Tag Archives: Vimeo
Despite Profits from the Static Web, Google Pushes Dynamic
Posted on 18. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
1 Comments
Today it was announced that Google is acquiring the Norwegian firm Global IP Solutions, which focuses on VoIP and videoconferencing solutions. I have been thinking recently about Google’s foray into the web as a media-rich dynamic platform, and it seems almost as if the company is focusing on a “change or die” mantra when it comes to the static web, a place where for the past decade Google has made immense profits.
The Google I/O conference, which kicks off tomorrow, is a great example of this, coupled with the fact that the Global IP Solutions acquisition is clearly aimed towards collaborative resources that extend way beyond just chat and email. The challenging thing for Google is going to be indexing and advertising these types of features, something that is at the very core of its business model.
As anyone who uses YouTube knows, it isn’t exactly intuitive to find the videos that you are looking for. That problem has been addressed somewhat this year, but I still find the UI a bit cumbersome to navigate. With that being said, though, YouTube has enjoyed a tremendous boost in advertising, which bodes well for the original purpose of Google buying it back in 2006.
But how does Google go about keeping track of videos hosted on other sites like Hulu, Vimeo and Justin.tv? How does it make a profit from its foray into VoIP? Only time will tell, but it will take innovation to make sure that the free model persists in these areas. It’s clear that a continuation away from the simple text that oddly enough Google has turned in a cash machine will proceed as newer platforms like Android and Chrome OS offer a new way to enjoy Google’s low-cost applications and services.
HTML 5 Beta Goes Live for Youtube
Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
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:
