Best of the YouTube

August 13, 2010 5:44 PM

Devour seems to have good taste in videos. Hand-picked videos from YouTube isn't really a new idea, but Devour seems to be executing it really well.
posted by scottreynen (15 comments total)

So it's something like this, basically?
posted by Sys Rq at 5:53 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Can we sue them for stealing our idea?
posted by tommasz at 6:00 PM on August 13, 2010

If I'm not mistaken it's run by the same people that do Uncrate.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:03 PM on August 13, 2010

I'm curious: do you think they have to make the blurred / labeled thumbnails by hand, or do you think they've set up some sort of automated post-processing script which pulls a screenshot, blurs it, and adds the text?
posted by sharkfu at 6:08 PM on August 13, 2010

Since the text is displayed over the image in HTML instead of in the image itself, I'm guess it's (at least partly) automated. That would remove some complexity from the process.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 6:25 PM on August 13, 2010

imagemagick can blur an image (or any other simple automated image manipulation like changing size / resolution or converting formats or automated cropping) from a cgi script quite easily.
posted by idiopath at 6:36 PM on August 13, 2010

Yeah, I was going to say... that would take a one-liner in imagemagick. Easier than you think.
posted by koeselitz at 6:58 PM on August 13, 2010

"Honey! Are you watching shit on Youtube again?"

"No dear, I'm watching the best shit on Youtube."
posted by benzenedream at 7:10 PM on August 13, 2010

The great sword (and spirited discussion), previously.
posted by benzenedream at 7:32 PM on August 13, 2010

I liked it, until my gf walked by and asked me if I was watching nothing but commercials... I was.
posted by Napierzaza at 10:11 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

ESPN and Subway ads? These dudes have to have some sort of clickthrough kickback going on, but at least they could pad it out with some non-ad videos and not make it so obvious.
posted by benzenedream at 10:53 PM on August 13, 2010

Umm, is it all ads? That's not the best of anything, except maybe the best of ads. Where are the best singing cats?
posted by stevil at 11:32 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Where are the best singing cats?

The about page expresses a distaste for kitten videos.

Of the 15 videos currently on the front page, I only count 4 ads, 6 if I include movie trailers. 5 of those 6 are in the most recent 6 posts, though, so it does seem pretty ad-heavy if you start at the beginning.
posted by scottreynen at 9:08 AM on August 14, 2010

I watched maybe 20 or so of their selects in a row, in our living room. There were more ads than not, in my recollection; though the long form Orbit ad starring Jason Bateman was a revelation. (also, if there's a way to make the embedded videos full screen, both vimeo and YouTube, I couldn't find it).

I look forward to many more such curated video sites. We used to call them channels. (?)
posted by noway at 9:46 AM on August 14, 2010

first one I clicked was a .....quizno's commercial. um, no thanks.
posted by the bricabrac man at 10:13 AM on August 14, 2010