One of the most-requested long-awaited features for Google Earth has arrived with version 4.2 (download the latest GE here): You can now embed YouTube videos in placemark descriptions! Just copy the embed string from a YouTube video and paste it into your placemark description (just like you would for a blog). For an example, check out a simple placemark 
showing a video on the new GE 4.2 photo overlay showing the location of the first part of the video shown in the placemark description. This is really cool! It can’t be long before Google releases a network link showing already geo-tagged YouTube videos for viewing in GE (they started allowing you to map your videos in YouTube several weeks ago).
I’m too excited to go and research whether other interesting Adobe Flash things can be embedded. But, expect more details here as I find out more. I have determined you can’t embed a Google Maps (which uses <iframe> tags) in a placemark – that would have been interesting.
[UPDATE 2040: Stefan Geens just alerted me that this new feature doesn’t work on the Mac. But, it does work quite well on the Windows version of GE 4.2 (I’m guessing it may not work on Linux either – anyone know?)]
UPDATE June 2008: The embed capability works with the Mac if you use GE 4.3+.
For more details on Google Earth 4.2, read here and here.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
YouTube video embedding apparently doesn’t work on GE 4.2 for Linux. Only the uri of the video shows up in the placemark when opened.
This can help the Free Hugs Campaign and Concerts locations!
Really neat updates for GE.
Flash works in the balloon window, an example can be seen of a demo microsofts crm dynamics flash website. It can be viewed from http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/981168/
Thanks for the updates Frank.
Here’s a neat trick:
– Create a folder
– Add a few placemarks with embedded youtube videos
– Adjust your tour settings pause for the length of the video (helps to pick videos of roughly equal length), open the balloon at each pause, and to loop infinitely
Voila: a geo-video-slideshow. Credit to Lrae for coming up with this one. We have our own version running on the big projector at GE HQ. 😉
nopes it doesnt work on Mac unfortunately.. its a real pity cos I was looking foward to the 4.2. as im an astronomer
The video doesn’t work in Linux (Ubuntu) too…
This is a feature that I was personally interested in seeing. Extremely awesome. Leaps ahead!
The only feature now that I’d like to see integrated — is being able to pull-in RSS feeds from RSS sources [eg: my Blog.]
That way, I could finally generate personally meaningful content specific to my location. 😉
Taking the concept a step further. Imagine now, you’re able to pull-in a post from your personal RSS source — and you are also given the capability to pick and chose which feed entries you want to display. Now, you can assign each bubble [or placemark] with a context that’s highly capable of meaningful story-telling and communications.
Mix that up with – yes – Flash… And look-out.
There is a web site that embed video on map and on google earth from long time.
The web site is http://www.videomap.it
there is an english version http://www.videomap.it/en
in one of your past articles you mentioned iCommunity .tv. http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/02/icommunitytv_news_wi.html
The new video feature is going to be a great feature for such sites.
These updates for GE are really Cool!!!
try this text to speech , Google Earth Blog RSS Feed.
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/984836
outragous !
I’ve been looking forward to this. I made a geographically based doc a few years ago which I wanted to split up and use google earth as the very sexy interface. I’m going to try it out.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2477670219479123507&hl=en
We just launched http://www.clipglobe.com which enables you to map your videos and watch them in Google Earth and Google Maps.
I’ve been trying to get .flv to play from my hard drive, but I’m no good at coding. Any ideas?
Yes, the new Google Earth 4.2 is great.
You can add a narration in http://www.springdoo.com by creating a springcast and uploading it to their site. It gives you the embed code to copy it to your place marker description in GE and it plays right there in the balloon.
Youtube also gives you the embed code so you can view a youtube video in the balloon.
You can also play any flash video that you create or from any source (as long as it is uploaded anywhere on the net) in the balloon by using http://www.freevideocoding.com to create the code to copy to the balloon description.
My question is this: does anyone know of a good FREE video converter so I can convert any format (mov, avi, wmv, or whatever) to swf? Thanks for the help.
Good! We ll try this in our next FLV player version.
How to play video file in my hard disk in google earth.. I try to fill code embed video in description..but does’nt work..
is there any update recently…?