View YouTube High-Quality as Default

In 2008, YouTube added "high quality" support (and more recently, high-definition) to their popular video-sharing site. Videos which were uploaded after this point are available to view in both "Normal" and "High Quality" modes, switchable by clicking on a link below the video window.

By default, every YouTube video begins to play in normal mode, and requires the user to manually choose high quality. If you have a (free) YouTube account, you can configure your browser to always play in high quality (if available - again, this only applies to video clips uploaded since late 2008). Here's how:

1. Go to YouTube in your browser. (Make sure you are logged in to your YouTube account.)
2. Click the "Account" button in the upper-right corner of the YouTube home page.
3. In the sidebar of tabs on the left, click "Playback Setup" (click the image below to enlarge)
4. Choose "I have a fast connection. Always play higher-quality video when it's available.
5. Click "Save Changes"

Now, whenever you're logged in to your YouTube account on a computer, if a high-quality version of the video is available, it will automatically play.