How Kuaishou Achieves Superior Short‑Video Quality: A Deep Dive into 1080P, HDR & 4K Evaluations

Introduction

Kuaishou emphasizes user video consumption experience and is the first Chinese short‑video platform supporting 1080P, 60 fps, HDR and 4K panoramic video. This article examines video quality clarity from the consumer side.

Video Production‑Consumption Chain

The chain is divided into three stages affecting quality: shooting, editing, and server‑side processing, each involving codecs, enhancement, or processing that impact the final visual quality.

Quality Evaluation Practice

The evaluation is split into static and dynamic assessments covering 14 focus points, using objective metrics and subjective blind tests based on VQEG standards.

Test Sources and Comparison Method

Test videos are uploaded manually by the evaluation team and sourced from high‑fan‑count users. Comparisons use both subjective blind tests and objective metrics such as bitrate, frame rate, and VMAF.

Subjective and Objective Comparison Results

Blind tests on 15 video groups show Kuaishou’s subjective quality surpasses other platforms. Objective analysis of 7 groups of 720p videos shows an average bitrate reduction of 3.35 % and VMAF improvement of 2.77 % compared with competitors.

Key Metrics

Win Rate: Kuaishou 100 % vs. others 0 %. Selection Rate: Kuaishou 71 % vs. others 24 % (5 % tie).

Sample Comparisons

Five example comparisons illustrate Kuaishou’s superior texture retention in various scenes (buildings, meat, cups, cattle, cement). Images are included.

Conclusion

Kuaishou’s video processing pipeline, including technologies such as CAPE, HDR, 1080P and 4K panoramic encoding, delivers clearer, smoother, and more visually appealing short videos.