Instagram Allows Longer Videos In Challenge To YouTube

On Wednesday, Instagram launched a new long-form video portal called IGTV, "marking one of the biggest shifts in the app's history," reports NBC News. The new app will rival YouTube, allowing people to post videos up to one hour in length and start their own channels. One of the key differences between IGTV and YouTube will be the user interface: IGTV will be in the vertical format. From the report: IGTV will be a part of Instagram's explore tab and will also be a standalone app, where people can watch vertical videos from "many hundreds of creators" who Instagram worked with to help populate the platform ahead of the launch. Some accounts have privileges letting them post videos lasting as long as an hour, co-founder Kevin Systrom said.

"Right now, we are focused on building engagement, and right now, there are no ads in IGTV from day one," Systrom said, adding that he sees an opportunity for creators to monetize their followings in the future, similar to how they already can on YouTube. Systrom said IGTV is run by a small team, but noted that the company would be staffing up its moderation team to ensure content on the new platform adheres to Instagram's rules.

Yeah..

[Mr0bvious]

Vertical format videos. That sounds awesome.

sigh.

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[mentil]

Pillarboxing FTW!

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[cayenne8]

I wonder if they'll ban gun videos too, or any other perfectly legal activities/topics....that might go against their political bent?

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[jetkust]

Vertical video is only a problem if you are holding you're phone horizontally, which is an unnatural way to hold a phone IMO, plus you likely have to use two hands. Yes it screws up the resolution for laptops, TVs, etc... But Instagram isn't designed for that. They made the right choice, and at worst it likely didn't matter either way because people are still going to hold their phone vertically even if the video was shot horizontally.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

I wanted a YouTube competitor,,,

[Anonymous Coward]

But not this.

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[Riceballsan]

agreed there, many of us wish for a non corporate controlled manipulating the hell out of you with data information etc... but owned by facebook isn't exactly a step up from owned by google. personally I think pornhub might be the best hope if they chose to get into the game. A company with budget, experiene hosting large amounts of video... and from what I can tell pretty good discression.

I don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess I'm weird because I like to watch longer videos on my TV or laptop. I can't imagine spending an hour holding up my phone passively watching something.

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[Anonymous Coward]

cre!mer has nice iPhone 6S selfie stick he uses to film his youtube videos to sell on his website.

Just stick it somewhere and watch your movie without having to hold the phone.

Problem solved!

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[mccalli]

Yeah, targeting the one demographic that's always on their phones sounds like a really bad idea...

Max limits

[bn-7bc]

Ok so what is the max lrnght and/oe filesize on instagram if it less than 12 hoers or 128GB (as usual which ever is smaller) how does instagram expect to impress enyone? And yes I know, to get those limits you have tto verify your youtube acvount, big deal

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[drinkypoo]

Most videos don't need to be any longer than five minutes to deliver their meaningful content. They just get padded out with a bunch of bullshit to make them longer, or people are so full of themselves that they ramble senselessly on the basis that all their words are golden.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[bn-7bc]

Yea I was way, off instagram is not actually uset for tutorials thst minfht need to be long, or youtt UHD HDR masterpece which migth require a larger file size limit, maybe I was sort of put int a mndset by the title instagram takes on yputube, and forg got that the use cases are rather different

The more the SJW censor

[AHuxley]

the more other brands can welcome content.

Vertical Video Syndrome - a PSA

[OzPeter]

From 6 fridge years ago Vertical Video Syndrome - A PSA [youtube.com]

Don't people ever learn??

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[OzPeter]

Damn auto correct turning friggin into Fridge

Re:Vertical Video Syndrome - a PS

[bn-7bc]

Sadly fall into this category, for sm reason I tend to gnore the ptoofreading step, must kick thst bad habit

Re: Facebook is libtard enough

[LostMyBeaver]

Ok... Iâ€(TM)m stupid for responding.

What naziâ€(TM)s, and most other insane groups have always had in common is that they consolidated power and attempted to narrow their nations to a single party who could unilaterally make decisions without checks and balances.

While I have absolutely no respect for any political parties and especially no respect for people who seem to believe that other parties are wrong because their party is right, I will point out that a the Repub

Public service

[drinkypoo]

One of the key differences between IGTV and YouTube will be the user interface: IGTV will be in the vertical format.

Let's hope all the dillholes who currently post their vertical videos to YT take them to IGTV instead. Then I can just never, ever go to IGTV and my user experience will be improved.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Controls....

[Vrallis]

Maybe we'll finally get a fucking volume control on videos?

No web interface?

[psychonaut]

I don't use a smartphone and I can't seem to find a web interface for this new IGTV. (Instagram's press release [instagram-press.com] says only that it is being rolled out on Android and iOS.) So I don't see how this can possibly compete with YouTube.

If they ever do roll out a web interface, then I hope the video controls will be better than what's offered on the main Instagram site. There you can only play or stop videos; there is no way to control the volume, jump to a different time index, or even get basic information abo

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[iampiti]

We've been going backwards in terms to device and OS agnosticy since the first apps for smartphones were developed. Before that information and applications were steadily migrating to being available on web browsers and that let be user be less dependent on the underlying OS.
After smartphone apps were introduced some services went to be only available through said apps, others give advantages to app users (e.g. Just Eat in ,at least my country, gives special discounts only if you order through their app).

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[LinuxIsGarbage]

Well how else do you expect the app makers to examine your contact list to build your shadow friend network, and to track your location at all times?