Youku Releases Desktop Client/Mobile Tool iKu Mini

Youku announced last night the release of iKu Mini, a free desktop client that allows users to do some pretty cool things, and even move beyond the desktop and into the mobile environment. Let’s break it down!

Desktop and HTPC Functions

Installed on a desktop computer, iKu Mini offers a slick, simplified interface that allows viewers to watch licensed content from Youku’s library. The top 50 offerings in each of three categories — Movies, TV Dramas, and Variety Shows — are listed conveniently in the application, and beyond that, users can search for other titles themselves. However, at present, what streams on iKu Mini is limited to Youku’s professional content; user-generated videos are not presently listed or searchable. I’m not sure if that’s a feature they plan to add in the future, but as a fan of paike citizen-journalist videos, it’s a bit disappointing the service can’t be used to watch them right now.

Of course, Youku has had the iKu Accelerator — a PC client that helps increase streaming speeds, especially outside of major urban centers, using P2P technology — for quite some time now, and iKu Mini apparently also leverages that tech, which means that in some cases, shows watched on iKu Mini may stream more smoothly or at a higher resolution than you can get on the Youku main site, depending on your internet connection and your location.

If you’ve got an HTPC setup, iKu Mini is ready for the big screen, too. All the videos on the service stream at Youku’s highest quality levels, and while they still aren’t HD resolutions, they’ll look better than the average Youku video when blown up on a TV screen. (In fact, this might be why user-generated content isn’t available through iKu mini, since most of it is low res and wouldn’t look great on a big screen).

Controlling iKu Mini on an HTPC setup using Smart Remote on an Android Phone

Mobile Functions

But what’s really cool about iKu Mini is the mobile functionality. Android Users with the Youku client will find that an update automatically brings them the new “Smart Remote”, which allows them to control iKu Mini wirelessly using any Android phone. This means that users with an HTPC set can sit on their couch and watch TV or movies via iKu Mini, just like they might watch any other show, without having to get up and fiddle with a keyboard or mouse.

Beyond the Smart Remote, users can use iKu Mini to watch videos on their Android phones as well. And if the client is installed on their desktop, they can click a button to switch the video from the phone’s screen onto their desktop or HTPC screen, without pausing or losing their place. A two-fingered swiping gesture on the phone can bring the video back onto the phone’s screen, again without losing the viewer’s place. Pretty useful for situations where you’re almost done watching something but you’ve got to run to a meeting or a date — now you can finish watching that episode with headphones on your phone while you’re on the subway!

So that’s cool…what’s not cool about iKu Mini?

Well, there’s the fact that at present, Youku’s large library of user-generated content isn’t supported. Of course, like all UGC, most of it is crap anyway, but some of it is pretty cool, and it would be nice to see that included in this desktop experience.

Of course, as a Mac user, the larger issue is that for the moment, anyway, iKu Mini doesn’t work with my computer or my phone. The desktop application is written in Adobe Air, but is offered on Youku’s website only as a .exe download, which won’t work on Macs. And the cool Smart Remote features aren’t yet available on Youku’s iPhone app. We’ve got good reason to believe that Youku is working on adding Mac/iOS support for iKu Mini, but it’s not clear yet when that will arrive.

Where to Download iKu Mini