YouTube and Google video as streaming video content in SL

Quite simply, my feature suggestion would be to allow display of video from YouTube and Google Video in Second Life.

Currently, SL has the ability to stream quicktime movies from a server URL provided in a given parcel's options; that is displayed on prims that have a set texture on them that is replaced with the actual video.

A lot of users probably find putting their video into SL a very attractive prospect, and aspire to create their own content. But, as things stand right now, it's a little too complicated to get video into SL, because it has to be encoded, placed on a special server with quicktime streaming capabilities, which itself needs configuring... Not so easy or welcoming.

YouTube and Google video provide free services that allow hosting and playback of instant video streaming to people with broadband connections, through the use of Adobe/Macromedia Flash. Although getting Flash to work in SL is an entirely different story, Flash containers for the video from YouTube and Google video are unified. Should this feature be put into development, Linden would know what to expect from the coding aspect of handling the content because of the nature of the flash containers.

YouTube and Google video have a vast amount of video content; because its users can create it and upload it with ease. Enabling it to be played in SL would remove the boundaries that stand before video content development and display in-game, and give players the ability to put their webcam recordings/videoblogs/almost anything onto screens all over SL.

Funny video you saw? TV show you like? Webcam blog of you? Anime Music Video you made? You could upload it to your YouTube or Google video account, and put it in your home in SL, on your TV, for all your friends and visitors to see!

If you like this idea, go here to vote for it as a new feature of SL:
http://secondlife.com/vote/get_feature.php?get_id=1656

Embedding flash or other browser plugins into SL seems like a formula for more lag. I think the whole embedded video thing should be treated as a clever idea that didn't work out. I can't recall the last time I used it, even on my Athlon X2 3800+ which has plenty of CPU to spare.

That'll most likely be a fault of your computer's configuration or the location in-game where you attempted to watch video. I have a Pentium 4 Northwood 2.4GHz, and it plays fine, not slowing down my framerate noticably at all.

As with all options in SL, video can be turned off if you want it off. Though, I don't think one should cast aside a nice idea on account of personal experience with game performance: Your Mileage May Vary, after all. What you might hate, someone else might love. Video shouldn't be cast aside: you never know, after all, if it actually does cause lag, if it could be improved in the future, at any time, to not cause any at all.

Having said that, what do you think of the idea on the whole, as an improvement to game features and content creation possibilities rather than what game performance it costs? I'm asking if it's a good idea here, not if it would work; we're leaving that decision/job down to the Lindens.

Sounds like an excuse to add any lag-inducing madatory "feature" to SL. "It'll be fixed eventually."

It's hardly lag inducing if optional; not to mention it's just an improvement to currently existing features. I'd imagine there would be no more or less lag than there is to begin with.

document yourself then, don't "imagine"

And how am I supposed to do that? There's no way for me to try it and see for myself. Linden Labs don't release SDK's you know. X3

Streaming Media comes from the server that is hosting it, not from SL, so your experience (and lag) will depend on the quality of the site your video is coming from.

I think it's a great idea definitely worth exploring.

Both of those sites use flash video files, for which there are players, but Quicktime (which is used for streaming video) doesn't handle them. Moreover, the sites themselves are unlikely to co-operate here. YouTube particularly has been aggressive about pursuing unauthorised use of their hosted content.

Many Google Video files can be downloaded and then uploaded to a suitable server for use in SL incidentally. Download "for iPod" and then upload somewhere, that should work.

actually dailymotion has shown some interest in allowing their videos to be shown in SL