Finally: Joost Now Available on the Web
Today, Joost announced that all of its content is now available directly on its website and not just through its desktop client. Joost was one of the most hyped-up companies on the web when the peer-to-peer streaming video service was still in stealth mode in 2006 and beta invites were rare and coveted. However, once users actually got a look at Joost, disillusion quickly set in. Joost's video quality was very high and it had signed up a wide range of content producers, but its downfall was its reliance on a desktop client. Users were already switching to viewing video on the web and having to start up a client just to watch video was simply too inconvenient.
Joost announced that it was working on a browser-based version in March. Currently, you will still need to install a plugin for your browser to view videos on Joost, but starting in October, Joost will also move towards a completely Flash-based system. The plugin will remain necessary for watching HD content and live video, however.
Even though Joost does not rely on its P2P architecture anymore, the video quality is still high, especially in full-screen mode, but it does not rival that of the 'HD' offering of ABC or Vimeo.
More Social
Joost has also added a wealth of social features to its site. You can now easily share videos with your friends on Joost and join one of the newly established Joost groups. Also, everything you watch is stored in your 'JoostFeed,' which you can choose to make public. If you really do not want your friends to know that you have been watching Brittany Spears videos all night again, you can also turn on a 'Stealth Mode.'
Because of its reliance on a plugin, however, Joost does not offer the ability to embed videos yet. We assume that this feature will be available once Joost has moved over to using Flash.
Too Little, Too Late?
Overall, we think it was about time for Joost to move to the browser. However, a lot of what Joost set out to do in 2006 has already been done on the web. Its biggest competitor is probably Hulu, which has content deals with almost every large TV network and is slowly adding more HD content. Joost will have a hard time competing, unless it can sign up a similarly large number of quality content producers.
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All I'm getting is a "Page Load Error" - must be too much to handle today! :)
Fuuny, it is a DNS thing. http://joost.com/ doesn't work but http://www.joost.com/ does, for me anyway.
FYI - the "Joost plug in" is really 131 megabyte local install of Silverlight - which I do not consider "browser based".
Suggest everyone wait until pure Flash version gets released next month ( if ever ).
@todd - I installed the plugin and the download weighed in at about 7 megabytes. But you are right - I think the Flash version is what could save Joost.
@Frederic Lardinois
What would save Joost is they need to deliver on their promise of "Annotated Television". I was one of the first Joost beta testers waaay back in 2006 when it was called "The Venetian Project".
Still waiting for the means to annotate what I am watching and have my friends see what I wrote when they watch the same show.
It is not silverlight you jackass.
I tried Joost last year and install the application on my Vista laptop. But as soon as I understood, it can run without application, I didn't use it at all and uninstalled the second day.
But now when Joost is available online, I will give it another try, but ya as you mentioned, Hulu really has the best quality online video and movies. It doesn't even feel like I am watching it online.
Joost will have a hard time competing with these services out there.
Last month I wrote a blog post about the same, if you are interested to have a look:
http://www.knowliz.com/2008/08/dont-miss-any-more-tv-shows-movies.html
Thanks for the info.
Cheers
Anurag Bansal
I've used Joost as a desktop app before, and it was a great experience. The main drawback was that it was--a desktop app, and I found it was a bigger pain in the butt to use than just, say, going to a website. I don't think they have really evolved very far beyond that. For one you have to download a plug-in. You also have to sign-up in order to view anything. That is two annoying steps removed from YouTube or Hulu! Get with the program Joost. Sheesh.
BTW. Am I the only one that loves Hulu? It got pretty trashed by many reviewers, but I like it. It's easy to use and has content that I'll actually watch, uncut and high-quality.
I am a great fan of Hulu.
And very well said Sergio..
It is a pain to create an account and install a plug-in just to watch something on Joost whilst it is available free without any catch and PIB elsewhere pretty well.
Still they are not getting what public demand is.
For me..
LONG LIVE HULUUUUUUUUUU...