Have you ever wondered why videos sent over WhatsApp look kind of terrible compared to the original recording? This is because in an effort to make the file transfer faster and also reduce strain on its servers, WhatsApp compresses media files to make them lower quality, which in turn reduces their overall file size.
This means that while your videos are watchable, they won’t be as crisp compared to the original version. The good news is that WhatsApp is changing that. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that they are in the process of rolling out an update that will support HD video.
At the moment, videos sent over WhatsApp are compressed to 480p, meaning that even if you have a 4K video, it will be compressed to 480p resolution while sent through the platform. With this update, the app will now allow users to send videos at 720p resolution. Granted it’s not a huge jump, especially since most videos are recorded at a minimum of 1080p these days, but it’s better than nothing.
WhatsApp recently rolled out the ability for users to send photos in HD, so now it looks like those changes will apply to videos too, so keep an eye out for this update if higher quality videos are something you might be interested in.
Source: TechCrunch