YouTube opens up video library to developers

San Francisco (CA) - Web developers have some new tools to play with, as Google has opened up its entire collection of Youtube videos to allow other websites the opportunity to create customized video playback.

As it stands now, users are able to embed Youtube videos into their own website, but they must use a specific piece of Internet code and viewers need to actually go to the video on Youtube.com to read and post comments. With the newly opened features, website creators can essentially create an entire mirror of Youtube.

By tapping into the Youtube APIs, developers can even customize the Flash video interface, essentially allowing them to create their own video play box.

Additionally, the new move will allow users to upload videos to Youtube from other websites. Developers can set up the video uploading service directly into their site. Moreover, all comments, custom playlists, and video tags can be integrated into a third-party website.

The open platform is also available to Web-enabled software programs. For example, programmers could allow users to watch and upload videos to Youtube from a video editing application without ever leaving the actual software.

In related news, Tivo announced today that it will begin allowing users to search for and stream Youtube videos directly from the Tivo menu interface. The service will launch for Tivo Series 3 owners with a broadband connection later this year.