YouTube adds HDR for Xbox consoles

YouTube has added HDR support for Xbox consoles.

A notable omission for years, parent company Google has said that YouTube viewers on Xbox One S/X and Xbox Series S/X consoles now have access to the increased visual quality. Flat Panels HD confirmed the news, showing the PQ Rec.2020 HDR format using the VP9-2 codec under the ‘stats for nerds’ section of a video.

HDR on YouTube on the Xbox has been curiously absent. The superior video fidelity was added in 2017 with the Xbox Series S and X consoles, and video apps including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have been taking advantage since. 

Unlike Netflix and Prime which tend to have more understated demonstrations of HDR, some of the best examples of the colour-improving format are available on YouTube. The YouTube app on the compatible Xbox consoles will automatically switch to output HDR.

Curiously, YouTube with HDR has been available on the rival Sony PlayStation 4 console since 2019 – but it is missing from the newer PlayStation 5 consoles which launched last year.