Today, YouTube announced that it has doubled the current file uploading size from 1GB to 2GB to allow users to post more high definition video content on its massive servers. This is particularly useful for those users uploading 1080p content that can easily exceed over a gigabyte, even when re-encoded.

The YouTube team has also implemented embedding and direct linking to HD versions of video clips. By appending “&hd=1” to the end of the URL, a video will start playing in HD as soon as someone follows the link.

There is already speculation as to what the next update will introduce. Perhaps the maximum HD video resolution (853×805) might be expanded to fit a more conventional resolution of 1280×720, or a live broadcasting service feature similar to Justin.tv and Qik.com. Only time will tell.