Google Meet (formerly Duo, Hangouts, and other names) is one of the most popular video call services, but camera quality has been capped at 720p. That’s finally changing.
Google is starting to roll out support for 1080p camera quality in Meet, matching the resolution that comes out of most modern webcams. It’s a bit surprising that 1080p wasn’t available before now, but that level of detail doesn’t matter all that much for faces — the feature could be useful for meetings with a camera pointed at a whiteboard or other similar setups, though. There’s still no native 4K support, so cameras like the NexiGo Iris 4K or AnkerWork B600 will continue to be limited to lower resolutions.
The company said in a blog post, “This resolution is available on the web when using a computer with a 1080p camera and enough computing power in meetings with two participants. The new high definition resolution is off by default — eligible users will be prompted before entering the meeting about the new 1080p option, or it can be turned on or off via the settings menu.”
There is a catch: not everyone in Google Meet will have the option to stream 1080p video. It’s limited to certain Google Workspace accounts, or anyone with a 2TB Google One plan or higher. There’s no limit on who can watch a 1080p feed, though, as long as they have a “compatible device.”
The new 1080p option is already rolling out, and it should be live for everyone (with valid access) in May 2023.
Source: Google Workspace Updates, Google Meet Help