The YouTube video site owned by Google has begun offering video downloads. It is working with a few partners who want their videos shared universally and away from an Internet connection. It is also testing an option that gives video owners the ability to permit downloading of their videos from YouTube for free or for a small fee paid through Google Checkout.

Partners can set prices and decide which license they want to attach to the downloaded video files. To help keep track of previously purchased videos, YouTube has created a new "My Purchases" tab under "My Videos."

ReadWriteWeb.com said video downloads it found today were typically available for around $1 and were only available as MP4 files. "Google is also using this as an opportunity to promote its Google Checkout product, as it is the only way to actually purchase a video," the article stated.