14 DAY TRIAL // With the high profile launch of Google TV, websites are wasting no time in adapting to the new format. And there's no better fit than for video sites, which is why Vimeo is launching Couch Mode, it's take on YouTube Leanback.
"[T]oday we are happy to announce the launch of Couch Mode. Couch Mode is a special new section of Vimeo that allows you to watch collections of videos (such as Staff Picks, your inbox, your videos, etc.) completely uninterrupted like a TV channel. Just press play and grab the popcorn," Vimeo's Ryan Hefner writes.
"That's not all. You can still do many of things you already do on the site today: like clips, add them to your Watch Later playlist, and get more information about videos and other users," he adds.
Vimeo comes right out and says that the new interface is aimed squarely at Google TV. While the site competes with Google-owned YouTube, to a degree, the potential of Google TV is undeniable.
What's more, Vimeo's content actually molds better to the TV than YouTube's. Vimeo puts a lot more emphasis on quality and usually features clips from aspiring artists rather than vacation videos.
Vimeo Couch Mode works very much like YouTube Leanback, just visit the site and videos will start playing straight away. Vimeo will also generate a playlist so you can sit back and enjoy.
The site is optimized for Google TV, but it works just as well on a PC. However, and this is an interesting choice, it doesn't use Flash and it will only work on a couple of browsers.
Vimeo uses HTML5 and CSS3 for the customized player and it says it will only work well in Chrome and Safari. And it's not an idle warning either, it really doesn't work on Firefox 4 for example.