YouTube, the online video steaming giant, has announced that it will support videos shot in 4K. This means the site now offers video resolutions from 360p all the way up to 4K.

At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times larger than 1080p, the previous maximum supported resolution.

As YouTube engineer Ramesh Sarukkai explained on YouTube’s official blog, “4K is over four times the size of 1080p, or full HD”. It bests even Imax movies which are shot in 2048 x 1080 pixel resolution.

4K does come with a bit of a price though, with YouTube stating on their official blog that, “watching these videos on YouTube will require super-fast broadband”. Also, since 4K represents the highest quality video available, users will need some heavy gear if they want to make use of it.

Videos need to be shot with 4K cameras which are very expensive and usually only found in a filmmakers toolbox. To properly display the video users will also need a 4K compatible display or projector, neither of which comes cheap.

To demonstrate the power of 4K, YouTube has created a special playlist containing videos created by a filmmaker using a 4K camera.