The features described in this article are available only to partners who use YouTube's Content ID matching system.
The media files you deliver to YouTube for music videos must conform to these specifications.
Audio Profile
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Codec | FLAC Linear PCM |
| Sample rate | 44.1kHz recommended. Higher sample rates are accepted but not required (for example, 48kHz or 96kHz). |
| Bit depth | 24-bit recommended, 16-bit acceptable |
| Channels | 2 (stereo) |
Although it is not recommended, YouTube accepts compressed audio. YouTube transcodes from the delivered format; audio quality is much better when transcoded from a lossless format compared to re-compressing a lossy audio format.
If you must deliver compressed audio, use these specifications:
- Codec: AAC-LC
- Sample Rate: 44.1Khz
- Bit Rate: 320kbps or higher for 2 channels (higher is always better; 256 kbps acceptable)
- Channels: 2 (stereo)
Video Profile
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Containers | .mp4 .mov |
| Codec | H.264 |
| Profile | High |
| Framerate | 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 |
| Bitrate | SD (fewer than 720 lines) - 15Mbps 720 lines - 50Mbps 1080 lines - 60Mbps |
| Resolutions | 1.33 (4:3) - 720x480, 1440x1080, 720x576 (PAL) 1.78 (16:9) - 720x404, 720x576 (PAL 16:9), 854x480, 1280x720, 1920x1080 (cropped content that is wider than 1.78 may deviate from these resolutions - see notes about matting for non-standard aspect ratios) |
| Pixel Aspect Ratio | SD: Anamorphic (non-square) pixels will be accepted, but Pixel Aspect Ratio (pasp) flag must be set to 16:9 or 4:3. HD: Square pixels only (no anamorphic content) |
| Scan type | Progressive Native framerate content should be deinterlaced. Telecined content should be inverse telecined to original framerate. Note: Content with blended frames or interlacing artifacts will be rejected. |
| GOP Structure | IBBP (M=3, GOP Length not to exceed ½ of framerate) |
| Color Space | 4:2:2 (preferred) 4:2:0 |
| Matting | 16:9 frame size delivered with letterboxing will be accepted. If content contains pillarboxing (black on left and right), windowboxing (black on all sides), or is 4:3 LTBX, then content should be cropped to active pixel area only. |
| Notes | Edit lists are not allowed as these cause loss of A/V sync. moov atom must be present and at the front of the file. |
Video Profile
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Containers | MPEG-2 Transport Stream (.mpg, .mpeg, .ts) |
| Codec | MPEG-2 |
| Profile | SD: Main@Main HD: 422@High |
| Framerate | 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 |
| Bitrate | SD (fewer than 720 lines): 50Mbps HD (720 lines or higher): 80Mbps |
| Resolutions | 1.33 (4:3) - 720x480, 720x576 (PAL only), 1440x1080 1.78 (16:9) - 720x404, 720x576 (PAL 16:9 only with anamorphic flag set), 854x480, 1280x720, 1920x1080 (cropped content that is wider than 1.78 may deviate from these resolutions - see notes about matting for non-standard aspect ratios) |
| Pixel Aspect Ratio | Square pixels only (no anamorphic content). |
| Scan type | Progressive Native framerate content should be deinterlaced. Telecined content should be inverse telecined to original framerate. Note: Content with blended frames or interlacing artifacts will be rejected. |
| GOP Structure | IBBP (M=3, GOP Length not to exceed ½ of framerate) |
| Color Space | 4:2:2 (preferred) If 4:2:2 color space is not available, please use 4:2:0. |
| Matting | 16:9 frame size delivered with letterboxing will be accepted. If content contains pillarboxing (black on left and right), windowboxing (black on all sides), or is 4:3 LTBX, then content should be cropped to active pixel area only. |