YouTube Takes on iTunes Store With Streaming Movie Rentals

Tuesday May 10, 2011 9:37 am PDT by Eric Slivka

YouTube yesterday announced the launch of streaming movie rentals, taking on Apple's iTunes Store offerings that have grown to include a variety of streaming and downloadable rental options as well as digital purchases. YouTube's new rental service, which comes at "industry standard pricing" typically in the range of $2.99-$3.99, builds upon free movie offerings the site has offered for several years.

Today, we're announcing another step in our goal to bring more of the video you love to YouTube: the addition of thousands of full-length feature films from major Hollywood studios available to rent in the US at youtube.com/movies. In addition to the hundreds of free movies available on the site since 2009, you will be able to find and rent some of your favorite films. From memorable hits and cult classics like Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King's Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me. Movies are available to rent at industry standard pricing, and can be watched with your YouTube account on any computer. The new titles will begin appearing later today and over the coming weeks to www.youtube.com/movies, so keep checking back.

YouTube is also offering "Movie Extras" for a number of its films, including free behind-the-scenes clips, interviews and other content, as well as integrated movie ratings and reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. Similar to Apple's policies for iTunes movie rentals, YouTube rentals give users up to 30 days to view a rented film after initiating access and 24 hours to complete watching the film once viewing is started.

YouTube began discussions with major movie studios about movie rentals over a year and a half ago, rolling out a trial of the service to thousands of Google employees, but it has apparently taken until now to work through any licensing and technical issues to go live in a market that Apple has dominated.

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OllyW
112 months ago

And is this available to those of us outside the US?


What do you mean, outside the US? ;)

Rating: 9 Votes
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AppleScruff1
112 months ago
Good news. More competition, more choices.
Rating: 8 Votes
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Small White Car
112 months ago

For an hour and a half movie, I can expect it to take at least two hours including buffering.

Sorry, Google, but I'm not interested in paying for a terrible experience.


So Apple's and Netflix's rentals all work fine but Google's too dumb to figure it out?

What makes you think that?
Rating: 7 Votes
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slu
112 months ago

For an hour and a half movie, I can expect it to take at least two hours including buffering.

Sorry, Google, but I'm not interested in paying for a terrible experience.


So Apple's and Netflix's rentals all work fine but Google's too dumb to figure it out?

What makes you think that?


Have you ever used YouTube? The amount of buffering that goes on for even the shortest of videos is crazy
Rating: 5 Votes
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nwcs
112 months ago
I would rather watch on my TV and right now that would mean via Apple TV. Not everyone wants to spend hours behind a computer screen for leisure.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Hastings101
112 months ago
Youtube is even more awesome now, yay.

Also, the Green Hornet sucked.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Mackan
112 months ago
U.S only as usual. Years and decades are passing by where I read about these apparently experimental ways of providing and distributing digital content - in the U.S only. Such a fail and waste of waiting time for non-U.S people.
Rating: 4 Votes
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pdjudd
112 months ago

Not without an update, I'd think. Will Apple allow it?

I don't think it's a question of "allowing it" rather "supporting it". I don't think apple is going to bend over backwards to support a competing product.
Rating: 4 Votes
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ghostlyorb
112 months ago
I wonder if you'd have to wait for it to buffer.. or wait until they have the speed to supple you the data. Youtube can be slow sometimes... idk sounds like a bad idea. But I'm not into renting movies, I rather buy the blu-ray and have it forever.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Wondercow
112 months ago



Depends on the definition of 'take'...


Take:

Oxford Concise:
3. Accept or receive
4. Acquire or assume

New Oxford American Dictionary (OS X):
1. <further division --WC> Gain or acquire (possession or ownership of something)

American Heritage:
1. To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice
10. To accept and place under one's care or keeping

Mirriam-Webster:
6: to transfer into one's own keeping
11 a: to obtain by deriving from a source
12: to receive or accept whether willingly or reluctantly

So, to use the AH, that gives us:

To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice (the property of another) without right or permission

That sentence is using definitions of both "take" (red) and "steal" (blue; with "take" replaced by its definition) When Bob pirates software, movies, music et cetera he makes a copy of someone else's property. Since Bob is without right or permission to have said copy he has gotten that property into his possession through skill or artifice (and maybe force).

Piracy is stealing, no matter one tries to justify or rationalize.
Rating: 3 Votes

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