Google [GOOG] has unveiled YouTube Movie rentals in what seems like a quiet way. Various movies and TV episodes are available to rent for 48 hours at a cost of 99 cents to $4. The Youtube Store can be found at youtube.com/store (although in the UK that URL redirects to a user called Store which indicates this is US only at the moment).
Experiments were done back in January by Google where they were offering $5 rentals. The new system uses Google Check-out to allow you to pay for video.
Independent, Bollywood, Manga and documentary films dominate the charts so far. We expect a formal announcement from YouTube about the store soon, we were tipped off to its opening this morning by reader Ron Ilan, creator of children’s video aggregator site creator Totol.
Although early tests were not that popular, we hope that seeing YouTube opening to a wider selection of movies will spark some interest. A HD laptop connected up to a HDTV could do the trick and allow quick access to stream/download video without the need to post DVD’s off in an envelope to the various movie rental companies. This will be welcomed by many users we feel.
Via: Readwriteweb and Gizmodo
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