/K-pop Stage Performance Quality
Curse of Low Bit-Rate
from 09/25/2024, by uni — 3m read
Idol groups famously promote on weekly music programs in Korea, where fans can watch live performances. One of the longest-running programs, Inkigayo (인기가요), has been broadcast since 1991 by Seoul Broadcasting System. These stages are quickly edited and posted directly after the shows end on their respective YouTube channels.
This is the annoying part: for years, these videos have been uploaded in horrendous quality. You would think you were watching a YouTube video from 2010 with all the compression artifacts.
Let's take a look at each music program and how they handle quality. We'll use the tripleS "Girls Never Die" comeback schedule as an example:
Day Date Network Show Link Resolution
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRI 240517 KBS MUSIC BANK https://youtu.be/zLQzLNm-FXQ 1080p
SAT 240518 MBC MUSIC CORE https://youtu.be/xeQVvnhImJk 1080p
SUN 240519 SBS INKIGAYO https://youtu.be/wgUvEGKcpaA 1080p
TUE 240521 SBS M THE SHOW https://youtu.be/SDvJCJ44BE4 1080p
WED 240522 MBC M SHOW CHAMPION https://youtu.be/bnFFYbOMRBI 1080p
THU 240823 MNET M COUNTDOWN https://youtu.be/HH1Owe_6UUE 1080p
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Quality Paradox
What's weird is that these performances are uploaded in 1080p but look more like low bit-rate 720p streams. There must be multiple layers of compression for the videos to end up looking this bad. What's even worse is that every broadcaster seems to be following the same exact formula.
Furthermore, they upload 8K resolution fancams on the same day as the broadcasted performances themselves. Why waste money on overkill (but appreciated) 8K cameras if you're going to compress the final uploads into a garbled mess?
The 4K Experience (If You’re Lucky)
Those who have direct access to the broadcasts in Korea have a far better experience. These broadcast stations stream 4K 60fps video on their premium channels such as SBS UHD and MBC UHD. While I'm not entirely sure how to access these channels, I assume they’re part of a premium cable package and aren’t available to stream online from the broadcasters.
Thankfully, I managed to find pirated copies of these broadcasts. One resource being KpopBuzzHub.
So, we know it’s possible for the broadcasters to stream 4K video. Why are the uploaded performance clips still so terrible? I can't think of a logical answer other than incompetence - or maybe they’re pushing viewers toward the TV broadcast itself. It just doesn’t make sense. Please, just upload the highest quality version you produced! An even bigger sin is when the official music video isn't even 4K, but that just further shows how counter-intuitive the industry is.