Five years after debuting a pioneering website that serves up more than 1 million TV shows and movies, San Francisco-based Yidio today unveiled its first iPhone application. It’s a must-have app for anyone into must-see TV and film.
Upon initial use, what immediately stands out is the app’s simple and beautiful interface, which quickly displays program options categorized by popularity, recency, and customized settings. Even better, once a registered user identifies a show or movie he or she wants to see, viewing it is a tap or two away assuming the user is already registered with iTunes, Netflix, Hulu or one of hundreds of other content providers Yidio serves.
“We spent considerable amount of time testing various designs to ensure users are always 2-clicks away from watching any TV show or movie,” said Yidio co-founder Brandon Eatros.
While the free Yidio app is designed primarily for iPhones, Eatros said the service will be available for iPads in approximately 30 days and Android devices “in the coming months”. The app is also fully optimized for Apple TV and AirPlay Mirroring. This means that any show or movie you call up from your phone can be enjoyed seamlessly on the big screen. Users can also connect their iPhones directly to compatible televisions and screens with an HDMI cable.
“Ultimately, our vision is that Yidio will be the remote and starting point for watching TV and movies on the big screen,” Eatros said.
Socially-driven content discovery is a huge part of the mix here. Yidio already has more than 3 million registered users and millions of active Facebook followers. Users can see what videos their Facebook friends are viewing to inform their own decisions.
This, combined with easy-to-use tools that allow users to personalize their viewing options, a growing and reliable database of programming, and a slick interface is what the company is relying on to distinguish itself from Fan (formerly Fanhattan) and other incumbent professional video discovery applications.
(Editor’s Note: Appolicious founder Alan Warms is an investor in Yidio Here is what he has to say about the app and company.)
