GOOGLE has paid a reported $15 million for a video editing start-up called Omnisio.

The deal is good news for a trio of Aussie entrepreneurs who left Her Madge's far-flung outpost to make their fortunes in Silicon Valley. The deal should keep them in amber nectar and Sheilas for a few weeks.

Omnisio software is designed to be used with Youtube clips, allowing users to edit and fiddle willy-nilly to produce new content from old.

The firm's threesome said on their web site: "We've been acquired by Google and will soon be joining the Youtube team, aligning us with the market leaders in online video."

Google reckons the Omnisio team, "has tremendous technical expertise when it comes to advanced video tools and having this kind of talent at Youtube should help us further explore ways to enhance your Youtube experience." µ