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debian 13.2 with yt-dlp 2025.12.08 from yt-dlp/yt-dlp. What command do I need to download the newest format available, not exceeding 1080p and up to VP9? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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newest / best format would be AV1, but my computer doesn't support it completely. VP9 is completely supported.

the command I've been using: yt-dlp -f bv*[ext=mp4]+ba[ext=m4a]/b[ext=mp4] -S height:1080 --all-subs --no-warnings -v https://www.youtube.com/watchx

this command downloads the best available video up to 1080p, but if the best video format available is AV1, it will download it. I need a command that downloads the best video but up to VP9.

Help appreciated.

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[–] 6 points 10 months ago

use --compat-options prefer-vp9-sort

yt-dlp -f bv*[ext=mp4]+ba[ext=m4a]/b[ext=mp4] -S height:1080 --compat-options prefer-vp9-sort --all-subs --no-warnings -v https://www.youtube.com/watchx

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    [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Seems like a job for ffmpeg. You may want to look into post-processing options of yt-dlp.

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    [–] 2 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Honestly, AV1 software decode isn’t that bad on most recent hardware. My desktop with 2018 hardware does it just fine, and so does my 2023 laptop.

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    • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (1 child)

    I think you would want to include [vcodec!=av1] somewhere in your format specifications. Let me try it and see.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Okay looks like your format spec should look something like 'bv*[ext=mp4][vcodec!^=av01]+ba[ext=m4a]/b[ext=mp4][vcodec!^=av01]'. Single quotes needed to keep shell expansion from fighting me, not sure if that will be an issue for you. You may have intended this, but the extension restriction does mean that you'll sometimes skip "better" formats like VP9 if they are webms or something, and you can specify an output mux if that is what you are trying to achieve.

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