SAN BRUNO, California (AP) – YouTube is trying to become as brainless and painless to watch as a real television. In the process, the web's leading video site hopes to learn enough about its viewers to replace their remote control.

Those ambitions came into sharper focus with the debut of a YouTube format called "Leanback". The feature picks out high-definition clips most likely to command a person's attention and then automatically serves up one video after another.

YouTube, based in California, believes viewers will feel like they're watching television if they don't have to search the website for another clip every few minutes.

As it learns more about viewers' preferences, YouTube envisions a day when TV lovers eventually won't need their remote controls because Leanback will do all the work for them.

"We want to remove the 'What next?' question" for viewers, said Kuan Yong, Leanback's product manager.

The feature will be among the options available on Google's Internet TVs when the Sony-made sets go on sale in the US this fall.