YouTube remote control not just a Google TV feature anymore
Last November Google introduced an update to its YouTube app that allows users to remotely control video playback on their Google TV devices. Debuting at CES, the feature will soon be available on even more smart TVs, regardless of whether or not they run Google’s Android-based platform.
Google has announced that it is partnering with smart TV manufacturers including Sony, Panasonic, Bang & Olufsen, and LG to bring the experience to even more living rooms in 2013. Those companies will be showing off their latest sets, which will feature the latest version of YouTube’s app for the big screen (complete with 1080p playback), at CES next week. Later in the year we can expect the trend to continue with companies like Samsung, Sharp, and Vizio.
Using the app paired with a TV, users can watch a video on their HD set while easily searching for the next on their smartphone, all uninterrupted. You can even queue up entire playlists.
Does the move suggest Google will be moving further away from their own Google TV and instead focusing on a more integrated experience with other platforms? That’s doubtful Google loves ubiquity, even if it means a killer feature or app my not be exclusively theirs. Regardless, YouTube is making itself right at home in the living room.
[via Google]