By: Senior staff writer – Easton Ellsworth

TechCrunch reports that YouTube appears to have finally stopped teasing us all and begun showing some videos in high definition resultion. Yes, the videos don’t work in high def outside of the YouTube site (yet), but still … it’s a quantum leap, or at least the first step toward a quantum leap, forward in online video sharing and publishing.

This is going to spur a few important changes.

First, a lot of people are going to get very thirsty for hi-def video on the Web.

Second, many of them are going to shell out the extra cash, even in this down economy, to get whatever fiber-optic broadband service is available in their vicinity (or perhaps the next best thing that’s around).

Third, users of online video services are going to flock toward hi-def and away from lo-def video.

Fourth, tech startups are going to have to be ready with hi-def versions of their promotional videos and other published video material.

The hour is not yet here, but it will be soon, when people who use the Web expect to see hi-def by default.

Watch a DVD-quality movie and then switch to a VHS tape and you never want VHS again unless it’s absolutely necessary. The same thing is happening here with YouTube.