Joost Another YouTube?
Joost could become a major distribution channel for television--if it can overcome a few practical problems.
By Brendan Borrell | Jan 29, 2007 | MIT Technology Review
Skype cofounders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis want to turn the Internet into a global television distribution platform, where users switch between shows almost as quickly as they can change the channel on a standard TV. The system, called Joost, is currently in beta testing and could be released to the public in a matter of months. But it's hard to understand how Joost will fit into a streaming multimedia world populated by the likes of YouTube, Netflix, and even your local cable company. "We're taking the next logical step in television," says Joost chief technology officer Dirk-Willem van Gulik. Joost, he says, combines the best parts of the television experience with the best parts of the Internet. It's more than a fancy way to transfer files. The zippy, full-screen broadcasts and the browser allow users to change channels, search content, and receive recommendation lists. Eventually, the Joost browser will even allow software developers to create their own plug-ins. The service is free, and it's supported by one minute of targeted advertisements per hour. Internet protocol television--IPTV--has been on the minds of developers since the early days of the Web. Last March, CBS's webcast of the NCAA final-four tournament drew a record 250,000 simultaneous viewers. But 140,000 people were left in a digital waiting room, says Hui Zhang, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. Continued at: technologyreview.com
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