Find out if your Internet service provider plays YouTube in HD

Nothing ruins the experience of watching a YouTube video like Magic of Rahat more than seeing the dreaded buffering wheel, which is why we're always working to make videos play smoothly in the best quality possible. And when you can't see what you want, when you want, it’s important you know why.

Starting today, if you’re in the U.S., you can use the Google Video Quality Report to see the level of video quality your Internet service provider can play YouTube. If you’re regularly seeing videos buffer, this report can give you a better idea of why, as well as tips to make YouTube play better. You can also see the video quality other ISPs in your area are delivering, based on these levels:

• HD Verified: If your provider can consistently deliver HD video, a resolution of at least 720p, without buffering or interruptions--it’s HD Verified.
• Standard Definition: If you can watch videos at a resolution of at least 360p, your provider is delivering Standard Definition.
• Lower Definition: If videos load slowly or frequently buffer, even at resolutions lower than 360p, your provider is delivering Lower Definition performance.

Want to see our methodology? Check out the geeky details, and learn how videos get from us to you with this video.

7 ways to improve your video quality

Making sure you can watch YouTube in HD from anywhere, anytime is a shared effort among us, your Internet service provider and even you. So, to make sure you're getting the best video quality possible, check out these seven tips you can use right now:



And for those of you not living in the U.S. or Canada where the report is also available, we’ll be bringing it to more of your countries in the coming months.

Jay Akkad, Product Manager, YouTube, recently watched “Tiny Hamsters Eating Tiny Burritos - Episode 1.”