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April 16, 2011

Videos Uploaded to Google Video Will Be Removed Next Month

Google sent the following message to everyone who uploaded videos to Google Video:
Later this month, hosted video content on Google Video will no longer be available for playback. Google Video stopped taking uploads in May 2009 and now we're removing the remaining hosted content. We've always maintained that the strength of Google Video is its ability to let people search videos from across the web, regardless of where those videos are hosted. And this move will enable us to focus on developing these technologies further to the benefit of searchers worldwide.

On April 29, 2011, videos that have been uploaded to Google Video will no longer be available for playback. We've added a Download button to the video status page, so you can download any video content you want to save. If you don't want to download your content, you don't need to do anything. (The Download feature will be disabled after May 13, 2011.)

We encourage you to move to your content to YouTube if you haven't done so already. YouTube offers many video hosting options including the ability to share your videos privately or in an unlisted manner. (...)

If you have many videos on Google Video, you may need to use the paging controls located on the bottom right of the page to access them all.

Please note: This download option will be available through May 13, 2011.

Thank you for being a Google Video user.

It's really disappointing to see that Google doesn't provide an option to migrate your videos to YouTube. In fact, this option should've been available two years ago, when Google Video became a search engine. There are about 2.8 million videos hosted by Google Video and it's hard to believe that all of them will be manually uploaded to YouTube.

Google Video is an archive of high-quality videos: there are many documentaries, interviews, lectures and it's sad to see them disappear. Even if Google Answers was discontinued in 2006, the archived content is still useful.




{ Thanks, Richard and Kevin. }
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22 comments:

  1. kmohr25April 16, 2011 at 4:13 PM

    If anyway finds a way to download "blocked" videos, please let me know. Google Video has provided no way to retain these videos and fix copyright infringements. Many of these videos probably could be uploaded to YouTube and just have ads run over them with no problem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ChrisApril 16, 2011 at 4:13 PM

    Instead of deleting, Google should transfer the videos to YouTube instead of wiping out them all forever.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 16, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    WTF. For google to do this is just so depressing. Third-rate operations like yahoo, sure, but for google to delete its users data? Shocking. Jason Scott right again about the cloud.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 16, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    You can use a video download add-on for FireFox and get them all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. kmohr25April 16, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    Do you have a name or link? I don't think any will get blocked videos.

    ReplyDelete
  6. bowlby4April 16, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    Google doesn't own the rights to these videos, so they just can't transfer them. It would be to much trouble for them to get permission from every uploader.

    ReplyDelete
  7. portenkirchnerApril 17, 2011 at 2:16 AM

    A migration option to YouTube shouldn't really be a problem for Google. Moreover redirect links to the new YouTube videos not to break links.

    Really sad to see big web companies like Yahoo!, BBC and now Google to destroy web content and web history.

    ReplyDelete
  8. miguel diasApril 17, 2011 at 4:33 AM

    especially now that youtube demands a google account (to have an account on youtube or merge your youtube account), i don't see why they cant simply move everyone automatically, its just a question of making an account if there isnt one to move the stuff over?

    or if god forbid they are too uptight about copyright and agreements, well move then over but leave them private, so the user can choose to publish or not, problem solved.

    and i did have a few videos on google video, and im actually not moving over to youtube, they were silly stuff, but if they moved for me automatically to my youtube account, i would probably just let it be... silly waste of resources...

    ReplyDelete
  9. davidApril 17, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    There is now a petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-google-video-content.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownApril 17, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    The copies that google video did keep available for download were of very poor quality and hence not really of archival quality. But if it is the only remaining copy of the video, it should be preserved. I uploaded videos, but I had backups of most of the originals saved elsewhere, but it is more inconvenient to track down than when it was online. I suspect I will upload to google docs, picasa or youtube manually if I get around to it. One thing I noticed is that the *.flv files from google video are recognized as video files when uploaded to google docs.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousApril 17, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    Why doesn't Google automatically transfer the videos?

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousApril 19, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    netvideohunter is the addon for FireFox

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousApril 20, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    Google has been bought out.

    ReplyDelete
  14. George B. MogaApril 23, 2011 at 1:42 AM

    As of today, Google introduced an option to migrate the videos to YouTube: An update on Google Video - Finding an easier way to migrate Google Video content to YouTube.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Richard KrálApril 23, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Good news. Folks at Google have eventually reversed their decision and they will be automatically migrating videos to associated YT accounts. In the meantime any user can do it manually. http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-on-google-video-finding-easier.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. mlnApril 23, 2011 at 4:46 PM

    Save Google Videos by remote transfer using this service: http://mozliwosci.com/savegooglevideos/

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousApril 24, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    I think this is what most of you guys are looking for:
    http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-on-google-video-finding-easier.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. UnknownApril 24, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    Did anyone else get an email from Google saying that they are no longer removing the videos and will migrate the links to point to automatically converted YouTube versions eventually?

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonApril 27, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    Well, given that they can't decide what the product's called (Google Video or Google Videos), why the surprise?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lundy - Encaustic Cement TileOctober 4, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    Does anyone know a way to permanently DELETE a video on Google video that is still playable as of Oct. 2011 ? It is our own video but we need it taken down for our own in-house legal reasons. There is no editing option on the Google video any longer so we cannot delete it or disable it. Any ideas ?

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 5:09 PM

    I also need help REMOVING a video that we posted but no longer have access to. Please help!

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousAugust 5, 2012 at 9:37 PM

    agreed the ability to take down videos that are not attached to any youtube or google account but are your property is desperately needed.

    ReplyDelete

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