Widescreen and High Definition Videos

Hot on the heels of YouTube's upgrade to High Quality videos, the site now lets users upgrade and viewers watch widescreen videos, as well as high definition videos. The default video player is now widescreen, and any widescreen videos you upload will display at the wider aspect ratio. You can also upload videos up to 720p resolution -- that's 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall. When the high definition option is available, viewers need only click the HD option to view in full high resolution.

Video Annotations

Here's something relatively new on the YouTube site. You can now "annotate" your videos, by adding Pop Up Video-like word balloons and text boxes, as well as onscreen overlays that link to other YouTube videos. To add annotations, upload your video as normal and then go to your uploaded videos page; click the Edit Annotations button for the video in question and then do your thing!

YouTube for Business

Due to popular request, I've written a book that focuses exclusively on how to use YouTube to market your business, brand, products, and services. That book is called YouTube for Business, and it's now available at most bookstores and online retailers. It's priced at an affordable $24.95, and is a must-have for any business who is serious about marketing via YouTube online videos.

YouTube for Business covers everything you need to use YouTube as a component of your online marketing mix, and features profiles of five successful YouTube businesses. Find out more about the book here.

Higher Quality YouTube Videos

YouTube is now accepting and displaying higher resolution videos. Instead of the old 320 x 240 resolution, YouTube can now work with videos up to 480 x 360 resolution. YouTube calls this "Higher Quality Video," which it is.

To view higher quality videos whenever the higher quality is available, you need to change your account settings. Go to your Account page and click the Video Playback Quality link. On the next page, select the playback setting that makes sense for you, then click the Save Settings button.

Know, however, that the majority of existing YouTube videos are available only in the older 320 x 240 resolution. Look for newer videos to be uploaded at the higher resolution.

December YouTube Site Updates

YouTube instituted a bunch of minor changes to its site in December. Here's what's new and different:

UPDATED VIDEOS TAB

The Videos tab now includes two new viewing options. The "Most Active Today" section displaysthe current day's most buzz-worthy titles, while the "Previously Popular" section displays the most-viewed videos from one week ago or one month ago.

EXPANDED SEARCH RESULTES

YouTube search results now include both videos and channels. When you enter a query, relevant channels may be displayed at the top of the results page.

NEW MUSIC SUBCATEGORIES

YouTube's Music caegory is now broken down into genres such as Rock, Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, and Classical.

RSS LINKS ON VIDEO BROWSE PAGES

To stay up to date on the searches you check frequently, you can subscribe to video browse pages by clicking the RSS link located beneath the categories list.

NEW PROFILE PICTURE

You can now choose any image you want to represent your channel, instead of a video still. To do this, just click the "Upload an image" option on your Account page.

COMMENTS VOTING NOW OPTIONAL

You can now choose whether or not you want to allow users to vote on comments made on your videos. This option is under a new "Comment Voting" section in both the Upload and Edit Video and sharing sections.

YouTube Video Bar on Your Web Page

Google now lets you easily embed a vertical or horizontal bar of video thumbnails on your own web page. You can select videos from up to four channels to show in the bar; your site visitors can click on any thumbnail to view the video. Click here to generate the HTML code.

New Video Viewing Page

It's been in beta testing for some months now, but YouTube has finally moved to its new video viewing page. It's basically a redesign of the old page, with a larger video player screen, better organized features, and the like. You should be happy with what you see.