You’ve just purchased a brand new TV. Which 4K videos should you play to demonstrate the impressive quality and show off to your friends?!
In this article, we list the best 4K videos on YouTube, including 4K music videos, and 4K test videos. All of which are perfect for your new TV.
1. 93 Minutes of Open Ocean
Remember those 1080p looping fireplace videos that were all the rage when high definition first landed? It appears that this is the natural progression—over an hour and a half of the South China Sea, with no breaks, no repetition, and unfortunately nothing in the way of sound. Zen? Pointless? Who cares, just look at all that blue water…
2. Biosphere
In the same vein as documentaries like Samsara and Baraka (each of which peak at 1080p), Biosphere is a narrative-free documentary that takes an observant view of life on Planet Earth. Beautifully shot in glorious 4K, see Canada, Bhutan, Papa New Guinea, and Chile in stupendously high definition. The video even boasts a fittingly ambient soundtrack.
3. Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer
Today, you can find lots of 4K music videos on YouTube. Many artists record directly in 4K, while many more music videos have been digitally remastered up to 4K quality.
One such remaster is the official 4K version of Bon Jovi’s iconic rock song, Livin’ on a Prayer. Named by VH1 as the best song of the 1980s, the video offers an impressive insight into just how much the resolution of old videos can be improved when modern technology is applied to them.
Oh, and it’s also an absolute tune. After all, what is the point of 4K if we can’t play air guitar to it?!
4. Peru and Machu Picchu
Devin Super Tramp’s YouTube channel is a bounty of ultra HD video, and it’s well worth a trawl (and a follow) if you’re looking for short, sharp bursts of 4K content. Of all the videos on his channel, one that really stands out is the result of a trip to Peru and its most famous landmark, Machu Picchu.
Some of his other best 4K videos include footage from Saudi Arabia, The Bahamas, California, and Hawaii.
5. New York in 4K
Around The World 4K is a new international YouTube project focused on capturing every corner of the world in ultra high definition, “for the pleasure and entertainment of our dear viewers” over the coming two years. They’ve stopped off in Chicago, the Grand Canyon, London, Niagara Falls, and their most popular video to date, New York.
The five-minute-long video takes you on a whistlestop tour of some of New York’s most famous landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
6. A Timelapse of the Surface of the Sun
Advances in space photography have enabled humanity to capture some incredibly impressive sights of distant galaxies, star clusters, and cosmic phenomena on the fringes of the known universe.
Point the lens closer to home, however, and the results are just as impressive. Take this 4K timelapse video of the Sun from October 14th to October the 30th 2014, complete with the largest observed sunspot in 22 years and backed by the Sun’s “heartbeat.”
The video lasts for almost eight minutes.
7. Gigapixels of Andromeda
Your 4K TV doesn’t just do wonders for video, but also for images. What better image to explore than the largest one ever taken by NASA? This 4.3 GB, 1.5 billion pixel-rich shot of the Andromeda galaxy features over 100 million stars, thousands of star clusters, and a total visible area of 40,000 light-years.
And if you want to feel really small and insignificant, this is just one galaxy… hundreds of billions of other galaxies also exist.
8. 4K Corsica
The French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea is low-key one of the most beautiful places in Europe. With looming rocky mountains, turquoise seas, and abundant wildlife, the island could have been specifically designed to create the best 4K videos in the world.
To see what we’re talking about, check out this hour-long tour of the island from above. Then read our article detailing the best ways to find cheap flights and book your next vacation!
9. A Category Five Hurricane
In nature, very little can compete with the awe-inspiring power of a hurricane. Having gone through the eye of the category four Hurricane Odile in Mexico in 2014, it’s something I can personally attest to.
October 2018’s Hurricane Michael was even more powerful than what I experienced. With 160mph winds, it became the first category five storm to make landfall in the US since 1992’s Hurricane Andrew. It caused more than $ 25.1 billion of damage across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
This 4K video shows what it was like for those who were unlucky enough to be caught in the storm. The footage of the aftermath of the storm is truly harrowing.
10. Promotional LG Video
This LG promotional footage is a great video to use if you need a 4K test video to set up the color balances on your new 4K TV. Given that it’s a promotional video for a TV manufacturer, you can be sure the images are super crisp, colorful, and vibrant. Under the hood, it might be an ad, but it’s still mesmerizing.
For an alternative 4K test video, check out Sony’s similarly impressive promotional ad. It features wild animals, impressive natural scenery, and perfect slow-motion captures. The Dolby Atmos promo video is another solid 4K option.
Learn More About 4K Videos
Of course, you won’t only find 4K content on YouTube. Netflix offers 4K video, as does Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and many of the other big streaming services. But they often charge more to access the content. However, you can watch 4K videos on YouTube entirely for free.
If you would like to learn more about 4K videos, make sure you read our article detailing the difference between 4K and UHD and our list of the best 4K streaming devices available to buy right now.
Read the full article: The Best 4K YouTube Videos to Watch on Your New TV or Monitor
