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YouTube Adds Full-Length Television Shows

Posted by timothy on from the what-about-magnum-pi-and-square-pegs? dept.

thefickler writes "YouTube has moved to put full-length television shows on its site for the first time. Historically, YouTube has hosted a bewildering and attractive variety of video clips, the vast majority of which have been under ten minutes in length. YouTube has announced that it had finalized a deal with CBS to offer shows such as Star Trek, MacGyver, Beverly Hills 90210, and The Young and the Restless. I can't wait to watch The Young and the Restless!"

46 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Still using Flash by Daengbo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'd like to see Google switch over to the video tag and a free codec. That would make everything perfect.

    --
    Put identity in the browser.
    1. Re:Still using Flash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't disagree that I would like to see that happen, but think about it from the perspective from someone who works at GooTube and wants to keep that job: would it really make sense to switch to a brand-new standard only supported by [let's be generous] 25% of the market?

      Ok, you may respond, why not maintain two parallel versions of the site: one for legacy users and one for browsers that support the new standards? And to that I say, it's a little bit hard to go to management and ask for the resources and time to implement a second parallel version of a service that already works splendidly well.

      I would be just as happy as you if YouTube started offering video streams in other formats and other access methods. Until they do, though, I'll continue watching their FLV streams directly with VLC. The newly-released 0.9.2 even has a Lua scriptlet specifically designed to allow you to drop a YouTube URL directly into the playlist.

      Not good, but good enough. At least you don't need Flash.

    2. Re:Still using Flash by Daengbo · · Score: 4, Informative

      MPEG-4 contains patented technologies that require licensing in countries that acknowledge software patents. Patents covering MPEG-4 are claimed by over two dozen companies. The MPEG Licensing Authority[1] licenses patents required for MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual from a wide range of companies (audio is licensed separately) and lists all of its licensors and licensees on the site. New licenses for MPEG-4 System patents are under development[2] and no new licenses are being offered while holders of its old MPEG-4 Systems license are still covered under the terms of that license for the patents listed (MPEG LA â" Patent List). AT&T is trying to sue companies such as Apple Inc. over alleged MPEG-4 patent infringement.[3] The terms of Apple's Quicktime 7 license for users[4] describes in paragraph 14 the terms under Apple's existing MPEG-4 System Patent Portfolio license from MPEGLA.[1]

      No, it's not.

      --
      Put identity in the browser.
    3. Re:Still using Flash by MasterOfMagic · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, but Theora and Dirac are. Theora is from the Xiph open source community (the same people that do cdparanoia, FLAC, Speex, and Vorbis). The FSF has recommended its use along with Vorbis audio for some time now. Dirac is from the BBC.

    4. Re:Still using Flash by aztracker1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Okay, so dump a system that 98% of the people browsing the internet have support for, in favor of something people have to jump through hoops for?

      Given, I would like to see the inclusion of h.264 in Flash as a supported format for video. VC-1 would work as well (even if it is from MS). I wouldn't expect to see Theora or the like supported on YouTube any time soon, unless it is as widely available as flash is. Flash is a PITA on x64 Linux, I am well aware of this, however, from a business standpoint your suggestion makes no sense.

      --
      Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info
    5. Re:Still using Flash by Talderas · · Score: 4, Funny

      However, seeing as though they will be showing MacGyver, Google will only have a paper clip, post-it notes, and 4 bullet casings to complete the objective.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    6. Re:Still using Flash by CastrTroy · · Score: 2, Interesting
      With all the patent trolls, nobody knows whether those technologies are patent free either. From the Dirac FAQ.

      Do you infringe any patents?

      The short answer is that we don't know for certain, but we're pretty sure we don't.

      We haven't employed armies of lawyers to trawl through the tens of thousands of video compression techniques. That's not the way to invent a successful algorithm. Instead we've tried to use techniques of long standing in novel ways.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  2. As a non-american... by Tx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...Hulu sucks, since it won't stream outside the USA. No mention in the article as to whether YouTube will add regional restrictions on these full-length shows, but let's hope they can convince the studios otherwise. If not, well, bittorrent works just fine.

