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Joost posts

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web

Joost is dead, long live... no, Joost is pretty much dead

Joost
One upon a time, Joost was supposed to be the future of online video. The project was founded by the makers of Skype as a way to deliver high quality video over a peer to peer network using a standalone application because, let's face it, web browsers weren't really made for video.

But over the past few years, YouTube has continued to grow in popularity, and a little site called Hulu came along and showed that people were pretty gosh darned happy to watch full length TV episodes in a browser if they could access the content they wanted.

Eventually Joost gave up on the standalone media browser idea and relaunched as a web-based video portal. The only problem is that while Joost had a handful of videos you might want to watch, it's content library always paled in comparison to Hulu and other sites.

Today Joost announced a plan to relaunch as a white-label video provider. In other words, Joost will offer up its technology to other companies looking for a way to other companies looking to start their own video portals.

Joost's web portal will continue to exist... for now. But the company is reducing its staff, closing offices, and I'd be shocked if Joost signs any new content deals anytime soon. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the existing premium partners start to disappear from the site.

Filed under: Internet, Video

Air developer releases standalone Joost desktop player


Popular video site Joost has just announced the launch of their newDeveloper Paul Yanez has recreated a desktop player for popular video site Joost. To quote our own Brad Linder, "Can haz irony?" Joost started out as a desktop app, which, if you remember, was just killed off in December.

It probably doesn't come as a surprise that this incarnation is built on Adobe Air. As long as you've got the runtime installed, you'll be enjoying the desktop player in mere moments regardless of your operating system.

The player also includes Twitter integration, allowing you to quickly share that awesome video you're watching without leaving the app. I did notice a bit of lag when switching screens, though not enough to ruin the experience.

Sadly, WB Classic's episodes of CHIPs and Brisco County Jr. wouldn't play for me, but I am in Canada - which tends to handcuff my access streaming video services from time to time.

For distraction-free access to Joost's video vault, the standalone player is well worth downloading.
(sorry for the confusion...The proliferation of Joost logos and references is just a tad deceptive)

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web

Joost kills internet video desktop client

Joost desktop client
Two months after launching a web-based version of its online video platform, Joost is turning off its desktop client.

Joost, which is the brainchild of some of the folks behind the Skype VoIP software, was originally launched to provide an alternate way for people to interact with internet video. After all, web browsers were built for reading text and looking at pictures, not for finding and enjoying video. So Joost was positioned as a video browser, not a web browser. But as YouTube, Hulu, and countless other sites have demonstrated, there are a lot of people who are perfectly happy to watch videos using a web browser. And as it turns out, there aren't so many who are interested in downloading and installing a separate application just to watch videos they can probably already watch in their web browser.

Effective December 19th, Joost users who have already installed the desktop client will no longer be able ot watch videos using the software. They'll have to go to the Joost web site instead.

It's kind of a shame, because I think the desktop software had a lot of promise. I just think it was aimed at the wrong market. Instead of focusing on providing a user experience for people sitting right in front of their computers, Joost could have focused on creating a quality web video experience for people sitting on their couch and watching through a computer or set top box connected to a TV set. Right now that torch is being carried by the makers of Boxee, XBMC, Zviewer, and other media center applications.

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web

Joost gets Flashy, works with virtually any web browser

Joost Flash
Last month Joost started to launch a browser-based version of its online video service. Up until then, you needed to download a standalone client to watch the TV shows, movies, and video blogs served up by Joost. But last month you still needed to install a browser plugin to user Joost. Now you don't.

The latest version of Joost has a Flash video player. Flash videos are hosted on a central Joost server, so you won't get the marginally higher quality video playback that Joost's P2P service offered. But for many potential users, the convenience factor will make the new Joost a lot more attractive. If you've already installed the Flash plugin for your browser to watch videos on other sites like YouTube and Hulu, you'll be able to watch videos on Joost.

The web site layout is simple and easy to use. My favorite feature is the separation of the navigation window and the video window. You can search for additional videos to watch and queue them up without stopping playback of the video you're currently watching.

Joost still has at least one major hurdle to overcome: The company doesn't have the huge content library that you can find on other sites like YouTube or Hulu. There are certainly some programs worth watching on Joost. I found a few TV excellent TV shows and movies within just a few seconds. But there are plenty of shows I've never heard of and don't really want to watch and a noticable shortage of prime time television content from major TV networks.

Filed under: Internet, Video

Joost take 2: This time it's in-browser video

Joost 2.0
As expected, Joost has launched a browser-based version of its online video service. One of the main things that set Joost apart from online video sites like YouTube and Hulu in its early days was the fact that you needed to download and install a standalone client to access Joost content. Sure, the video quality was higher than most of the video you find from browser-based sites. But who wants to load a second application to watch video when you've probably already got a browser open anyway?

