Re:Wouldn't it be easier (Score 1)

I think we're confusing the terms here. I'm not sure what you mean by audio compression, but if it's dynamic compression you're talking about (which is what is heard in the example) then chronology definitely plays a part. What Google seems to be doing is to make sure the volume stays fairly consistent between clips, which is a noble enough goal. The problem seems to be that they've applied a very ham-fisted algorithm (translated to compressor terms, their ratio, threshold, release and makeup gain settings are too aggressive) but I suppose this is what they considered necessary given the extreme range of material posted on YouTube on a daily basis. I applaud the effort, but the end result could have been a lot better.