debian 13.2 with yt-dlp 2025.12.08 from yt-dlp/yt-dlp. What command do I need to download the newest format available, not exceeding 1080p and up to VP9?

arsus5478@lemmy.ml · 3 months

newest / best format would be AV1, but my computer doesn’t support it completely. VP9 is completely supported.

the command I’ve been using: yt-dlp -f bv*[ext=mp4]+ba[ext=m4a]/b[ext=mp4] -S height:1080 --all-subs --no-warnings -v https://www.youtube.com/watchx

this command downloads the best available video up to 1080p, but if the best video format available is AV1, it will download it. I need a command that downloads the best video but up to VP9.

Help appreciated.

data1701d (He/Him)@startrek.website · 3 months

Honestly, AV1 software decode isn’t that bad on most recent hardware. My desktop with 2018 hardware does it just fine, and so does my 2023 laptop.

Peffse@lemmy.world · 3 months

I learned the VP9 sort after I saw how randomly abysmal the encoding is for AV1.

Just look at these numbers:

and a direct comparison, same frame from AV1:

and then VP9: