Vimeo will soon take their battle against online video giant YouTube to the next level by allowing premium users to not only upload video in full 1080p HD-resolution but also allowing them to stream 1080p video to the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android phones. The new feature will be made available to Vimeo’s premium members, as part of the Vimeo $60 Plus package, which should sweeten the pot for anyone on the fence about the premium service. In comparison, YouTube already offers video playback in 1080p, but they have yet to bring 1080p streaming video to the smartphone space.
Still, streaming 1080p video to smartphones doesn’t come without drawbacks. The bandwidth needed to smoothly stream high-def video might be an issue for some users – stuttering, buffering, and dropped audio tend to be problems associated with too-slow data speeds. To that end, Vimeo believes the content creator should have a say in the viewing options their viewers have – if someone wants higher-quality video at the expense of smooth playback, they should have that choice.
The upgraded Vimeo Plus service is expected to go live by the end of January.
[Via: PRNewsWire]