YouTube will try to make even low-quality videos look great on your 4K TV

After recently revamping the UI on mobile, web, and TV, YouTube is now rolling out several new features. Unlike the revamp, however, these features focus on improving the TV experience. The update aims to make searching better, shopping easier, and videos look sharper.

What sounds like could be the most beneficial change on paper, YouTube announced it is rolling out an AI feature that automatically upscales content to higher resolutions. Say that a video was uploaded in 480p, this tool can create 720p and 1080p versions, so you have more resolution options to choose from. These upscaled options will be marked with the label “Super resolution” to make it clear which resolutions utilize upscaling. The company says it will start with videos uploaded below 1080p, upscaling them from SD to HD, but support for 4K will come down the road.

YouTube notes that original files and their original resolution will be kept intact. Additionally, creators will be able to opt out of visual enhancements on their content if they choose. As there was a little controversy with upscaling in Shorts recently, it’s no surprise that YouTube is giving the option to opt out. It’s worth noting that thumbnails are also improving. The image size limit has increased from 2MB to 50MB, so viewers will start to see better-looking thumbnails.

Next up, immersive previews are being added to the homepage. As YouTube explains, you’ll now see a short preview of a channel when you flip through your top channels. On top of that, you’ll get contextual search results when you’re on a creator’s channel page. This means the channel will be prioritized in your search, so you’ll see videos from that channel at the top of the results rather than videos from across the platform.

The final two features focus on shopping: QR codes and timed product moments. There’s no firm date on when this will be available, but YouTube says that soon you’ll be able to scan QR codes to open a product page. The company is also testing a feature where creators can feature a product at a specific time in their video.