Quality levels and Auto
Auto picks the best VideoBB quality for your connection. You can also lock one level from 144p to 4K. Free goes to 1080p; Premium adds 4K.
Auto is the best choice for most people. It picks the highest quality your connection and screen can hold, and it changes as they change. You can also lock the player to one level from the gear menu.
The quality menu
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Auto (Recommended) | Adjusts to your connection and screen, moment by moment |
| Higher picture quality | Uses only 720p and above. Sharper, but uses more data |
| Data saver | Uses only 480p and below. Softer, but uses less data |
| A fixed level, such as 1080p | Plays only that level. The menu shows its bitrate in kbps |
How to change the quality
- Press the gear button in the player, or press S on the keyboard.
- Choose Quality.
- Pick Auto, Higher picture quality, Data saver or one level.
The player remembers your choice in this browser. If a video does not have the level you picked, it plays in Auto instead. To see how Auto decides, read adaptive bitrate streaming, explained.
Which levels you can watch
| Level | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 144p, 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p | Yes | Yes |
| 1440p | No | Yes |
| 2160p (4K) | No | Yes |
Free viewers see 1440p and 4K in the menu with a lock and a Premium tag. When a video has those levels, the watch page also shows a short note. Our comparison of 4K vs 1440p vs 1080p helps you judge if the jump is worth it on your screen, and the Premium page lists the plans.
Why a level is missing
- The source was smaller. VideoBB never upscales, so a 720p upload tops out at 720p.
- The video is still processing. HD levels are added a few minutes after upload.
- You are on a free account, so 1440p and 4K are locked.
- It is a vertical video. Quality is judged on the short side, so 1080×1920 counts as 1080p.
What the badges mean
The gear button shows HD while 720p or higher is playing, and 4K while 2160p is playing. On thumbnails, an HD badge marks a 1080p video, and a 1440p or 4K badge marks the top levels.
Previews on thumbnails
Thumbnails can play a few seconds from across the video, without sound. Selecting a thumbnail always opens the full video.
| Device | What happens |
|---|---|
| Computer with a mouse | Point at a thumbnail and a play button appears. Rest there for a moment and the preview plays inside it. A spinning ring shows while it loads. Move the pointer away to stop. |
| Phone or tablet | Each thumbnail shows a small play button. When you stop scrolling, the thumbnail in the middle of the screen plays its preview. It stops when you scroll it away. Tap the thumbnail to open the video. |
Previews do not play when your device is set to reduce motion or save data, or when the connection is very slow.
If playback is not smooth, see playback stutters or will not start.