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Joost Gives Up Consumer Video Plans
Will focus instead on helping ISP content ambitions
While broadband video service Joost had an ambitious launch, the operation has since landed with a thud at the feet of more popular alternatives such as Hulu, which is now the second most popular Internet video site behind YouTube. Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom of Skype and Kazaa fame, the service hoped to revolutionize the broadband video industry, but struggled with slow broadband speeds, internal turmoil and a contractually-limited catalog. Last winter, Joost ditched their P2P approach for a more Hulu-esque flash-based website approach, though it didn't help. The company has since been shopping itself around to cable and satellite operators, and now has announced they're shuttering their consumer service entirely -- instead focusing on developing video services for existing ISPs.
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ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Not surprising

Joost was a great idea, but, IMHO, it had two fatal flaws. First, they tried to reinvent the wheel with their proprietary player. Great idea when it worked. It never did on my PC. The thing would crash every single time I started it. After quite a bit of troubleshooting, I simply gave up.

The second flaw was the same flaw that many other services suffer from: a fixation with video on the computer. I watch video on my monitor, but I'd greatly prefer watching it on my TV. I watch computer video out of necessity, not because I like it that way.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Not surprising

And I don't see a promising future for them as a wholesaler to ISPs either. Hulu already has that action tied up.

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

1 edit

dadkins to ISurfTooMuch

MVM

to ISurfTooMuch
Don't know about you, but I can display anything from these laptops on my HDTV - including hulu/joost/veoh/fancast/youtube - whatever.

Plug in one cord, HDMI, and everything gets switched to the HDTV automatically.


Matt3
All noise, no signal.
Premium Member
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC

Matt3 to ISurfTooMuch

Premium Member

to ISurfTooMuch
said by ISurfTooMuch:

The second flaw was the same flaw that many other services suffer from: a fixation with video on the computer. I watch video on my monitor, but I'd greatly prefer watching it on my TV. I watch computer video out of necessity, not because I like it that way.
I agree. I don't understand why these folks don't get it. Perhaps they do and they don't WANT to make it easy yet though?
mokaiba2
Premium Member
join:2009-06-25

mokaiba2

Premium Member

ok

ok

ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana

ronpin

Member

They lost me on day-one

...all that hype -- only to find I wasn't one of the lucky few to trial the service. I never even checked-back.

azrael99
@rr.com

azrael99

Anon

Re: They lost me on day-one

They should really finish their Iphone App update for OS 3.0 - a lot of people are actually using that to view Joost as it is.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Proprietary player

that was enough to make me say thanks but no thanks.
WMP can do DRM!

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike

Premium Member

No thanx

I gave up on Joost because their catalog selection sucked ass. Not to mention it was based on P2P technology. No thanx