Google on Monday introduced two new elements to its Video Search beta: a plug-in application that lets users watch videos in the browser and access to user-uploaded videos, which the company has been collecting since April.
For the average Web user, the Google Video Viewer is designed to make video accessible in a way never seen before, said Peter Chane, senior business product manager for Google Video.
Google wanted to make the viewing of videos “a very simple, consistent experience,” Chane said, adding that the company wanted “to allow people to watch video today and, over time, to watch more video integrated into the platform [with] very interesting, diverse results from users—from TV, from organizations large and small, and from individuals.”
The browser plug-in can be downloaded for free from http://video.google.com, and is specifically designed to play content exclusive to Google video. After installing the viewer, users can enter keywords into the search box and the results will show up with still-screen captures and small bits of text next to each.
Those with video available will have a small, triangular “play” icon next to the text. Once a user clicks on the video they want to see, five still-screen captures will be displayed in the browser–the top will be the full video and the rest will capture small parts of video that are most relevant to the specific search.
Click the play button, and the still image will spring to life within the browser. The plug-in currently works with the Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox Web browsers.