The day before tax day, April 14th, 2005 I posted an entry named Google Wants Your Videos, where we discussed how Google is allowing people to upload video that will be hosted for free at Google. John Battelle today posted News: Google To Launch Online Video Playback This Monday, which is big, big news (it even got /.ed). He discusses four reasons why this is big, (1) he says you can expect Google to charge for video upload and accept payment with Google Wallet. (2) Google is currently allowing the free upload & distribution of video, opening up the possibilities for those who can not afford it. (3) Google is directly competing with Microsoft's Windows Media Player by allowing a browser based video player that works anywhere. And finally, (4) "this will help the spread of an alternative universe for video distribution and playback."
As we said in the original Video upload entry, this probably relates to Is Google Planning to Build A Global Fiber Optic Network? but now even more so it relates to Ben's post on Google Developing An Internet Operating System?
I started a thread on this topic at Search Engine Watch Forums.
