LLT Intro gone missing?

[VicBar]

Has anyone else noticed that the latest LTT videos don't have the LTT Intro animation after the sponsor callout?

 

Or is it only on the YT videos? like a Floatplane exclusive feature..?
Or am I crazy?

 

Knowing Linus if they did remove them I'm guessing there's a business reason behind it... like they noticed that it has nudged up some metric like retention of watch time or smth. Or they're experimenting so if no one notices they'll just leave it out...

I know they're sponsor call out is 5s so I always hit the right arrowkey. If you hit "L" you skip the intro too, but I never do that. Maybe most people do and they noticed and decided to just remove it? I don't get it.... Why is the intro gone?

I do sense like the flow of the video is less interrupted but... or the immediate jump gives it some sort of energy. I edit videos so I feel there is smth to be said about no intro.... but I miss it dearly and it seems there was no reason given? I'm not on twitter so idk if this has already been talked about there or the subreddit or smth.. I also don't use reddit.

 

I might be insane tho, i don't know... any insight?

@LinusTech@TaranLMG@AlexTheGreatish

Edited April 2, 2022 by VicBar
spelling and dyslexia

[VicBar]

It's just been these three videos that don't have the intro so far.. this week.. That I've noticed (links start at sponsor spot)

 

[casualgamer123]

intro will always be there in your heart

[Spotty]

They're testing out videos without an intro.

 

Personally I prefer videos without the intro. An intro is just dead air that I have to skip and I think it's better for the flow of the video not to have one and just jump straight in to the content.

[VicBar]

Just now, casualgamer123 said:

intro will always be there in your heart

You make it sound like it's gone for good TnT

don't

[VicBar]

Ahhh that's one place I didn't think to look! The thread of those indiv videos.. Thanks for the info! @Spotty

Edited March 25, 2022 by VicBar
I screwed up the quote

[Heliian]

I stopped watching the videos after they switched to those headshot click titles.

 

A short intro isn't bad. 

[GuiltySpark_]

That's a very strange thing to concern yourself with. 

[VicBar]

3 minutes ago, Heliian said:

I stopped watching the videos after they switched to those headshot click titles.

 

A short intro isn't bad. 

So like.. years ago?

[VicBar]

3 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

That's a very strange thing to concern yourself with. 

Well I mean.... Watching LTT daily is sort of a ritual for me, or rather it has become just a constant in my life.

Been watching for many years now, and this change is small but I'd consider it significant..   is it all that strange considering how invested I am?

 

Spoiler

What you could say is strange is to be so invested. That surely requires further consideration

 

[Heliian]

1 minute ago, VicBar said:

So like.. years ago?

Probably a year at least since I was a daily watcher.  I think the fire died out for me when GPUs became rare and the market became more commercialized. 

[VicBar]

2 minutes ago, Heliian said:

Probably a year at least since I was a daily watcher.  I think the fire died out for me when GPUs became rare and the market became more commercialized. 

Ahh I see... yeah the GPU market being as it is definitely crushed the interest in reviews and build content..

 

I actually noticed that it made them have to rethink a little of what type of content they make.. it brought some different vids to the channel. Now they only occasionally build a PC and only for a sponsor. But they do make sure the focus is not on the build itself but on smth they do with the build. I've enjoyed the House renovation vlogs a lot, and I feel they had to find a way to keep making videos while avoiding those topics.

 

I can understand why it put you off though.

[LinusTech]

As someone alluded to, we're experimenting with removing it. The first minute or so of the video is such valuable air time that I feel it no longer makes sense to clog it up with something that - by definition - brings nothing new/unique to the table.

 

I'm not married to the idea of killing it, but that's the way I'm leaning right now.

[MadAnt250]

11 hours ago, LinusTech said:

The first minute or so of the video is such valuable air time that I feel it no longer makes sense to clog it up with something that - by definition - brings nothing new/unique to the table.

It is not an LTT video without the intro that has evolved and found a place in peoples minds. For seven years the song Supernova by Laszlo has been played at the beginning of your videos and has created a form of identity associated with Linus Tech Tips just like the song Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band being played in the intro of the show TopGear, because when you hear the music, you automatically know what is being played on the TV.

 

Just my opinion.

You do what you like.

[coda]

I personally prefer the videos without an intro. They’re not a huge deal, especially since they tend to be short, but I’ve made a subconscious habit of skipping them every chance I get, with the exception of more long form, non-serialized content as they can occasionally add to the experience and set expectations for what you’re about to invest time into.

 

YouTube videos and podcast episodes (though theme songs are more the issue there than actual host introductions) I feel are better without. Also thought the current intro was a bit much.

