YouTube Upgrades Fullscreen Mode
May 10, 2007 by Mike Abundo
Filed under Computers
Instead of opening a new browser tab, YouTube’s fullscreen mode now just overlays the screen. Very slick. This is similar to Dailymotion’s approach to fullscreen, which just fills the current tab.
I think I will like this as soon as I can figure out how to get it to work properly with my dual display set up. My PC and my TV aren’t in the same room, but I extend the display to my TV for watching movies and whatnot, as of right now I can’t seem to find a way to throw YouTube’s display to the other screen, on VLC I just make sure at least half of the display is on the other screen and the vid mode switches over before I go full screen. So, mad props to YouTube for making a real FullScreen mode, I just need to figure out how to get it to work with my configuration.
for me it works when the browser is on the screen on which i want to display videos in fullscreen mode.
Interesting, I’ll have to continue working with it. Part of my problem is that either the browser isn’t fully in that window or I have to click almost blindly to find the fullscreen button on the page because the tv is in the next room over and I don’t have a wireless mouse.
This update killed my YouTube harmony:
I have an XP system next to my couch in the living room connected to a 20″ flat panel monitor that is suspended on an articulated arm. I can float the monitor over my lap and work on the computer while sitting on the couch.
Across the room is my Samsung 50″ DPL TV with Tivo. The computer is also connected to the VGA input of the TV as an extended desktop to the 20″ flat panel.
The harmony that was:
Nothing on TV, friends are visiting, lets watch YouTube videos. Open one copy of IE with YouTube on the flat panel next to me. Open another copy of IE with YouTube on the 50″ DLP TV. Search for a good video, then drag the video link from the monitor next to me, to the TV across the room for all to enjoy in its full maximized 50″ glory. As that video is playing, browse for the next one on the monitor, then drag and drop to the TV. Beautiful !!
The reality that now is:
Now – as soon as you try to browse around in the YouTube that is on the monitor, the maximized video on the TV immediately reverts to un-maximized. Click on any slidebar, or link on one copy of YouTube, and the other one un-maximizes the video. Disappointment all around….
Anyone have any ideas for how to restore my YouTube dual monitor harmony. Is there a separate ( non IE ) based FLASH player that I can drag and drop YouTube links into ???
Thanks for any help !!!
I don’t know of any, but it sounds like a good startup idea. Any takers? ;)
Damn. I can’t believe noones got a solution in over a year. I’ve got the same problem.
I want to just play video after video on my TV while I write java on my laptop but can’t do anything that causes youtube to lose focus. Losing fullscreen every time is just absurd. It’s not like anything else like media play fails so horribly.
This isn’t a youtube problem, it’s a limitation of the full-screen Adobe Flash Player. As soon as the player loses focus, it will drop back into normal mode.
Just use IE for the TV and Firefox for browsing to start, and alternate them for each video, use alt-tab to swich quicker.
Using catalyst you can set the primary display, and change which screen gets used during THEATRE MODE which is for presenting fullscreen video.
I used to have it setup for profiles for each monitor but I forget the exact settings to use to make it work.
THEATRE MODE mode does not work with flash video, because the flash video player utilizes the CPU for image processing, not the GPU