How can you interact with a video aside from pressing play? Recently, two custom YouTube experiences answered that question in novel ways.

A unique mash-up of two videos

In Honda’s “double-sided story,” the action from two different scenes runs cleverly in parallel. Press or release the “R” key and you switch seamlessly from one to the other. Very cool… but the temptation to rapidly toggle between stories may make you feel like you’re having a seizure.

A video with a visual “table of contents”

For another innovative experience, view the charming Meet me at Starbucks video on the Starbucks YouTube channel. It implements visual markers for each chapter right into the video control bar – so much easier than scrubbing through footage to find a part that interests you.

Nice to see companies pushing the envelope with their videos. We look forward to more that are as noteworthy for their controls as their content.