    --
    Oh no... it's the future.
    1. Re:As a non-american... by FireFury03 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Does anyone seriously want to watch full length TV shows in a tiny box in their browser in crumby YouTube quality?!

      --
      http://blog.nexusuk.org
    2. Re:As a non-american... by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is region-locked the US also.

      --
      No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
    3. Re:As a non-american... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yes.

    4. Re:As a non-american... by kentrel · · Score: 5, Informative

      Youtube offer better-than-TV resolution. Check out their high-quality option, which you can view full screen.

    5. Re:As a non-american... by dosius · · Score: 4, Informative

      The videos are still encoded to 480x360 at the most. That's hardly "better than TV".

      -uso.

      --
      What you hear in the ear, preach from the rooftop Matthew 10.27b
    6. Re:As a non-american... by Tx · · Score: 5, Informative

      Hate replying to my myself, but went to find one of these full-length Trek episodes, clicked on it: "This video is not available in your country". So much for that.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    7. Re:As a non-american... by FireFury03 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Youtube offer better-than-TV resolution. Check out their high-quality option, which you can view full screen.

      If you say so... I have yet to see a YouTube video encoded anywhere close to 768x576 (SDTV resolution), and resolution aside, they don't come close to broadcast quality from the encoding point of view either.

      In an era when people are interested in HDTV (1920x1080), making a big deal about a crappy sub-SDTV streaming service seems a bit nuts.

      (Note: I'm not one who believes in bothering with HDTV for most stuff - maybe nature programmes, etc, but certainly not worthwhile for anything with a story - but I do draw the line at watching significant amounts of YouTube quality TV).

      --
      http://blog.nexusuk.org
    8. Re:As a non-american... by lufo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Does anyone seriously want to watch full length TV shows in a tiny box in their browser in crumby YouTube quality?!

      What else can you do during your boss' lunch time?

    9. Re:As a non-american... by EvilMonkeySlayer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Don't be so obtuse.

      If you haven't noticed the BBC isn't ad sponsored, it's UK license fee paid. How are they meant to cover the costs of international streaming? Youtube does streaming of their video internationally paid for by advertising with a well built back-end that can handle it.

      Comparing the BBC's iPlayer license fee paid service to the ad-sponsored Youtube is like comparing Apples and Oranges.

    10. Re:As a non-american... by FireFury03 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Which is why I watch YouTube on my TV. I installed a GreaseMonkey Script that will send the URL of a YouTube video to Xbox Media Center. After a little bit of caching, the movie plays.

      So you get to watch it on your TV in crappy YouTube quality instead... great...

      --
      http://blog.nexusuk.org
    11. Re:As a non-american... by Monkey-some · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I was totally agreeing with until I saw my young niece watch some children serie through youtube without even bothering to put it full screen...not that she's technologically impaired but it's only that she was instant messaging around, browsing and "studying" in the meantime.

    12. Re:As a non-american... by Hurricane78 · · Score: 2

      You lost your bet. I spent days searching for something like that.

      There are only some open proxies, and either they are incredibly horribly slow, or they cost money and still are very slow. And all of them require some invasive untrustworthy "client" to be installed for no reason. I bet most of them are just spyware and the modify your packets on-the-fly.

      My nearly perfect solution for series is, to create a proper search query trough btjunkie.org, and then add the resulting rss-feed to my mldonkey. Some additional scripting (post-filtering [eg duplicates], download priority setting and file renaming) and I'm done. Works like a charm for my shows. I come home and just look in "incoming" instead of turning on the tv. (I do not even have a tv anymore.)

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
    13. Re:As a non-american... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The videos are still encoded to 480x360 at the most. That's hardly "better than TV".

      -uso.

      It's at a point where with most shows it really doesn't matter. It's not like TV was the lowest point you could possibly go to make out what's going on.

      This conversation is academic anyway. If YouTube is going to compete with Hulu AND with its users, chances are the quality will be higher than what they have right now. You're better off waiting-and-seeing than saying you don't like the numbers and never checking it out.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    14. Re:As a non-american... by RazzleDazzle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Your "nearly perfect" solution seems way more complicated than necessary but to each his own.

      As for my "bet" maybe you need to practice on google searching, I did a single search and found this

      http://www.freeproxy.info/en/free_proxy/cgi-proxy.htm

      The few I tried worked right off the bat.

