Two weeks ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL and Google all showcased their new online video portals, which were set to debut later this year.  The idea was to challenge the stranglehold Apple already has on the market for both free videos, but more importantly those that content providers are charging for including television shows and movies.  Google has already cut a major deal with the NBA, for consumers to download games and highlights from around the league for their viewing pleasure.

As we have covered on The Media Backpage, major content providers like Walt Disney and CBS have already cut deals with Apple.  However, this week Google snuck one past everyone by launching it's service way ahead of schedule.  They have now officially launched their site, Google Video.

Everyone's excited to have options for online video, especially those with video iPods and similar players, with that said though some are not thrilled with Google's first offering, especially those at the New York Times ripped Google's beta version.  The service leaves a lot to be desired and isn't as comfortable as Apple's iTunes, but it is still certain to have a huge impact on the emerging video-download world.

Check it out and let us know what you think...