Joost Gives Up Consumer Video PlansWill focus instead on helping ISP content ambitions 05:50PM Tuesday Jun 30 2009 by Karl Bodetags: Video · business · contentWhile 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
| 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. | |
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ | 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. | |
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Matt
Gone playing Dragon Age Origins
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
| 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? | |
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ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana | 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.
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Remember the future. | |
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azrael99
@rr.com | 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. | |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ | Proprietary player that was enough to make me say thanks but no thanks.
WMP can do DRM! | |
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ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium
join:2001-08-02
Michigan City, IN |  No thanx
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