Improve Audio Quality in yt-dlp | Generated by AI

Home PDF

To address your concern about the audio quality not being as good as you’d like when downloading YouTube videos using your script with yt-dlp, I’ll guide you on how to modify the script to ensure it always downloads the best possible audio quality, regardless of the chosen video resolution (720p or 480p). Let’s break this down step-by-step and provide a clear solution.

Understanding the Current Script

Your script uses yt-dlp to download YouTube videos, allowing you to specify a resolution (720p or 480p). The format selection is controlled by the format_str variable, which is passed to the -f option in yt-dlp. Here’s what it currently does:

In yt-dlp:

Since bestaudio is included, the script should already be selecting the best audio quality available. However, you’ve noticed that the audio quality feels “less good,” so let’s investigate why and how to fix it.

Why the Audio Quality Might Be Subpar

Even though bestaudio is used, there’s a potential issue:

Since YouTube typically provides separate video and audio streams, the bestvideo + bestaudio combination should almost always work. However, to guarantee the best audio quality and avoid any fallback to a potentially lower-quality combined format, we can refine the script.

Solution: Ensure the Best Audio Quality

To ensure that yt-dlp always downloads the best audio quality:

  1. Use bestaudio without a fallback: This forces yt-dlp to download the best audio stream available, alongside the best video stream up to your chosen resolution. If this combination isn’t possible, it will error out rather than compromise on audio quality, which is acceptable since YouTube videos almost always have separate streams.
  2. Fix the 480p fallback inconsistency: Align the fallback (if kept) with the requested resolution, though removing it is simpler and aligns with your goal.

Here’s how to modify the script:

Modified Code

Update the format_str definitions in your script as follows:

import argparse
import subprocess
import os

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Download YouTube videos at specified resolution.")
    parser.add_argument("url", help="YouTube video URL")
    parser.add_argument(
        "--resolution",
        choices=["720p", "480p"],
        default="720p",
        help="Video resolution to download (default: 720p)"
    )
    args = parser.parse_args()

    output_dir = "test"
    os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)

    # Updated format strings to ensure best audio quality
    if args.resolution == "720p":
        format_str = 'bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio'
    else:  # 480p
        format_str = 'bestvideo[height<=480]+bestaudio'

    command = [
        "yt-dlp",
        "--cookies-from-browser", "firefox",
        "-f", format_str,
        "-P", output_dir,
        args.url
    ]

    subprocess.run(command)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Changes Explained

Why This Works

Verifying the Result

To confirm that you’re getting the best audio:

  1. Check available formats: Run yt-dlp --list-formats <youtube_url> to see the video and audio streams available for a specific video. Look for the audio-only formats (e.g., m4a, webm) and their bitrates.
  2. Monitor the download: When running the script, yt-dlp will output which formats it’s downloading (e.g., “Downloading video stream (code)” and “Downloading audio stream (code)”). Ensure it’s selecting a separate audio stream with a high bitrate.
  3. Test playback: Play the downloaded file and verify the audio quality. If it’s still poor, the video’s best available audio might be limited by the uploader, not the script.

What If It Fails?

If yt-dlp errors out because bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio isn’t available (very unlikely for YouTube), you could:

Conclusion

Your script is now set to always download the best audio quality available by using bestaudio without a fallback, alongside your chosen video resolution. The modified format_str values are:

This change should resolve your issue, ensuring the highest audio quality possible within your resolution preferences. If the audio still feels lacking, it might be due to the video’s original upload quality, which is beyond the script’s control. Give it a try and let me know how it works!

Back 2025.06.29 Donate