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Re-Experience The Laughs, Cries, And Jaw-Dropping Moments Of The Past With Video Time Machine

Re-Experience The Laughs, Cries, And Jaw-Dropping Moments Of The Past With Video Time Machine

June 2, 2011
The older we get the more moments of nostalgia that seem to come along as things remind us of the past. Things that we've forgotten about now resurface and we find ourselves reminiscing to those around us as we replay the event in our mind. Thanks to a set of friends, you can be reminded of these pastimes much easier and quicker through the use of Video Time Machine. While these memories may be triggered via photos, newspaper articles, and the like; so many good stories have been shared watching films, listening to songs, and sometimes just experiencing a particular television commercial. And when it comes to video archives, YouTube has become the de facto depository for the digital age. People have uploaded hilarious TV ads, epic sports moments, movie trailers, music videos or song video collages, important world events, and more to the video sharing service over the years. But how is a person to stumble upon or even find one of these noteworthy pieces of history amongst all of those pet clips? -- Yes, I went there. With that general thought in mind, a couple of friends came up with what they call the YouTube Time Machine. YTTM allows a person to choose a year, from 1860 to the current, and find top videos and recordings of that year. The database contains more than 10,000 hand-picked videos. The videos are broken down into commercials, current events, movies, music, sports, television, and video games. Using http://yttm.tv on your computer or even through a browser on your iDevice is okay, but it isn't an effortless experience. In comes Video Time Machine, a native iOS app that provides a portal to the YTTM.tv system. Video Time Machine provides the same year and category selection as the web site, plus much easier access to other features. After choosing a year and category, swipe left or right on the video preview area or use the green arrow keys in the bottom-right to navigate the videos of that year. Tap the dice button to the left of the arrows to get a randomly chosen video. Upon coming across a video that takes you back, share it with your friends via a tweet or Facebook wall post. Honestly, if this concept interests you in any way, ponying up a single dollar for the app is well worth it. Even if you're comfortable with the browser interface, the app is efficiently simple and completely painless to use -- until you realize how old you are with the reminder that T2 came out two decades ago. And because the videos are via YouTube, AirPlay support is built right in. My only request would be to make it a universal app. It works fine through iPad Compatibility Mode, however, you don't get true fullscreen playback. Video Time Machine is designed for iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 3.1.3 or later, and available in the App Store for $.99.

Mentioned apps

Free
Video Time Machine
Video Time Machine
Original Victories, Inc.

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