I got my Joost Beta Invite and Joost is pretty Cool (sort of)
Joost is the one of the first serious internet based TV delivery platforms.
The people behind it are the guys who sold Skype to Ebay.
Joost is: Think channel surfing but with streaming video.
It is still very early days for internet TV, but I have already reviewed Channel 4’s 4OD (Four on Demand) service.
http://www.colindiponio.com/2007/01/24/channel-4-on-demand-4od/
Joost is different by offering multiple channels. Its more like Sky TV in that respect.
The video quality was variable and looked pretty rough on a Hi-Definition 1366×760 32″ display when the content was running full screen. I would describe it as watchable, but not a quality proposition.
The lack of more widescreen content was a bit of a letdown. I dont have a Hi-Def widescreen TV to watch 4:3
vhs quality content. A few years from now this will be less of an issue as bandwith and quality increase.
This is Joost Running in a Window
This is Joost Running in full screen
Install
Once you get your Beta Invite and login to www.joost.com you can download the software for Windows or Mac.
I chose Windows as the most logical place to put Joost in my setup was on my Windows Media Center.
One problem with the install, it detected my ATI-All in Wonder 9800 had only 1mb of memory (it has 128mb) The install suggested I proceed any way (I did without problem).
My initial impressions are very positive (putting video quality and content quality aside for a moment), it’s a peek into the next generation of Internet TV and I like it.
