Getting the Best Quality on YouTube
YouTube is the most popular video sharing website, but many users encounter video quality problems after uploading their content. When a video is uploaded onto the site, it is compressed into Flash 7 format which can lead to lagging sound and poor visual quality. The following are tips to improve the quality of your YouTube videos:
Start With the Best
When you get to YouTube, upload the master copy of your video. Avoid using anything other than the best version you have. Of course, this is not always possible. YouTube caps its videos at 100MB and ten minutes in length, so you should offer a video that is as close to 100MB as possible. However, if your best copy is larger than the limit you will have to work around these limitations which might result it lower quality.
Video Format
Use video software that will allow you to export a video in MPEG-4 with H.264 format. Programs that offer these options include iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas, and others.
Video Size
One thing you notice about videos on YouTube is that they all appear as the same size. YouTube converts all uploaded videos into 320x240 pixel. When you are editing your video on your computer, save it in this 320x240 size and encode it using 2000 kbps bit rate or higher for the best results.
Sound Quality
To get the best sound quality save your video under the options of mono audio with AAC at 64 Kbit/sec or 128 Kbit/sec for stereo sound. Be aware that the AAC option, which stands for advanced audio coding, works with Mac programs.
Following those tips should help you get the best picture and sound out of your YouTube videos. Remember that these videos are also a great opportunity for branding your band. Popular YouTube videos are viewed by millions and often copied by other users and posted onto different video hosting sites. Even if your video is taken by others, it should still remain unmistakably yours. Add an introduction frame that lists your band name, song & album titles, website, even the video director. If you have a logo or other unique image, put that on too. Everyone who sees this video will still know who created it, even if it wasn't you who uploaded it there.
References
http://ellingtonmedia.com/blog/2007/03/07/6-tips-for-high-quality-youtube-video/
http://www.lafcpug.org/Tutorials/basic_you_tube.html
http://bhupen.k6yar.com/youtube-how-to-get-best-video-quality