For now, Joost users will still need to download and install a plugin in order to watch video in their browsers. But once it's installed, you'll never need to install it again. Joost will also roll out a Flash based version of its web site next month so that you won't need a separate browser plugin at all. The video quality might suffer a bit though. One of the things the plugin does is allow Joost to use its peer to peer network to delivery higher quality video streams to your browser.

The new site is much simpler to navigate than Joost's desktop client. That's because content is organized by channel, genre, and other categories. For example, you can click on the Shows button to pull up a list of genres, and then click on Sci Fi and Horror to find Star Treck episodes.

Joost does still face some challenges. For one, the service doesn't have anywhere near the number of mainstream TV shows and movies that you can find on Hulu. On the other hand, there are a few goodies on Joost that make Joost worth checking out, like full length Robot Chicken episodes.

Filed under: Internet, Video, Browsers

Joost to kill desktop client, provide browser-based video player?

Joost Flash mashup
Apparently a web browser really is the best place to watch online video. OK, that's probably not at all true. But thanks to YouTube, Hulu, and other Flash video based web sites, most users have gotten used to watching video without launching a separate application. So this week we saw Amazon de-emphasize the download feature of its online video store. Next up? It looks like Joost might end development of its standalone video player and launch a browser-based service instead.

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.

Read more →

Filed under: Internet, Video, P2P

Joost to give up on global domination, focus on US

Joost
Joost appears to be scaling back its game plan a bit. The Sunday Times reports that the online video platform will focus entirely on distributing content in the US, where it has the largest audience. Up until now, Joost has provided videos globally, although the content you were able to watch was determined by your country of residence.

The company was founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype. The goal was to give users a standalone application for viewing high quality videos over a peer to peer network, rather than spending all day squinting at YouTube style videos embedded in web pages. But while Joost has managed to sign a few major content partners like CBS and Viacom, you can generally find more up to date content from Hulu or the BBC iPlayer.

Joost is also hardly the only name in the game these days. The company faces competition (if you can call it that) from other online video services including Babelgum, Vuze, VeohTV, and Miro. But there's still one major question that needs to be answered: Does anybody actually use any of these services on a regular basis to watch videos, or are they the sort of programs you download once to check out and then maybe remember to launch every few weeks to see if there's anything new?

Do you actually care if Joost shuts down in the UK and other markets? Would it matter to you if they closed up shop in the US too? Let us know in the comments.

Update: It looks like a spokesperson for Joost denies that the company has any plans to layoff employees or go US-only.

[via Mashable]

Filed under: Internet, Video, P2P

Joost: Coming to a browser near you

Joost
Apparently live video streaming isn't the only new feature coming from internet video Joost. Company CEO Mike Volpi tells Portfolio Magazine that the company is also working on a browser-based version of their software.

Right now in order to watch Joost content you need to download and install a standalone application which connects to Joost's peer to peer network. And while Joost has gotten an awful lot of attention for changing the way we think about online video over the last few years, it turns out that a relatively small number of people have actually bothered to install the Joost client, while hundreds of millions of users regularly watch videos in their web browsers.

It's not exactly clear that Joost offers much to pull people away from popular sites like YouTube, Hulu, and DailyMotion. Sure, Joost has full length movies and TV episodes, but so does Hulu, and to be honest, Hulu has far more popular content than Joost.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]

Filed under: Internet, Video, P2P

Joost experiments with live streaming video

Joost
While Joost competitor Babelgum is busy looking for independent films to showcase, Joost is still looking for ways to get people excited about watching mainstream television programs over the internet without the help of a web browser.

While Joost has historically offered a video on demand type service, allowing users to watch old episodes of Star Trek or slightly newer episodes of Robot Chicken at their own leisure, there are some TV programs people prefer to watch live, like Sports. So starting today, Joost plans to partner with CBS to provide a live stream of the NCAA March Madness tournament.

The move is more of an experiment than a business model shift. We don't expect Joost to give up on video on demand anytime soon. But if the service can handle live video streaming, we might see other live events streamed in the future. Of course, most folks will find it's a lot easier just to turn on the TV if they want to catch a basketball game, but if you're stuck at work late one night and there's no TV in sight, it's nice to know that procrastination is still an option.

[via NewTeeVee]

Filed under: Internet, Video

Babelgum invests $15 million in independent film

Babelgum
Once upon a time peer to peer video application Babelgum had its sights set firmly on Joost. Both applications allow users to watch internet video without a web browser and with an attractive full screen interface. But while Joost has been steadily picking up major studio and network content partners, Babelgum has focused largely on independent film.

