YouTube announced today that the size of standard uploads has doubled from 1GB to 2GB. The increase means users can upload longer videos at a higher resolution as well as large HD files directly from their camera. In addition, the YouTube team's implemented some new features to make it easier for users to show these videos off to the world. The changes allow users to share links directly to the HD version of their video, as well as embed the HD version on your blog or website.

To share a link to the HD version of a video, simply append &hd=1 to the end of the URL. This means the video will start playing in HD as soon as someone follows the link.

To embed the HD version of a video on a website or blog, click the 'customize' button to the right of the embed box on the video page. Some options will appear; simply check 'play in HD'. The embed code that's generated will cause the video to start playing in HD as soon as a viewer clicks play. YouTube recommends embedding HD videos at the largest size (853x505) for maximum enjoyment.