you can see in the screenshot, this option allows you to play videos with a higher bitrate. This allows you to count on better video quality in general, because the amount of data transmitted depends on the bitrate level. The lower the bitrate, the more compressed the video file is, and therefore some artifacts may appear. Conversely, the higher the bitrate, the better the image looks. That is why 4K videos shot on a smartphone with a lower bitrate often look worse than Full HD videos shot on a professional camera with a higher bitrate.

It is not yet clear how noticeable the difference between regular “1080p” and “1080p Premium” is. It is only obvious that this option will be available only to YouTube Premium subscribers.

YouTube is testing a "1080p Premium" option with an enhanced video bitrate

By the way, YouTube already tested similar restrictions last fall. Back then, only premium users could watch videos with 4K resolution.