Joost ready to begin transition away from video player software
It seems Joost is finally ready to phase out its desktop video viewing software in favor of a web-based video player.
Created by the founders of Kazaa and Skype, Joost was met with a high level of curiosity and anticipation, but the fanfare has dramatically decreased due to limited content and the fact that all Joost users were forced to download the desktop client.
The fact that I didn't need to download and install any software was one of the main reasons I stopped using Joost and instead turned to Hulu. Many of my friends and co-workers who began using Hulu didn't know Joost existed, and similar to myself, didn't like that software had to be installed on each PC.
I'm not sure how much competition Joost will be able to offer Hulu, especially because the amount of content available on Hulu trumps the number of shows and movies available through Joost. But since Hulu is available only to U.S. viewers at the moment, Joost has a nice opportunity to promote its service to international users who can only use Hulu through a proxy.
Another problem Joost faces is that it'll require a plug-in download that must be downloaded on each computer that will play the Joost web player. Hulu simply requires Adobe Flash, which is available on most computers already and can be used in multiple applications.
Joost hosting live sporting events or concerts have been talked about, and would help get new users, but the company has not said anything about its plans lately.
I'm not entirely writing off Joost yet, but am rather pessimistic about its chances of success with Hulu and other companies emerging.
"A politician stumbles over himself... Then they pick it out. They edit it. He runs the clip, and then he makes a funny face, and the whole audience has a Pavlovian response." -- Joe Scarborough on John Stewart over Jim Cramer
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Latest By Michael Barkoviak
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