With Google's recent moves to higher quality and now true HD video at YouTube, I've been wondering what the actual encoding was, and how it compared to other services like Vimeo and FaceBook which also offer HD.
Well, I'm in luck because "Charbax" at the very cool techvideoblog.com has posted comparisons.
Youtube Normal Quality: 320×180 - 350kbit/s Sorenson - 25fps (probably source based) - 22hz mono audio
Youtube High Quality: 480×270 - 1mbit/s Sorenson - 25fps (probably source based) - 44hz stereo mp3 audio
Youtube HD: 1280×720 - 2mbit/s H264 - full framerate - 44hz stereo 254kbit/s AAC audio - more details
Facebook HD: 1280×720 - 2.5mbit/s H264 - full framerate - 44hz 146kbit/s AAC stereo audio
SmugMug HD: 640×360 - 1.4mbit/s H264 - full framerate - 48hz AAC stereo audio
Sevenload HD: 1280×720 - 1.8mbit/s H264 - full framerate - 48hz 96kbit/s AAC stereo audio
Vimeo HD: 1280×720 - 1.7mbit/s VP6 - full framerate - 44hz 128kbit/s mp3 stereo audio
Dailymotion HD: 1280×720 - 1.3mbit/s VP6 - full framerate - 44hz 96kbit/s mp3 stereo audio
There's lots more over at his post, so be sure to check it out.
Asa, Youtube HD video is not acsessible any more...please fix it.