youtube

For a couple of years now, executives at YouTube have been working on what they call "the lean-back experience" -- ways of watching online video that don't require viewers to choose something else to watch every two or three minutes.

The company has tried various tactics to increase the time users spend on its site, from deep integrations with connected televisions to funding channels led by celebrities. It has also redesigned its Web site and mobile apps to emphasize a left-hand "guide" feature, which is designed to make it easier to find stuff you might … Read more

YouTube downloaders tend to fall into two types: freeware that does the basic job of downloading and saving files from YouTube and maybe a few more sites, and premium (that means pay) tools that typically offer more features and capabilities to justify the cost, such as compatibility with many more sites, the ability to save videos in different file types and quality levels, and no ads or watermarks. Kotato's YouTube Downloader is the latter type, with an emphasis on convenience. For example, you can save videos from just about any hosting site, and in HD and HQ, too. It … Read more

RealPlayer 16 maintains its redesign from version 15 but changes a couple things under the hood, most notably the original "Featured" video section.

Installation process remains the same: Real uses a stub installer with optional offers of various products that you can choose to add or ignore. The sleek, metallic-colored interface from last year remains intact; the core video player, media library manager, and built-in burning tools remain virtually unchanged. The most noticeable overhaul exists in RealPlayer's new Web Videos tab.

Last year's features like private mode and the ability to view Facebook videos from within … Read more

From music videos and 1980s commercials to tutorials and funny cats -- and everything in between -- YouTube contains innumerable hours of streaming video entertainment. If you'd like to snag a video and save it to your computer for offline viewing, there are plenty of utilities that can help you with that, including Clip Extractor. Although Clip Extractor isn't as packed with features as some other options, it makes quick work of saving YouTube videos as AVI files.

Clip Extractor's interface is straightforward and easy to figure out, consisting of a single screen. To save a video, … Read more

VLC is an extremely useful application for watching, recording, and streaming audio and video. And if you didn't know, you can also use it to watch your favorite YouTube videos.

As the Digital Inspiration blog points out, there are lots of benefits to watching YouTube videos in VLC.  For starters, you can skip any ads that might play before videos without needing to use a browser extension. Second, you can change the playback speed of videos, which can help if you're trying to learn something new, like a dance. Third, you can watch the video in … Read more

The RipTunes user interface is simple and straightforward. At the top are four tabs: Search, Library, Queue, and Ringtone. Search is self explanatory, Library is where you can view all downloaded files, Queue brings up a page showing current downloads, and Ringtone is where you can cut MP3 files to make ringtones.

The Search tab is where you want to go first. Inputting any artist name or song title will bring you to a new page. Overall the program works amazingly well downloading and converting to MP3. A typical song will take about 30 to 45 seconds to completely download … Read more

If you're sharing a lot of video content on the Web, YouTube is probably one of your primary hosting spots. Adding extra information to a video can help other people find your content, which means it's easier for you to reach a larger audience. When you have a copyright notice, or other lengthy information to tack on to your video, filling it out each time can become tiring.

Instead of spending your time filling out the form every time you want to upload a video, why not just adjust the default settings ahead of time? You may not … Read more

YouTube arrives today on the last major gaming console it's been absent from: the Nintendo Wii, with its installed base of 97 million units around the world.

For starters, the YouTube app for Wii will be available only in the United States. But Google plans on bringing it to other countries soon.

YouTube apps are now available on 400 million devices around the world, Google says. It previously came to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and has been announced as a partner for the Wii U, which makes its U.S. debut Sunday.

The new app can be found here.… Read more

Like many consumers of online video, Timbo Drayson wanted badly to bring his favorite viral clips from his smartphone to the big screen. But doing so hasn't always been easy, particularly for Google TV owners like himself.

"I love it when the video is playing," Drayson said. "But actually trying to navigate with these remotes is a nightmare."

Fortunately, as a product manager for YouTube, Drayson is in a position to do something about it. Recently, Drayson has been working in Google's London office on a new feature for YouTube designed to make streaming … Read more