14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube's Leanback website version, which was specially designed for large screens, came out of beta and is now official, just in time for Google TV.
"Today, YouTube Leanback moves forward into a new role at the center of the YouTube experience on Google TV, which you’ll start seeing in U.S. stores this week," said Camille Hearst, product marketing manager at YouTube.
"We named it 'Leanback' so you could do just that: kick back and, with as little effort as possible, enjoy hours upon hours of YouTube videos," she noted.
YouTube Leanback is drastically different from the regular version of YouTube. It is designed for full-screen uninterrupted video playback and was launched as a Beta project at the beginning of July.
The navigation can be easily controlled from the keyboard and the interface has been stripped down to the bare minimum, in order to bring the content into focus.
The HD version is automatically selected for videos where available and the playlist is generated based on the user's subscriptions and viewing history.
In addition, the company has created ten special channels, which it updates every day with popular videos from categories like News, Science and Technology, Comedy, Entertainment and others.
Typing something on the keyboard automatically prompts the search box and starts entering the query and feature length films from YouTube Movies can also be played.
Even though Leanback was created for big screens and the Google TV platform in particular, the site works with any browser and system.
This means that it's compatible with all HTPC solutions people might already have installed in their homes, and which don't specifically run on Android.
YouTube Leanback will be an important part of the online experience offered by Google TV, but the platform also integrates an Android port of the Chrome, so it will also be capable of playing video content from anywhere on the Web.