What is YouTube Leanback?

YouTube has unveiled its latest product for the big(ger) screen, the YouTube Leanback. This product is somewhat like Google TV in that it promotes the viewing of online material through larger formats and screens, such as TV screens. In essence, YouTube aims to create the so-called "10-foot experience" for its users, otherwise known as the ability to watch TV while sitting on the couch (1).

The drive to place online material on a bigger or non-computer screen has long been the goal of Internet sites and providers, as well as electronics manufacturers. As early as 1996, Philips and Sony built and marketed WebTV sets to the public (2). Microsoft bought the WebTV network in 1997 and developed the technology to encompass additional networks and sponsors. Web sites such as Google have recently introduced their own version of Internet "watching" (with Google TV), as has Apple Computer (with Apple TV).

The drive to develop Internet TV is a simple one: statistically, people watch an average of 5 hours of TV per day (1). Some households would prefer to not own a computer since they only surf the Web. Other individuals watch many of their preferred television programs via computer, and thus would like to see those programs in a bigger and higher resolution format.

With YouTube's Leanback, users can do just that. The Leanback program allows the user to have a standard YouTube video open up into full screen mode. Related videos are shown at the bottom of the screen as a stream of thumbnails, and these videos can be selected by hitting the "Enter" key on a keyboard. Other YouTube videos may be searched for at the top of the screen. Leanback is controlled via the computer keyboard's "Enter" and arrow keys (3). HD (high definition) is used when available. Leanback can also be linked to social networking forums such as Facebook, allowing users to not only announce the videos that they are watching, but to also see what their friends are watching.

YouTube had already made the attempt to jump to the big screen when it launched YouTube XL (4). However, YouTube XL required the user to click on a side bar area in order to choose between videos. XL also had resolution issues and would not work well when launched from game consoles such as the PlayStation 3. YouTube Leanback is the "new and improved" version of XL and will hopefully resolve those issues.

Interestingly, YouTube Leanback is built on Adobe's Flash platform, so it cannot be used with the Apple iPad.

References:

1. YouTube tries for the TV again with Leanback http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20009921-265.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

2. WEBTV NETWORKS INTRODUCES INTERNET ACCESS, INFORMATION SERVICE http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3167563.html

3. YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video) http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/07/youtube-launches-leanback-mobile-site-gets-html5-revamp-video/

4. YouTube making jump to TV screens http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10254696-93.html