YouTube on Wednesday 1) beta-launched YouTube Leanback, a version of its service that is optimized for viewing on a TV screen (i.e. in "leanback" mode); 2) relaunched the browser-based mobile version (m.youtube.com) of its service; and 3) announced a user-generated content (UGC) collaboration with directors Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald that will invite users of its service (and other people around the world) to help create a documentary, entitled "Life in a Day." YouTube Leanback
YouTube Leanback--which was unveiled in May as part of YouTube parent Google's Google TV launch event in San Francisco and which supersedes an earlier leanback/10-foot YouTube user interface called YouTube XL that launched in June, 2009--is billed as providing users not only with an interface that lends itself to 10-foot viewing, but with a passive viewing experience akin to that of traditional linear TV (note: according to the company, which concedes that users of its service typically spend no more than 15 minutes a day watching its videos, one of the goals of providing users with a passive experience is to increase viewing times): "Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained," YouTube explains on its corporate blog. "Videos tailored to your interests play as soon as you visit the site and they play in full screen and high definition, continuously. There's no need to click, search, or browse, unless you want to, of course. Watching YouTube becomes as easy as watching TV. To see what we mean," the company's blog post continues, "go to http://www.youtube.com/leanback, and you'll note that a selection of videos--your 'feed'--plays immediately. This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you've connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account). You can also watch the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, or more. And if you don't care for the video that's playing, use the right arrow key on your keyboard to skip ahead to the next video, or try the up/down arrows to search, access player controls, and browse channels and videos. You won't need your mouse for this experience." While YouTube's line-up of rental videos cannot currently be accessed through YouTube Leanback, the company says that it will be available through the interface in the coming weeks. A demo video of YouTube Leanback is embedded above.
Relaunched Mobile Service
According to YouTube--which launched its browser-based mobile service in 2007 and which says that the service now receives over 100 million video playbacks per day (i.e. roughly the number of daily playbacks that YouTube.com was receiving when YouTube was acquired by Google back in 2006)--the updated version of the service is faster; incorporates larger, more touch-friendly elements into its user interface; and incorporates a range of features from YouTube's Web site, including search query suggestions, the ability to create playlists, and the ability to designate "favorite," "like" or "unlike" videos directly from one's phone. In addition, the company states on its corporate blog, "as we make improvements to Youtube.com, you'll see them quickly follow on our mobile site, unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently."
At a press briefing at YouTube's headquarters, which was written up by NewTeeVee's Janko Roettgers, the company's mobile product manager, Andrey Doronichev, revealed, among other things, that the new version of m.youtube.com has been optimized for HTML5-compliant browsers; uses H.264 for video playback (note: the native iPhone and Android YouTube apps still use H.263); and allows users to switch between different playback quality options, including a high-quality 250kbps option. He also provided a side-by-side comparison of m.youtube.com and the YouTube iPhone app (which was developed by Google rival, Apple), showing that the browser-based service provides significantly better video quality than the native app.
While the new mobile version of YouTube's service is currently available only in English, the company says that it will roll out versions in other languages in the coming months. A demo video of the new mobile version of YouTube is embedded above.
"Life in a Day"
YouTube's collaboration with Ridley Scott ("Alien," "Blade Runner") and Kevin Macdonald ("Last King of Scotland") sees the company inviting people around the world to help create what it bills as "the first user-generated feature-length documentary film shot on a single day--July 24th." Entitled "Life in a Day," the documentary will be composed of footage that people have shot of a moment in their lives on that day and uploaded to a special area of YouTube's Web site (youtube.com/lifeinaday). A selection of the footage will be edited into a feature-length film by Macdonald, and the project will be executive produced by Scott and produced by his company, Scott Free Productions (note: "Purefold," an earlier UGC project that saw the involvement of Scott and Scott Free Productions, was abandoned earlier this year due to lack of funding--see the articles published on itvt.com, March 29th, 2010 and June 5th, 2009). While Macdonald will be credited as the film's director, individuals whose footage makes it into the film will be credited as co-directors, and 20 of these contributors will be flown to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival for the film's premiere (note: the film will, of course, also premiere simultaneously on YouTube.com). The deadline for submitting footage to the project is July 31st, and YouTube says that all submissions will be made permanently available on youtube.com/lifeinaday, which will thus serve as "a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010."
According to YouTube, "Life in a Day" is being supported by LG Electronics as part of its "Life's Good" campaign. "LG believes in enriching people's lives through technology and saw complementary objectives in the 'Life in a Day' project," LG's chief marketing officer, Dermot J. M. Boden, said in a prepared statement. "For LG, this project is a fantastic opportunity to engage with YouTube users on a personal and emotional level that's both rewarding and enjoyable." Added Google CEO, Eric Schmidt: "Over the past five years, YouTube has changed the way media is created and consumed. We're thrilled to give our community the opportunity to work with Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott and are grateful to our long-term partner, the Sundance Institute, for their support of this global initiative. I can think of no better place to premiere 'Life in a Day' than at next year's festival."
In order to ensure that "Life in a Day" is "as inclusive and representative as possible," YouTube says, Scott Free Productions will work with Rich Smolan--creator of "A Day in the Life" and CEO of Against All Odds Productions, an organization that bills itself as "specializ[ing] in the execution of large-scale global projects that combine storytelling with state-of-the-art technology"--to distribute (via NGO's and non-profits) 400-500 cameras to "people in remote regions of the world." A promotional video for "Life in a Day" is embedded above.
The second annual TVOT NYC Intensive took place on Monday, December 5th at 730 Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. We would like to thank everybody who participated and attended for making the event a success!
