For years, gamers have been asking Twitch why video streaming has been restricted to a ceiling of 1080p resolution – and for years Amazon-owned Twitch has not provided any definitive answers. Twitch now has now provided both the answer – excessive transcoding costs – and a solution – offloading server-side transcoding resources from Twitch’s own cloud servers to top streamers with adequate processing power. Frankly, this is a masterstroke from Twitch in executing cost savings while keeping customers happy with new features, while appeasing end users with improved streaming quality. Twitch has also teased a roadmap for experimentation with “new codecs”, including of course AV1, which would mark a belated expansion from the niche segment of elite streamers currently benefiting…