Watchout Netflix and Apple, YouTube is “unofficially” in the online video rental space. With a quiet debute today, YouTube  opened YouTube.com/store, which if accessed from outside the U.S will bring you to someone’s vacant channel.

The biggest advantage Youtube will have in the rental space is its access to more independent/ non-movie content.  Sure you can rent the latest blockbuster  or even art films from Netflix but you can’t rent a semi-pro tutorial on how to use After Effects CS5.   This monetization of amateurish content is part of the evolution of online video.

It will be a while before Youtube allows for non-movie or TV show content to be sold.  It’s not hard to see its inevitability.