YouTube Launches Free Movie Service

With hundreds of thousands of users looking to illicit torrent web sites to pirate their movie needs daily, hackers are also one step ahead by poisoning such files with viruses and Trojans. Simply put: not only is downloading copyrighted movies illegal, it's also dangerous for your PC.

Fortunately for movie lovers, YouTube is now offering a new service that rewards visitors with free access to full-length feature films from major motion picture studios like MGM, Sony Pictures and Lionsgate.

All of the YouTube movies are uninterrupted and feature a wide range of genres, including animation, documentary, horror, action, comedy and drama. Most of the films are available in 480p resolution. (Source: unwireindia.com)

YouTube System Still in its Infancy

While the prospect of a free online movie database would have some film buffs jumping in jubilation, the downside of it all is that the system is still in its infancy.

This means that the 400-plus movies that are currently housed in the YouTube library include "The Best of the Three Stooges," "The Slasher of Zombietown," and even a 1954 stop-motion production of Hansel and Gretel. These are not the kinds of movies people would rush out to their nearest Blockbuster to rent.

In actuality, the Yahoo movie library is generating so much excitement not so much for what it is now as what this means for future endeavors. As more and more film companies get on board with the project, newer releases will be offered.

YouTube is able to keep film companies (and themselves) happy with advertisement revenue. Advertisements precede each film, meaning that motion picture studios can make a few dollars on aging movies that are no longer profitable. (Source: canoe.ca)

Expansion Dependent on Success

So, what's next for YouTube? According to a statement from YouTube executive Donagh O'Malley, full-length television shows could also become available in the very near future (dependent on the success of the movie project).

Still, if YouTube movies become a popular option for users, it will be interesting to see how pay services like NetFlix, Blockbuster and iTunes respond in the weeks to come.