Google Video Steps Up Profile with Everybody Hates Chris Premiere

Drawing on its strengths as a provider of search technology, Google has worked to make its new video offerings searchable. Users can now watch ten-second thumbnail snippets from the video search results page, allowing them to preview a video before loading and watching the whole thing.

Additionally, Google has released a search feature that provides a way for viewers to surf quickly through Google’s video archives. "We started a new page where we show you fifteen random videos," says Chane. "It’s been popular with viewers who want to browse and be entertained. I guarantee that you’ll see one that you’ll want to play."

Bigger is Better
One small note of contention in some corners of the streaming industry surrounding the online debut of Everybody Hates Chris involves the ongoing debate over screen size vs. resolution when delivering streaming media. At least one industry observer has lamented the fact that Google chose to maximize the screen size and not deliver the highest possible resolution. (When I watched the show, I noticed some blockiness, although there weren’t any skips or stutters in the playback.)

"We want to provide users with the best possible experience," Chane says. "We made the video larger because we found that people like larger videos; they react positively to video that’s as large as possible."

A Nod to Open-Source
Within the last few weeks, Google has launched a new version of its Google Video player. "We have a brand-new player that doesn’t require any download and just works in your browser on Windows, Mac, and Linux," says Chane. The video window automatically resizes to fit the browser window it’s playing through, and Chane promises that full-screen video will be offered shortly.

The previous version of the Google Video player—which did require a download--was based on of the open-source VLC media player championed by VideoLAN (written about at length in late ’04 here. While the latest version of the player isn’t built on the VLC platform, Chane says, "We’re very impressed with the VLC player software," says Chane. "We think the open-source community is doing a great job innovating there."