[Middcore]

7 hours ago, MadAnt250 said:

It is not an LTT video without the intro that has evolved and found a place in peoples minds. For seven years the song Supernova by Laszlo has been played at the beginning of your videos and has created a form of identity associated with Linus Tech Tips just like the song Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band being played in the intro of the show TopGear, because when you hear the music, you automatically know what is being played on the TV.

 

Just my opinion.

You do what you like.

Do you often experience difficulty with not knowing what YouTube video is playing on your computer?

[Needfuldoer]

F

 

I'll miss the 'couch gag' text lines that appeared under the logo at the end of the intro.

 

Were people skipping the cold open and sponsor spots, because hammering the right arrow key (on YouTube at least) always landed them somewhere in the middle of the intro?

[divito]

Having the intro provides a certain structure that, personally, I appreciate; it breaks up the flow in a positive way versus, cold open -> sponsor -> content.

And it's also functional in being able to scrub to it so you know where the actual video starts, or sometimes in my cases, where I have Youtube on auto-play and while I'm not physically at my computer, I want to go back without going all the way to the start. Certain sponsor spots, especially ones that are new, can sometimes be hard to distinguish from regular content when scrubbing, that having the intro block is nice as a reference point at the very least.

 

For the intro being all of 8-9 seconds, I think they'd be better served at potentially limiting or re-evaluating their cold opens. Personally, the longer the open goes for, the less interested or patient I am in dealing with the rest of it, on top of a sponsor spot. I can't imagine I am alone in that type of feeling. Granted, there are some videos that can't have concise opens, but I'm sure they try to keep it manageable. 

The other piece, as @LinusTech mentions the intro "brings nothing new/unique to the table," is to possibly do as other channels have done in the past and bake discount codes and other pieces of marketing into their intros, or tack on the video's sponsor into it as well, so they can gauge engagement and incentivize actual viewership. Stuff like 5-second skip, or SponsorBlock mean there need to be other ways to keep the ROI intact. 

[Forbidden Wafer]

On 3/24/2022 at 11:13 PM, Spotty said:

An intro is just dead air

This was not dead air. It was sublime. Just like the real kitchen.

[Forbidden Wafer]

7 minutes ago, divito said:

is to possibly do as other channels have done in the past and bake discount codes and other pieces of marketing into their intros,

They already did that in the past, as far as I can remember.

[MadAnt250]

6 hours ago, Middcore said:

Do you often experience difficulty with not knowing what YouTube video is playing on your computer?

The point is, the intro music has also become a star of the show and is now part of the show's identity as well.

 

[Needfuldoer]

Maybe stick a modified version onto the end of the video, post-credits, like the production company logos at the end of a TV show?

You know what I’m talking about. These:

 

[pr1vatepiles]

On 3/26/2022 at 5:33 AM, MadAnt250 said:

It is not an LTT video without the intro that has evolved and found a place in peoples minds. For seven years the song Supernova by Laszlo has been played at the beginning of your videos and has created a form of identity associated with Linus Tech Tips just like the song Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band being played in the intro of the show TopGear, because when you hear the music, you automatically know what is being played on the TV.

 

Just my opinion.

You do what you like.

Great example, completely agree with you.

 

[VicBar]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:49 AM, LinusTech said:

As someone alluded to, we're experimenting with removing it. The first minute or so of the video is such valuable air time that I feel it no longer makes sense to clog it up with something that - by definition - brings nothing new/unique to the table.

 

I'm not married to the idea of killing it, but that's the way I'm leaning right now.

I can understand how it's taking up real important "real-estate" while having no real use there.. How about having it as an outro? I think the people who really care about the intro are also the same kind of people who stay until after the last ad spot to watch the last little ramblings of a video, so they could also appreciate the old intro as a outro!

 

I've made a crude mock-up of what it would look like.. obviously it's  not perfect as I've noticed you guys have some custom audio. But check it out... I think it would be nice to not lose it completely

 

[Needfuldoer]

 

24 minutes ago, VicBar said:

I can understand how it's taking up real important "real-estate" while having no real use there.. How about having it as an outro? I think the people who really care about the intro are also the same kind of people who stay until after the last ad spot to watch the last little ramblings of a video, so they could also appreciate the old intro as a outro!

 

I've made a crude mock-up of what it would look like.. obviously it's  not perfect as I've noticed you guys have some custom audio. But check it out... I think it would be nice to not lose it completely

 

Yes! This is the kind of thing I had in mind!

 

I think it could be tightened up a little in this context; the part with the logo cube kind of breaks the cadence. Maybe skip that and start directly where the song kicks in?