And it turns out that may have been a smart move, as Joost hasn't really lived up to its hype over the past year, and major content producers are turning to other services like Hulu to distribute their material.

Now Babelgum is going all out on the indie film front, and creating a $15 million fund to invest in independent shorts. Any videos funded by Babelgum will be distributed solely through the online video application, although Babelgum may consider selling DVDs or pursuing TV distribution deals.

[via paidContent]

Filed under: Internet, Video

SubJoost adds user generated subtitles to Joost

SubJoost
If you're the sort of person who likes to watch TV with closed captioning on, you may have noticed that most internet video has one thing missing: subtitles. Whether you're watching YouTube, Hulu, or Joost, odds are the only time you'll see subtitles are when someone uploads a foreign language video and feels like taking the time to add English subtitles (or vice versa). In other words, there's no option to turn subtitles on and off. They're either there or they're not.

SubJoost is a community driven Joost plugin that lets you turn on and create subtitles for any video served up by Joost. Just install the widget and select your language of choice. If subtitles are available in your language, they'll show up on selected videos.

The problem is right now there are almost no videos with subtitles available. While there's a list of subtitled videos on the SubJoost web page, we found that very few of these movies and TV shows actually have more than a handful of captions. But since this is a community driven project, there's an easy fix for that problem. Anyone can sign up for a SubJoost account and start creating their own subtitles. So get crackin already, will you?

[via Mashable]

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Utilities, Video, Open Source, Social Software, Podcasts

Miro gets refreshed to version 1.1, Bit Torrent dramatically improved

Miro
The open source, cross-platform video platform, Miro, recently released version 1.1. The new update offers two main improvements. First, Miro has significantly improved BitTorrent performance by giving the user more control and settings for BitTorrent downloads. Miro's support of BitTorrent has always set itself apart from other media players with it's BitTorrent support and we're glad to see them enhancing this important feature.

Second, Miro 1.1 has made it easier to find the search results you're looking for by instituting a combined search across all 5 of their search engines. Users who want to only search the engines one at a time can still do so by choosing the engines they're most interested in seeing results from.

If you're not a user of Miro yet, we encourage you to take a look its way. Miro is a media viewing software package that allows you to view almost any video file format, search for and view YouTube videos, and access video podcasts via BitTorrent. Additionally, Miro is an open source video platform that lacks any DRM and allows unrestricted viewing of their materials. Also, they Miro takes pride in it's selection of HD content.

[via Miro's blog]

Filed under: Internet, Video

Netflix teams up with LG to create set top box

Netflix

Netflix, the popular DVD-by-mail rental service, is teaming up with hardware manufactures to bring movies straight to your living room, bypassing the DVD by mail part of their business. In an obvious move to be competitive against Blockbuster and online services such as Joost and Zulu, Netflix is making another wave in the digital download arena.

The New York Times reports that Netflix has teamed up with LG to deliver movies and other high-def content straight to your TV. Netflix would like to have numerous relationships with many hardware manufacturers to make their service available to as many people as possible.

Netflix users have had the ability to watch movies online, but it requires web access and a PC. We congratulate Netflix for trying to make their service possible directly to our shiny HDTVs.

[via The New York Times]

Filed under: Internet, Video, Open Source

Miro 1.0 released: It's not Joost, but it is open source

Miro DLS
Everybody's favorite open-source video aggregator/online TV viewing app has finally hit the big 1.0.

Miro is positioning itself as an alternative to Joost, but we're not sure the comparison is apt. Joost lets you watch professionally produced content in a custom-built streaming video player that brings a TV-like experience to your computer. Miro lets you download and watch videos that you could have gotten from other places -- but Miro makes finding video from thousands of sources all kinds of easy.

Miro is also open-source, cross-platform (with Mac, Linux, and Windows versions available), and 100% DRM-free. And while the fact that you can't watch streaming video might seem like a disadvantage, Miro dos a pretty good job of downloading videos that weren't really meant for saving to your computer. In other words, it's a handy application to have around if you want to download "web-only" videos from sites like YouTube.

[via Slashdot]

Filed under: Business, Fun, Internet, Video, Web services, P2P

Meebo gets cozy with Joost

Meebo gets cozy with JoostMeebo, the web-based instant messaging service, has announced that they will be powering Channel Chat across Joost's internet video platform.

Joost provides over 15000 shows from 250 Channels. Meebo will allow anyone watching a show or channel to chat with other viewers, or to chat with people with the same viewing tastes.

Meebo has also recently announced the meebo Platform, a third party application developers API, iPhone meebo, and a meebo extension for Firefox.

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