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Sorry, HTPC owners: YouTube is killing its web-based TV interface


steven36

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YouTube launched its 'Leanback' interface in 2010, originally designed as an automatic playback client for when you didn't want to search and navigate through videos yourself. It later turned into a full-fledged web application for control with a remote, intended for use with smart TVs and other similar devices. Unfortunately, the Leanback web app is about to join the Google Graveyard.

 

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Visiting youtube.com/tv or youtube.com/leanback (which redirects to the former) now presents a message. "This version of YouTube will be going away soon. You'll still be able to view youtube.com, but you can get an optimized experience on a supported device."

 

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It seems likely that this is an attempt by Google to limit streaming boxes, home theater PCs, and other TV-based devices from accessing YouTube unless there is some of licensing agreement between the manufacturer and Google. Since the leanback interface is simply a web app, it could be used on Raspberry Pis, home theater PCs, smart TVs with a web browser, and much more.

 

Leanback is what allowed Amazon's Fire TV products to still access YouTube after Google pulled its official app. Putting my tin-foil hat on for a moment, perhaps Google is doing this to prevent Amazon from retreating to unofficial TV apps if the companies' current partnership ever sours.

 

Whether or not that's true, the fact remains that Google is still going to be developing Leanback (or something very close to it), since it's what powers the YouTube app on smart TVs and Android TV. It's annoying that Google is artificially restricting the TV YouTube interface to only 'supported devices,' but at least we'll always have the Kodi add-on.

 

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Well, it won't affect me.  I took a regular flat screen TV (not smart) and hooked up a computer to it.  How google gonna block that shit!  Huh?

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2 hours ago, dhjohns said:

Well, it won't affect me.  I took a regular flat screen TV (not smart) and hooked up a computer to it.  How google gonna block that shit!  Huh?

your just using a TV as a monitor with  HDMI  that's not the same  as using the  ‘leanback’ TV interface  witch is remote optimized. After its shut down you  will need a  YouTube app or use the Kodi addon  with your own YouTube api key so you don't need a mouse . Kodi addon and some apps have  limitations with there built in api keys when they have heavy traffic they stop working for awhile  so you need your own api key to remove them. The OP is  talking about  mouseless apps  it's not about watching YouTube  with a browser were you  need a mouse.. most people  who have TV Boxes  don't use a mouse .  Youtube.com is the  PC  version of YouTube to use with a mouse ,  youtube.com/tv is the  TV-friendly version of the platform where Google doesn’t offer official apps.

 

On my PC  most all my  media players play Youtube  then i have FreeTube app witch play YouTube videos with out using YouTube , It use to use YouTube  but the api  keys limits max  out so much ithey switch to and open source api to play YouTube videos  . All YouTube videos  are hosted on Google video you dont have to use YouTube API if you don't want .SMTube  app for SMplayer dpon't use YouTube API  ether .YouTube dont host videos they only and Google API that link to Google Video,

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