Just moments after a new YouTube Mobile website was introduced, YouTube announced on The Official YouTube Blog the launch of YouTube Leanback in beta, which was introduced in May at the Google I/O 2010 developer conference in San Francisco, California as part of the upcoming Google TV.
YouTube Leanback is basically an optimized YouTube experience that will play non-stop content based on a user’s preferences and settings, subscriptions, and videos shared by their friends. Additionally, users can watch the most popular videos from different categories such as Comedy, Entertainment, News, et al.
To skip a video, individuals can just click on the right arrow on their keyboard, and the next video will begin playing automatically. The up arrow will allow users to search videos, while the down arrow will allow channel browsing. YouTube states that a mouse is not needed for this experience.
As mentioned above, YouTube Leanback will be made part of Google TV. That’s the reason why the channel behaves such as TV channel, playing videos non-stop. The service has been designed to allow users to relax and watch a never-ending stream of content from a distance with an easy to use interface. Perfect for watching on a television.
YouTube indicates that video rentals will be made available on YouTube Leanback. The reason why rentals are not being offered at the moment is because of technical difficulties, and not licensing issues. The feature is expected to launch in the coming weeks.
To try YouTube Leanback, all you need to do is visit youtube.com/leanback and sing with your Google or YouTube account to determine your preferences. For a better experience, YouTube recommends connecting your Facebook account.
Watch Your Leanback Beta Video:
via Erictric