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Google Video search from other videohostings

jilm [PersonRank 10]

Thursday, May 17, 2007
17 years ago14,770 views

I found something really strange. Google Video started indexing videos from outside of YouTube and Google Video itself. I found only one example:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=rat+monster+joke

But try see the video from Metacafé inside results by clicking on the plus button. It uses Google Video flash player interface! But all links (even from the player) go to Metacafé what I believe means, that the video is actually hosted there.

So Google get video from Metacafé and show it inside of its player? Is it legal or something? I mean – I thought that I cannot stream videos from YouTube without using their player with their links and potentially also ads.

Have you any explanation?

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

This is something that was announced as part of their Searchology press conference yesterday, although it was mentioned with reference to Universal Search and integrating Google Video results. Apparently more video providers will follow too.

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Yes but how they can use their flash player? Even for YouTube videos they don´t do it, just for third-party providers.

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

And here's one of the Q&A from yesterday:

<< Q: How broadly will you search other video sites? Metacafe: Is it opt in or will you search anyone?

Marissa: We discover video through our crawl, if we can crawl the pages, find the metadata, based on knowing the popular video hosting sites, we can catch a thumbnail and integrate them. >>

From: http://www.appscout.com/2007/05/q_and_a_from_the_google_search.php

Mambo [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

<< Even for YouTube videos they don´t do it, just for third-party providers. >>

They're probably going to keep that so that people know it's YouTube (apparently the best video site of the moment – never heard of it myself!) :)

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Yes, but do you have a right to do so? To stream other´s video inside your player? In YouTube policy is written they you even cannot without permission embed their video inside commercial website. And now – Google embed Metacafé´s video without using their interface. That is really, really strange unless Google has an explicit permission. Because that would mena that I can take all videos from YouTube, stream them from YouTube, let YouTube pay for the traffic and put it inside jilmyoutube.com with subtle or none credit to YouTube. That is apparently illegal, so I wonder that the behavior of Google Video could be OK.

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

Google were years caching images, making thumbnails and hosts in his server. Metacafe sees that their incoming stats increase thanks to video search and think.. If we sues Google, we'll automatically baned from our video search

But a question... If they are not using his interface, their ads will not be related to search

Mambo [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

jilm, do you realise that Google bought YouTube? just checking...

Mona [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

I want make gmail account

Inferno [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Mona < u want an account well i don't think you require an invite any longer just visit Gmail.com

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Mambo: Yes, YouTube, but not Metacafé.
Daniel Garcia: Indexing of thumbnails of images is something absolutely different. In this cases there are not just thumbnails but full videos inside of their player.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

While this sounds odd, they probably asked for permission to do that and the reason for hosting the file was the performance. But the player should be branded with Metacafe or other video provider.

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

jilm: ok, image is different cases. But the result is same, improved visibility in Google, More visits for your site, cash from ads/services

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Daniel Garcia: That´s not that obvious, because you don´t need to go to Metacafé to see their videos. So it´s like if Google News take all articles from CNN, publish it and link to CNN somewhere.

Ionut: Could be, but I still see it as evil, Google is using its power to force other videohostings accept their conditions.

or [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

If they gave google permission, how could you still see it as evil. Google did not force them to agree (if they got permission). Are you saying it is evil for google to ask? I mean, it does make things more convenient for users, so it makes sense for google to get permission to do this.

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

It makes things more convenient for Google. Google is using its near-to-monopoly position in search. Meanwhile you cannot do the same thing with Google´s YouTube. Yahoo, Microsoft, me – nobody can take their content and show it inside of my service within my interface.

or [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

[put at-character here]Jilm

If google got permission from Metacafe, then this has nothing to do with them using their monopoly, and it does also make things more convenient for users (that's obvious). Now if google has done it without permission, then, yes, they are acting arrogant.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Well, let's monitor Metacafe Blog.

http://blog.metacafe.com/

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

There's a difference between youtube and metacafe

YouTube's link says:
+ Watch video here

Metacafe link says:
+ Watch preview here

I think preview only show first minutes of video and you have to Metacafe link to watch full video

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

When I go to that search, clicking the MetaCafe result takes me straight to the MetaCafe Video page

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Daniel García: Nope. All examples which I found were showing full videos. All of them were short, but most of online videos are short. So if there is some limitation it´s broader than 3 minutes. However the difference with the naming could mean, that Google intend to show just small part, but now he isn´t.

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

jilm you're right. Most online videos are short

I think Google waits for metacafe reaction

Use another interface in own products gave Google lot of problems:
- Inconsistency
- Malware
- Slow video preview due to server saturation (think in other sources like local tv websites)

Obviously, many websites protest along years about Google cache but simple robots.txt rules take them out

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Not only metacafe (look the 6th result) http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Justice+-+D.A.N.C.E.&btnG=Search

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

TOMHTML: I only see preview in metacafe, in Myspace I see only a thumbnail

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Yeah, the fun is Google is able to make a thumbnail just from a SWF file. Really great.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

I wonder how random is the frame...

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

I see dailymotion on result 3 on tom's link. also zshare.com, lastnightsparty.com, theyellowstereo, blogger, myspace and nailler9.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Metacafe is the only 3rd party video provider we've seen in Google Video. The thumbnails from the main search are available for other video sites like MySpace Video. Google Video still has to catch up.

Daniel Garcia [PersonRank 6]

17 years ago #

James Xuan: I only see links to that sites and thumbnail for myspace. But not video preview

jilm [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

I contacted Czech Google and finally they replied me that it was a mistake. So no longer Metacafe inside of Google Video.

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