While YouTube's move to accommodate videos uploaded in the 16:9 aspect ratio will put a smile on many people's faces, observers will likely interpret the move as a baby step to compete with the likes of Vimeo and Hulu in the entertainment arena.
(Credit: YouTube)
YouTube is expanding the width of its viewing screen, often adding black vertical bars to videos uploaded in the 4:3 aspect ratio.
(Credit: YouTube)The video-sharing site announced the move in a blog posting Monday evening:
We're expanding the width of the page to 960 pixels to better reflect the quality of the videos you create and the screens that you use to watch them. This new, wider player is in a widescreen aspect ratio which we hope will provide you with a cleaner, more powerful viewing experience.
The expanded viewing width will please YouTube users who are increasingly filming and uploading more videos to the site in the 16:9 aspect ratio. However, those worried that their 4:3 videos will appear stretched out need not fear. Those videos will be centered with vertical black bars flanking the image (like the infamous video depicted at right that captured a New York City Police officer tackling a bicyclist in Times Square).
While other sites such as Vimeo and Blip.tv have been using the widescreen format for some time, this move by YouTube seems to coincide with the recent announcement that MGM will become the first major movie studio to post full-length feature films on YouTube.
YouTube parent Google may be trying to duplicate the success of competitor Hulu, which has become the top outlet for watching full-length films and TV shows on the Web, and is reportedly generating as many ad dollars in its first year in business as YouTube, which will mark its fourth birthday in February.
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