Are you a YouTube creator who commonly submits content with 2K resolution or better? You might have noticed that it takes significantly longer to process a newly uploaded file than it did this time a year ago. You are not alone.
Many creators have been running into this as they upload new content to their profiles. Where it used to take a number of hours for YouTube’s servers to process 4K quality, it now can take up to a few days or longer for some.
Usually, when a user uploads a video, YouTube will begin processing it in various resolutions, beginning with 240p or 360p. This allows the platform to serve any user regardless of their device or connection speed. It works its way up through the resolutions until it finishes with the true resolution of the submitted content (480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p, etc). However, users noticing this new delay will find that their video will sit at 360p for quite a long time before even 1080p becomes available.
Although no reason has officially been given for the significant delay that is being felt by so many, it is assumed that it has a lot to do with the number of people who have been stuck at home this last year. With nowhere to go, they depend on the internet for entertainment, hobbies, and profit. This clearly leads to a notable increase in content being uploaded to platforms like YouTube.
Since no official reason has been given, no estimated fix is available either. So there is no telling how long this delay will be affecting users. Hopefully, as more individuals return to work in the coming months, this will have a positive impact on Google’s resources.
