The application allows Mac users to download content from Google Video, which features free and paid segments and shows from amateurs as well as major networks and film companies. It is designed to run on both Intel and PowerPC Macs. Users must have Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher, a 1 GHz or faster processor, and a video card with at least 16 MB of RAM.

The player allows viewers to watch videos on full screens or to scan and select scenes from thumbnails. Users can also skip to scenes they have not downloaded yet and resume downloads automatically.

Google launched a video search service in January 2005 and unveiled its video player six months later.

Yahoo! launched a video service in May of last year, one month earlier than Google. The company updated its video search last week.

Google's latest move comes in time for the World Cup, one of the most-watched sporting events in the world.

Google Video accepts uploaded video from people holding rights to the material, if it meets Google's technical requirements. The footage must be free of illegal content, invasions of privacy, pornography, obscenity, hate or incitement of violence and copyright violations. A SafeSearch feature is available for restricting adult content.