IMDB now offers video clips to its users

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has always been one of my favourite websites.    It has never failed me when I’ve had an obscure movie query and has saved me a lot of money in potential cinema tickets by warning me in advance about terrible movies (although I still went to see Eragon!).   Now the IMDB has gone one step further in its usefulness by offering video clips.

It doesn’t seem to have that many clips at the moment though so they must be slowly introducing them.   The ones that ARE there are only a minute or two long and are preceded by a 30 second advert (I had to watch an advert extolling the virtues of Colgate toothpaste before I could watch some Star Trek clips).

To see some clips, just search for a TV programme and then choose a particular season and episode.   If clips are available, they will then appear on the page for you to click on and watch.

I haven’t searched for movies yet but I’ll do that next.   I’m sure they will have trailers and short clips of movies available too.    If you find anything like that yourself, let us know in the comments what you found.

Some bloggers have criticised the IMDB for trying to copy YouTube and Hulu and getting into the video content game, but I think this is actually a good move on the IMDB’s part.   They already have a superior website and by offering clips, they are just complementing their content.    If you are already searching for a movie or a TV programme on the IMDB, wouldn’t you like to be able to watch a short video clip of that movie or TV programme as well?  Of course you would.

In no way is this going to threaten YouTube, Hulu, or anyone else for that matter.    Everyone should stop getting their knickers in a twist.    Kudos to the IMDB for improving an already brilliant site.