      I suppose doing something like TOR might work too.. though you might not get a US proxy I suppose. Maybe their are config options? I've never even downloaded it or seen it in use.

      --
      ZERO ZERO ONE ZERO ONE ZERO ONE ONE! Just brushing up for my next big invention: Ethernet over Voice (EoV)
    15. Re:As a non-american... by PunditGuy · · Score: 2, Funny

      You mean living here is actually good for something other than threatening to move to Canada? Sweet.

      --
      I don't wanna explode.

    16. Re:As a non-american... by Hurricane78 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Have you actually tried them? Outside the US?
      I doubt that.

      You see, I know most of them. They do not work.

      Just go on hulu.com and try watching a video. You can't.

      That was the point of having a proxy in this discussion. Point lost.

      "YOU'RE WINNER !"

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  3. Hulu vs. The World by junglee_iitk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The new services also put YouTube head to head with Hulu, competing directly for the full-length television show viewer. Hulu currently has more of this sort of content than does YouTube, but YouTube has the lionâ(TM)s share of the Web video audience. It is estimated that YouTube has 100 times the viewers that Hulu has.

    It might have to done something with the fact that Hulu's "video library can only be streamed within the United States".

    Some people go to great lengths to put their feet over an axe, just to see if it hurts or not.

  4. What Next? by nicknamenottaken · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think it is a smart idea to have star trek on youtube to compensate for the rest of the proposed garbage listed in the story. Hopefully the trend of 1 in 4 television shows on youtube not being garbage will continue.

    1. Re:What Next? by White+Flame · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait a sec, you're calling MacGyver "garbage" on a nerd website?

  5. Censorship Sucks. by liquidMONKEY · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Californication is censored, both language and nudity-wise, on YouTube. Normally for most programs it wouldn't matter, but it was the raunchy stuff that really propelled the comedy along in this case. Either have the full-length shows uncensored (possibly with a warning for moral individuals), or GTFO.

  6. Region-locking is an abomination. by EWAdams · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's called the WORLD WIDE Web, assholes.

    --
    I piss off bigots.
    1. Re:Region-locking is an abomination. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So if they used a medium of delivery beyond HTTP, you'd be happy with it? Or would it just ruin your witty one-liner?

      Seriously, just because licensing agreements haven't yet caught up with the global nature of the Internet doesn't mean we should disparage the positive steps being made in the direction of having content available on the Internet AT ALL.

    2. Re:Region-locking is an abomination. by electrictroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes this is the WWW, except that the American owners don't want non-americans looking at A-Team, McGuyver, et cetera. They want to sell those programs to Japanese stations for reruns, or on DVD directly to European citizens, and thereby maximize profit. If they gave this stuff for free via the web, they'd be killing their non-american market.

      Everything makes sense if you just follow the dollar to its source and assume the owner is greedy.

      --
      The government is not your daddy. Its purpose is not to raid middle-class neighbors' wallets and give it to you.
    3. Re:Region-locking is an abomination. by DMalic · · Score: 4, Funny

      I know! It's not like they've had much time to prepare, what with ARPANET's unexpected arrival in 2001 and the advent of the web browser shortly after in 2005! Why, I just remember back in late '07 when AOL was in its prime and nobody thought broadband would ever come into play..

    4. Re:Region-locking is an abomination. by electrictroy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ya know, it's only been three years since ABC first started putting television shows online. And it was only a "limited test" because they were afraid it would hurt their Nielsen Ratings for over-the-air television. They thought the internet might cause financial losses.

      We've come a long way since those dark days when networks were afraid of the internet.

      --
      The government is not your daddy. Its purpose is not to raid middle-class neighbors' wallets and give it to you.
  7. CBS only? by themightythor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The shows and their original networks:

    Star Trek: NBC
    MacGyver: ABC
    BH 90210: Fox
    Y & R: CBS

    I guess I don't understand how these things work...

