h264ify

Makes YouTube stream H.264 videos instead of VP8/VP9 videos

h264ify - Improve YouTube Streaming with H.264 Videos

h264ify is a unique Chrome extension designed to optimize YouTube streaming. By default, YouTube uses VP8/VP9 encoded videos, which can slow down performance on less powerful devices due to lack of hardware acceleration. h264ify solves this by making YouTube stream H.264 videos, a format commonly hardware-accelerated by GPUs for smoother playback and reduced CPU usage. A must-have for seamless, energy-efficient viewing.
Install from Chrome Web Store

Extension stats

Users: 1,000,000+
Rating: 4.55
(1,148)
Version: 2.0.1 (Last updated: 2024-10-20)
Creation date: 2019-09-08
Risk impact: High risk impact
Risk likelihood:
Manifest version: 3
Permissions:
  • scripting
  • storage
Host permissions:
  • *://*.youtube.com/*
  • *://*.youtube-nocookie.com/*
  • *://*.youtu.be/*
Size: 32.46K

Other platforms

Not available on Android
Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge
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Extension summary

Analyze keywords

Try h264ify if YouTube videos stutter, take up too much CPU, eat battery life, or make your laptop hot.

By default, YouTube streams VP8/VP9 encoded video. However, this can cause problems with less powerful machines because VP8/VP9 is not typically hardware accelerated.

In contrast, H.264 is commonly hardware accelerated by GPUs, which usually means smoother video playback and reduced CPU usage. h264ify makes YouTube stream H.264 videos instead of VP8/VP9 videos.

Github: https://github.com/erkserkserks/h264ify

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Chrome Web Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Helps improve video playback on older or less powerful computers.
  • Reduces CPU usage significantly during video playback.
  • Allows users to watch videos in higher resolutions (1080p) smoothly on low-spec machines.
  • Increases the overall performance of video playback on platforms like YouTube.
Cons
  • Disables the ability to watch videos at higher than 1080p.
  • Can cause errors when opening videos, requiring page reloads.
  • Some users experienced issues after updates, affecting functionality.
Most mentioned
  • Improves performance for older PCs.
  • Reduces CPU usage during video playback.
  • Causes issues with video playback errors.
  • Disables higher resolution video viewing.
  • Users express gratitude for the extension's effectiveness.
User reviews
Hoje em dia tenho um computador muito bom, mas nunca esquecerei o quanto essa extensão me ajudou em um monte mais complicado da minha vida
by Phillipe Queiroz, 2024-12-23

God bless You! It's works. That's fine.
by kc kc, 2024-12-15

Увы расширение начало ломать ютуб, выбивает ошибку и помогает только перезагрузка страницы, тогда видео начинает воспроизводиться. Надеюсь поправите в скором времени, расширение мастхев для слабых компьютеров.
by BANZAY, 2024-12-14
View all user reviews

Extension safety

Risk impact

h264ify requires some sensitive permissions that could impact your browser and data security. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

h264ify has earned a good reputation and can be trusted.

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