Vimeo introduces Couch Mode for Google TV

Posted by Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP in Writers on October 26, 2010  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter |

Vimeo has introduced the "Couch Mode" for Google TV, users can easily view the site’s videos uninterrupted like a TV channel. Like Google's own Youtube LeanBack, "Couch Mode" is a way adapted for the big screen/10-foot viewing experience, with the typical Vimeo functionalities, such as "likes" and adding it to a list to watch later, according to VentureBeat.

The technologies which are used to built this mode are HTML5, CSS3 and H.264 encoding, making it independant from Adobe's Flash. Because of the H.264 encoding it isn't ready for Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Opera. It can only be visited using Apple’s Safari or Google’s Chrome via the Web browser (next to seeing it on the Connected TV).

Besides the adaptation to the 10-foot viewing experience, Vimeo is also creating an iPhone app for optimized viewing on the mobile device. NewTeeVee on the mobile opportunities:

While mobile video has been a key focus up until now, the connected TV space is clearly the future. Getting independent web video viewed on the TV is a huge opportunity for Vimeo, which is why it has also created a video app for Roku broadband set-top boxes. With availability through Google TV’s web browser, Vimeo will be able to reach even more users in their living rooms.

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An interesting notion on Venturebeat is the following: "More so than YouTube, Vimeo has attracted a user base that contributes high-quality original videos, many of which could be classified as short films".

This is true when it comes to the intrinsic value in relation to a 10-foot experience, namely, are people going to watch YouTube on the big screen? Certainly looking forward to the first studies that show any data on user engagement via Youtube Leanback and what times are spend on it. Vimeo with its high-quality original videos has less discrepancy with current/conventional content, and the reason why this should be watched on the TV screen.

More video sites will jump the Google TV bandwagon, but here as well, distribution is key. The content (and its quality) determine the success or failure of the adapted TV experience for that video site.