Google's Video Mess.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Peek, Robin1 robin.peek@simmons.edu

It's good to know that even Google can be humbled, as we saw with the debut of Google Video in January.

Google Video billed itself as "the world's first open online video marketplace where you can search for, watch and buy an ever-growing collection of TV shows, movies, music videos, documentaries, personal productions and more."

Granted, digital video-on-demand on the Internet is still in its infancy, and other major players including Microsoft and Yahoo! have already declared their intent to enter the video-on-demand marketplace. Still, expectations for a Google product are understandably high, so it is surprising that Google Video came to market--even a trial market--with a half-baked interface and little compelling content to attract users.

When a product is in beta, it is like a person in an audition. But this audition can take a long time in Google-land, where being in beta seems to be the company's modus operandi. Case in point: Gmail--Google's e-mail service--is rapidly approaching its second birthday in beta. This is turning the notion of being in beta into a joke; it's like the company is saying, "Don't blame us--the product is in beta; trust us, we will get it right eventually."

If reality shows like American Idol have collectively taught us anything, it is that there are lots (and lots) of people who think they have a special talent, such as singing, I have not been a fan of American Idol, but when I recently watched the show's auditions special, I was amazed that no one was able to convince some of these folks that trying out for the show was a bad idea. Or that singing in any form might not be a good idea, either. In a kinder moment, one of the judges might say, "Get some lessons." Google Video looks like it needs some too.

Google needs to learn that images don't necessarily aid video browsing. The cable industry figured this out a long time ago. My on-demand guide for my cable service does not clutter my entry point with little thumbnail images that Lake up valuable real estate, usually without adding any significant visual information. And by mixing up the entry screen with video for sale and free categories of popular and random, Google can leave the hapless viewer gazing upon such image gems as "Fire Fart."

In the television category, Google Video listed 12 different shows at the time I visited, including The Brady Bunch, Charlie Rose, and Survivor: Guatemala. For such a short list, it was all over the map. But when I clicked to the show CSI, there was only one episode. I hope "Daddy's Little Girl" from season six is the episode you wanted to see. What was Google thinking?

When I clicked over to the section labeled Movies, I found an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. That was strange, because I thought The Andy Griffith Show was a television program. But then again, this section broadly interprets the 367 items identified as movies for sale, including On the Clock: Collegiate Football Draft Series and music performances. However, Giovanni: Live from Las Vegas would probably be the best of these movie gems. Flesh for Frankenstein, anyone?

Google is letting companies and individuals set their own prices for video content. A daily rental charge now appears to be between $1.99 and $2.99. Some content providers are allowing an entire show to be purchased for prices in the low teens. But don't expect DVD-quality playback from Google Video. Though quality varies considerably, it seems to be generally mediocre.

Free video content can be viewed using Flash on any platform, and it can be downloaded without having a Google account or providing account information to Google. Paid content is another matter. To purchase content, you must have a Google account, and you must view the content using the Google Video Player (GVP).

At least for now, Google is being democratic about digital rights management (DRM). Anyone who uploads a video can select the DRM scheme of his or her choice. In other words, the same DRM confusion that has provided angst to libraries for years could now do the same for the poor soul who simply wants to see The Twilight Zone, which, by the way, requires a DRM program only available for the Windows 2000 or Windows XP platform.

And who is going to support any and all DRM schemes that come up the pipeline? The folks who upload the files into Google Video? The DRM providers? Google? This is unlikely, because Google is now developing a DRM solution of its own. On this point, open standards champion Google is bypassing current solutions to add yet another DRM scheme to the mix.

Google's DRM solution attaches a protected file to a Google account. So every time users want to view a file, they have to enter their account names and passwords. According to the company's Web site, "Google takes steps to protect copyrighted content by embedding the Google Account information of the person who downloads each copy-protected video, in encrypted form, in the video itself. When you play a copy-protected video, the Player will send this encrypted information to Google, including the identity of the video, to confirm that the copy is authorized." Let's just say that I won't be logging into this scheme any time soon.

I can only hope that some executives at Google were having a bad day when they decided that Google Video was ready to audition. Perhaps they will remember another reality show called Project Runway. In each episode, host and supermodel Heidi Klum warns aspiring designers that in the fashion industry, "One day you are in; the next day you might be out." The same holds true in the technology industry too.

~~~~~~~~

By Robin Peek

Robin Peek is associate professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College. She can be reached at robin.peek@simmons.edu. Send your comments about this column to itletters@infotoday.com.