YouTube distortion after the same clip is re-uploaded 1000 times

In theory, technology lets people make and distribute perfect copies of digital artifacts. In practice, we compress our media, which introduces imperfections.

YouTuber canzona recorded a short video, uploaded it to YouTube, then downloaded it and uploaded it again. Here’s what happened on the way to 1000 iterations. (Apparently, he turns into a Tholian.)

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “YouTube distortion after the same clip is re-uploaded 1000 times

  1. This is an interesting discovery.
    I assume that YouTube has an interest in reducing the size of all the digital media they store, and may be using lossy compression algorithms in their post-upload processing.

  2. The distortion, even between iteration 1 and 156, is absolutely terrifying. The 1000th iteration made me jump a little because it also seemed louder than the others… Thanks for sharing this.

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