    1. Re:CBS only? by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Star Trek: Paramount
      MacGyver: Paramount
      DH 90210: Paramount
      Y & R: CBS

      Paramount is now known as CBS Corporation. The Wiki has more info. Just because a show airs on one station doesn't mean that station owns the rights to that show. Although it does look like Paramount/CBS has had a change of heart: In February 2007, Viacom sent upwards of 100,000 DMCA takedown notices to the video-sharing site YouTube, alleging large-scale copyright infringement. Of the 100,000, approximately 60â"70 non-infringing videos were erroneously removed under the auspices of copyright infringement.[3]

      On March 13, 2007, Viacom filed a US$1 billion lawsuit against Google and YouTube alleging massive copyright infringement, alleging that users frequently uploaded copyrighted material to YouTubeâ"enough to cause a hit in revenue for Viacom and a gain in advertisement revenue for YouTube.[4]

      The complaint contends that almost 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacomâ(TM)s programming have been available on YouTube and that these clips had collectively been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

  8. Please no by hcdejong · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With short clips the YouTube UI is bad enough. For full-length TV shows I want:
    - a UI that can be controlled from arbitrary input devices, e.g. an IR remote and rotary controller (Griffin Powermate). Sitting at your computer doesn't cut it, I want control from my comfy chair.
    - a full-featured UI with controls for skip forward/reverse (at short/long intervals), aspect ratio, mute, etc.
    Basically, I want the VLC UI.

  9. Is this the end of reruns? by zakezuke · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seriously. One of the things I hate about watching TV is the fact that you have to depend on a station to carry a show, and play it, all of it. It's fine when it hits the rerun zone, but there is no real assurance they will play it totally and in the intended order. So, much of my 20th century TV watching was watching the repeats waiting for what I didn't see to come around.

    The first stuff I started to see was on AOL's in2tv. They screwed up Rocky and Bullwinkle, one of "those" series where order and completeness matters, not so much that they don't carry a season but they broke up their "show" into their various little shows. Now we have Veoh and Hulu, and the quality of both is pretty good.

    So it makes me wonder, now that these things exist, sites that carry series that have little to no commercial value, what point is there to 100+ channels? Seriously it's reached the point that I should actually ditch the cable since all of my TV needs save the local news are covered online. Even cartoon network.

    --
    There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  10. Re:Jewtube? by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cartman has taken over slashdot.

  11. Key word missing? by BigBadBus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think the word "legally" is missing in the write-up. Episodes of some TV shows have been available for quite a while now; I watched an episode of Star Trek Voyager I had missed on YouTube many months ago.

    --
    My web domain.
  12. A closed curve on a sphere has no inherent inside by pjt33 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes. I hear there's a country with about 300 million inhabitants there.

  13. Why no 90210 love? by elrous0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    But the 90210 characters were so compelling! There was that handsome dude with the sideburns, and that other handsome dude with the slightly pointier sideburns, and that ditsy blond chic, and that other ditsy blond chick.

    How could you not love a show with rich, beautiful people whining about how tough their lives are?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Why no 90210 love? by jcr · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's the most concise and accurate review of a television show I've ever read. Well done.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  14. I don't think that's the point here... by g253 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You may be right that Youtube's is still inferior to Tv's resolution, although I find it good enough for watching on the computer or on an ordinary 5 years old TV... And it's even better than a worn-out VHS ;)

    But that's not the point here : the important thing is that they're streaming full episodes, legally, on youtube. That's a change in policy, it sets a good precedent, and it could even help to make the average consumer think about so-called piracy ("why can't I download it off mininova if I can watch it on youtube?").
    So while the low res might make it less appealing to the average nerd, it's still a Good Thing. (although the region locking is rubbish)

  15. Re:A closed curve on a sphere has no inherent insi by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You shouldn't have told us that. Now we'll have to invade.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  16. US-ONLY! :( by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 5, Informative

    So, this means I won't have to pirate the videos to watch my favorite shows?

    Think again.

    "This video is not available in your country."

    Oh well, at least I know a site that DOES let me play the videos in my country - and without ads.

  17. Re:A closed curve on a sphere has no inherent insi by ozphx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well theres plenty of scarcity over here. Theres practically no oil in my backyard at all! With such a rich lack of resources, I'm happy to share the scarcity with you.

    You can come around tommorow if you like, bring a big oil tanker. I'll pump the oil out and you can have a whole damn tanker of scarcity! No charge!

    --
    3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.