It’s been a day or so since YouTube publicly released the HTML 5 beta program. This is largely in response to users who had overloaded the Google Product Ideas submission site with requests for this feature on YouTube just a few weeks ago. In order to view videos in this newer web format as opposed to using traditional Flash, you must have a compatible browser and head over to this page in order to turn it on while you are looking at Youtube videos. So what is a compatible browser? It must be Chrome browser, Apple Safari (verion 4 and up) or Internet Explorer with Chrome Frame installed. Full screen mode currently does not work, and ad supported videos  don’t either.

The benefits of using HTML 5? Faster video loads as well as smoother playback.

When looking at videos on the Youtube site with the beta, you’ll see a HTML 5 logo when your clip begins to load. Other than that, and along with the inability to go full-screen there really is not much I noticed different at first glance. But that may change as I watch more videos. Interestingly, another video site that I’d never heard of called Vimeo also is testing HTML 5, where there is a link to switch over on the lower right hand side below individual videos.

Anyways, go ahead and sign up for the beta at YouTube if you’re interested. There are some issues right now with Flash for Chromium OS, and it is for Google’s own benefit in the project to get HTML 5 up and working successfully on YouTube.

Check out Google’s own presentation on HTML 5 from September 2009 right here: