YouTube intros TV-oriented web interface
updated 03:20 pm EST, Thu January 15, 2009
YouTube for Television
YouTube today extended its features with the launch of YouTube for Television. The site is specifically reengineered for media hubs and other web-capable TV devices with an interface designed to be viewable at living room distances and controlled through a remote rather than a mouse. The portal is available right away in 22 regions and is initially confirmed to work with the PlayStation 3 and Wii.
The Google-owned video host specifically points to the TV-ready site as a form of advocacy for web video, which the company says has been underserved on media devices in favor of either proprietary clients, such as the Apple TV, or no web-related video at all, such as the VUDU Box. It hopes to extend support to more web-ready devices in the future but hasn't named manufacturers.
"Very few such devices today contain a Web browser or provide access to YouTube," the company says. "Our hope is that this site may help to accelerate an industry evolution towards open television access to Web video."
