Google Video

I had commented on the recent Google Pack announced at CES so I thought I’d evaluate the new Google Video Store.  My first purchase was quick and easy but the video never downloaded.  video-support(at)google.com responded to my report within 24 hours and was eager to help.  I was happy to receive a response that wasn’t canned and showed that the support staff had actually paid attention to my details. After another Email and a little time they did fix the problem and I was able to download my first video for $1.99.

The cost of the video varies which makes sense.  There are plenty of free videos like the 41 second,  “dumbest dog you’ll ever see”, which I had seen before on America’s Funniest Videos. For 99 cents there’s a video of Charlie Rose interviewing tech columnist Walt Mossberg. The highest price I saw was $5.95 for “The Hunting of the President”.

I tried out a $1.99 download of an episode of Star Trek Voyager.  Ok, ok… I’m not a true Trekkie or Sci Fi junkie, I’m frequently watch Star Trek episodes while programming.

      Screen Capture of Google Video before purchase

I was ready to enjoy an episode of Voyager called “The 37’s” but what came next was disappointing.
The screen capture above is from the purchase page which shows a 31 second demo of the episode or video.
The screen capture below is from the video I finally received.

 Is it me or is the quality of the video crap?
Click on either image to view the screen capture in its original size.

I really don’t feel cheated, its more of a surprise. I expected a little more from Google. I was never given the choice of bandwidth, but apparently someone there thinks we’re all still on dialup.