I was just uploading a video to youtube and saw they are now offering Movie Rentals online. As a frequent visitor of Blockbusters, Sky Movies and occasional Netflix user this completely blindsided me. I have heard ZERO chatter, nothing on Twitter and certainly nothing on G+.
They appear to have a wide variety of titles available and even a few I have not see in stores yet. What did intrigue me though is the Free Movie section. Whilst I was not expecting to find anything worthy of watching I was surprised at how many they had. Moving on to the New Releases they definitely have some great titles like the “Hunger Games”.
If you are wondering about the cost, well you will be please to know they are not charging the £silly money Sony do on the PS or even the crazy prices on the XBOX, they are charging exactly the same as iTunes do. The “Hunger Games” in SD will set you back £3.49 and £4.49 for the HD version, the only question now is do you watch it on Sky or Youtube…For me thats an easy one, Youtube is new and I just have to test new things so I’ll be back once the movies finished.
This does of course put Google way ahead of Apple in terms of “TV”. I know you can watch TV on your Apple TV but really how many people have rushed out to buy the fruity little box? The same goes for the Google TV box that they tried releasing a while ago. Anyway, why do I say it puts them ahead, well look at most of the smart TV’s that are coming out, they all have YouTube access and if your TV doesn’t then your FreeView Box or FreeSat tuner probably will. Android is outselling apple many to one and buying it on Youtube allows you to watch it on a multitude of devices but this is another whole topic all together.
Some Frequently Asked Questions regarding YouTube Movies…
Q: How long do I have to watch the movie?
A: 48 hours after starting the movie.
Q: How long do I have to watch the movie?
A: 30 Days from day of purchase. (unless you start the movie then the 48 hours starts)
Q: How many times can I watch the movie?
A: 48 hours divided by the length of your movie… as many times as you can in 48 hours.
Q: Where can you watch your movies?
A: On your computer, Google TV, and most Android devices.
Q: Do I have to have an internet connection?
A: You can download your movie on some Android devices but you will need an internet connection for other devices.
Q: Refunds.
A: You can request a refund within 7 days or before you press play whichever comes soonest.
Michael is a Technology & Digital Consultant to the Real Estate, Property, Travel and Tourism industies with over 13 Years of leading Technical teams & Programme Management. He has worked with agencies in multiple countries and cities from the UK, New York, Russia, France, Dubai to Australia and South Africa. In his spare time he is a commercial drone pilot that dabbles with Photography & Videography.
