Format selectors

Use these presets to control output quality and compatibility. You can either:

• Provide a format shorthand (recommended): 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p
• Provide a plain height number: 360, 480, 720, 1080
• Provide an advanced selector string (power users)

Recommended presets

1080p (MP4-first, with audio)

bestvideo[height<=1080][vcodec^=avc1]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=1080][ext=mp4]

720p (MP4-first, with audio)

bestvideo[height<=720][vcodec^=avc1]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=720][ext=mp4]

480p (compatible)

bestvideo[height<=480][vcodec^=avc1]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=480][ext=mp4]

360p (smallest common)

bestvideo[height<=360][vcodec^=avc1]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[height<=360][ext=mp4]

Audio-only

Prefer M4A when available, otherwise best available audio.

bestaudio[ext=m4a]/bestaudio

Bandwidth-capped (optional)

Cap total bitrate for smaller files. Adjust the number to your needs.

bestvideo[height<=720][tbr<=2500]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]

Notes

• Format shorthand values (e.g., 720p) automatically select the best video and audio combination for that quality level.
• Plain numeric format values (e.g., 720) are also accepted and automatically expanded to a good, compatible selector.
• The first half of each selector prefers separate video+audio for best quality; the fallback selects a progressive (single-file) option for broader compatibility.
• Preferring vcodec^=avc1 typically yields MP4/H.264, which plays well on most devices.