Vimeo 8K Launch Sees Apple-Friendly HDR Added

Even though it seems like we're just now getting to the point where 4K is starting to take off, Vimeo is already looking toward the future. The company announced today that it now supports HDR and 8K resolution in uploaded videos, allowing it to bound ahead of YouTube, which is still largely focused on 4K. While few people will likely take advantage of 8K support right away, this is a good move to future proof the service a bit.

Vimeo points out that this launch isn't just for its viewers, though, as only a small portion of them will have an display capable of playing 8K content in the first place. Instead, Vimeo is doing this primarily for uploaders, saying "if you shoot in 8K we want you to be able to sell, distribute, or submit to festivals in the best quality possible." That's probably the perfect angle to take, as 8K displays aren't going to be more widespread for years to come.

Arguably the bigger Vimeo announcement today is that the service now supports HDR. Vimeo revealed that it has rolled out support for HEVC/H.265 transcodes in addition to the H.264 codecs it normally uses. This paves the way for HDR10, and all Vimeo members can now upload HDR footage.

In addition to support for HDR displays, Vimeo has launched the feature across Apple's lineup of HDR-friendly devices. This includes the iPhone X, iPad Pro, and the Apple TV 4K. This is a big announcement for Vimeo, in part because it makes it the only video streaming service to offer HDR streaming on those Apple devices. As far as competitive edges are concerned, that's a pretty good one.

Beginning today, you'll see videos sporting a new HDR badge on the video page and through the Vimeo player. These badges are added automatically, as Vimeo takes of care of HDR detection on the back end. Given the fact that Vimeo is in constant competition with YouTube, it probably won't be long before it introduces even more new features, so stay tuned.