Live streaming platform Twitch is to start testing 2K streaming, and is also introducing dual-format streaming and vertical viewing.
As part of the move to 2K, or 1440p, Twitch will use the HEVC codec. The company described the move to 1440p as “a big visual step up from 1080p, with much more detail and clarity”.
The introduction of dual-format streaming will enable streamers using enhanced broadcasting to give viewers both a horizontal and a vertical layout at the same time, said Twitch.
“This allows us to better optimise the viewing experience for a device and how a viewer is using that device,” added Twitch. “Viewers watching on desktop will still see landscape. Viewers on mobile will see [a] vertical layout if they hold the phone vertically, or landscape if they rotate their phone horizontally.
“We really care about getting this right, so we’ll be testing dual-format streaming and the new vertical theatre with a small number of channels this summer before slowly expanding to more users later this year,” said the company.
