Filed under: Internet, Video, Browsers
Joost to kill desktop client, provide browser-based video player?
The new Joost browser plugin will still reportedly rely on P2P technology to distribute video, thus lightening the bandwidth load for content providers. The video quality should also be higher than what you find on most YouTube-like video sites.
One of the things that made Joost different from every other online video platform when the service launched was the company's insistence on creating a standalone video browser. After all, web browsers are designed for navigating text and image-based web sites, not video. Joost was designed to be a bit more TV-like. But I can't say I'm surprised to hear that the company is moving back to the browser, because for many computer users, the web browser is the internet.
The image above does not show the new browser plugin. Nobody's seen that yet (except maybe the folks working on it). Rather it shows a Flash based mashup of a Joost-style interface for browsing existing online video sites.
Update: TechCrunch got some screenshots of the new service which is available at a password protected web site. Check one out after the break.
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BlueB said 8:10AM on 9-06-2008
Linux support this time!?
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Dred242 said 7:45PM on 9-07-2008
I remember being very excited about Joost but after using it for several months I grew tired of it's slow interface. Also my PC performance would slow way down after only a few minutes of use. I can't wait to try the new web app.
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WolvenSpectre said 6:17PM on 9-07-2008
This will likely fix the multi platform supprot but I cannot see the browser based player having the same quality as the desktop client.
If they move away from it they should offer to sell or open source the players tech and interface to home theater PC makers. with a little additional developement and functionality it would make a great front end.
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