There is however an easy way to enable Youtube high quality playback for all videos that have been uploaded and processed to deliver high and low quality versions. Always clicking on the “watch in high quality” link is the only option for users who do not have an account at the video portal.

That quickly becomes annoying if you watch dozens of videos a day. Users with an account can define the quality in the user’s profile. That’s the easiest and best way for users with a broadband connection who always want to watch Youtube videos in high quality.

The setting can be changed in the Playback Setup of My Account. The easiest way to reach the menu is by clicking on the Account link on top and selecting Playback Setup from the left menu once the Account interface shows up.

Checking the “I have a fast connection. Always play higher-quality video when it’s available” box will ensure that Youtube will always stream the high quality version of a video – if it exists – to the user as long as the user is logged in.