YouTube's new 'Shows' tab: Streaming full-length movies, TV
I saw this AP story at ChicagoTribune.com this morning:
YouTube boosts lineup of full-length movies, TV shows in partnership with some major studios
Sure enough, there is a brand-new “Shows” section at YouTube, and it is stocked, as of this writing, with three dozen choices.
The one that caught my eye first was David Attenborough’s outstanding BBC series, The Life of Birds — all ten episodes clocking in just under 50 minutes each. I will never forget the end of Episode 6 where a bird (the Superb Lyrebird, to be exact) imitates the sound of a camera’s shutter, or the scene in Episode 10 where a crow in Japan uses traffic signals in its elaborate nut-cracking scheme. What a cool series.
If history as taught by a Monty Python alumnus is more your thing, you may like Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives. Want to cook and travel with ardent Chef José Andrés? Then check out his Made in Spain series.
Other YouTube “Shows” offerings include 26 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, eight of Fantasy Island, 37 of Bewitched, and 51 of Astro Boy.
So far, the new section seems devoid of full-length films, but it just went live late last night.
More and more of the video we watch is coming to us through the Internet. I like this a lot, but I am also growing frightened about the eventual cost of all this, once broadband caps are put into effect.
In the film "American Gangster", Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is a heroin importer. But not just your run of the mill importer -- he manages to work out a way to import directly from Bangkok. His product -- "Blue Magic" -- is far superior to what is currently available AND at a much better price. Inevitably, much of Manhattan winds up hooked. Hmmmm.... The minute I started reading this post I was getting that Pavlovian reflex to check out a program -- any program -- before finishing the post. I'm already a big fan of both Hulu and YouTube, so this sounds like the best of both worlds. But you're right -- those darn broadband caps! I mean, we all know it is coming, they all just want to get their Blue Magic in our internet bloodstreams first. Guess I better exercise some restraint so I don't get too attached or start a new savings account now so I can somehow pay for my habit without selling off the family jewels!! Wait, what jewels?