YouTube to demonstrate 4K videos with new Google codec at CES

YouTube will be showing off its new 4K streaming capabilities at the Consumer Electronics Show later this month. The twist is, the company will be showing off Ultra HD-streaming based a new royalty-free codec that Google has been developing as an alternative to the H.265 called VP9.

YouTube will be demonstrating 4K video at CES in Las Vegas next week, with a twist: The Google-owned video service will be showing off ultra high-definition streaming based on VP9, a new royalty-free codec that Google has been developing as an alternative to the H.265 video codec that’s at the core of many other 4K implementations. This isn’t the first time Google has tried to establish an open and royalty-free alternative to a commercial video format. Google’s VP8 video codec, which the company released in 2010, was supposed to become the default format for plugin-free video streaming and real-time communications, but those plans were thwarted by a lack of hardware support and fierce opposition from some companies with vested interest in established commercial video formats.