2010 is proving to be the year of YouTube slimming down.

The company on Thursday began offering up a newer, leaner version of its player that's essentially the same as the old one in terms of functionality. The big difference is that the player's timeline nearly disappears after a few seconds of playback, putting more of an emphasis on whatever's playing.

Other small tweaks include a volume knob that slides out into the player's chrome instead of up and on top of the video, as well as a slight fade to the now white and gray player interface that sits below a clip. This small effect is reminiscent of the fade Google added to its home page back in December of last year.

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003764-248.html

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