Hot on the heels of Quietube, the YouTube enhancer we covered last week, reader Jason wrote in to let us know about a similar project he co-created named Theeter. Like Quietube it removes all the UI elements from a YouTube video and presents everything in a stark black or white background. It also throws in some nice features that advanced users will like, such as the option to change the color scheme or the aspect ratio, default to the HD or HQ stream, auto-play the video, and pick the precise time when it should start.
Additionally, Theeter has a bookmarklet that lets you create a Theeter page from any clip you're on. It also allows users to create a custom link to their creation that will bring along all the changes they made like the start time and UI color. The only difference is that instead of using a shortening service like TinyURL, Theeter's got one built-in, so you can create your own vanity URL within the Theeter domain.
These tools continue to add to the YouTube watching experience by simply reducing what's on the page. YouTube has made efforts of its own to cut down on the noise by compartmentalizing features into nested menu items and rolling out a "dimmer switch" on some long-form content, however it's not yet a part of all the videos on the service.
Theeter takes YouTube videos and makes them better-suited for sharing. You can pick both the color and the start time. It also lets you create a custom URL for the sake of vanity or easy remembering.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Quietube is a new tool to enhance the YouTube-watching experience. The idea is that you can watch just the video, with none of the other YouTube page elements. To do this, you simply add its bookmarklet to your browser's bookmarks toolbar, and click it on any YouTube page.
While not as elegant as YouTube Cinema, which is my favorite YouTube enhancer, Quietube doesn't require installing an extension. It also creates a TinyURL you can pass along to others to share the video in Quietube mode.
One thing YouTube watchers may miss, however, is that each video is treated like an embed, meaning that the button for toggling to full-screen view lays hidden within the player's controls.
Here's a quick demo of it below. You can also see a live example of it here.
(via BookToo via Waxy Links)
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