• ABC
• NBC
• CBS
• FOX
• HULU
• FANCAST
• JOOST
• BITTORRENT

Joost Picks Up Wizzard Media Content; catalog of video content from the podcasting network including Tiki Bar TV headed to the P2P online TV service. (release)

Adconion Launches Video Content Syndication Network; global ad network's AMG-TV lets video creators access publisher sites, advertiser and agencies to distribute content. (release)

Kyte Mobile Producer Available for Nokia S60; live stream and record video; beta program was used by the likes of 50 Cent and National Public Radio. (release)

MSNBC Unveils New Political Video Player; fully-embeddable player allows people to skip to specific topics, reveals when a candidate brought up a particular keyword. (MSNBC) Elsewhere, startup Ved.io lets users watch the first Obama/McCain debate with accompanying facts. (Ved.io)

Watch the Volvo Ocean Race; watch live footage direct from cameras mounted on each of the boats in the regatta. (The News Market)

Movies

Like music, maybe you pirate video from services like Limewire, Bittorrent, Kazaa and other p2p networks. Some of you have noticed the drawbacks from using such networks: your computer is slower than frozen molasses and, in extreme cases, you may even have been subpoenaed by the Court System at the behest of the RIAA. Here is a list of alternatives, some free and some paid.

1) Free Streaming Services

a) Hulu

i) In my opinion, the best streaming video service available on the internet

ii) Great selection

iii) Free

iv) Offers streaming quality and standard definition video

v) Fantastic interface

vi) Updated frequently with new content

vii) Includes TV shows, Feature Movies and Internet Specials

viii) Is my pick for free streaming video

ix) Has three, 30 second commercials per 30 minutes of content (generally)

b) Joost

i) Requires you to download software to watch content

ii) Uses advanced peer-to-peer software to manage the network

iii) Pretty large selection

iv) Uses about 1GB of bandwidth per few hours

v) Second choice for free streaming video

vi) Has commercials & advertisements

2) Paid Streaming Services

a) Netflix

i) You pay $8.99 per month for unlimited viewing of their online content and 1 DVD at a time through their mail service

ii) Online catalog has thousands of titles, including feature films and TV shows

iii) Their mail based service has an extensive availability of DVD films and shows

iv) Sucks up bandwidth like it is going out of style, but the quality is great

v) Windows Only (uses Internet Explorer to stream content)

vi) Commercial Free

b) Amazon

i) Streams content rented from store

ii) Windows and Mac

iii) Has huge selection

iv) Commercial Free

v) You pay per video

c) iTunes

i) Features Movies and Television Shows

ii) Can buy or rent content

iii) Plays on Apple iPod players and the iPhone

iv) Commercial Free

v) Rented content is time and view count restricted

vi) Great selection

I like millions of users downloaded the desktop application to watch wide range of content offered by Joost. But it was just to inconvenient to do so. The options to view videos on the web were already available by then & users were already switching to the web video format! The initial excitement of watching high quality videos on Joost suddenly changed into disinterest.

I am glad Joost is finally out  from the influence of  P2P architecture! We have to say that it's not 100% out of the influence because it still relies on plugin & holds users to embed videos. One thing I like about the new Joost is their 'Social Stuff' - watch what your friends are watching, everything you watch is archived in your 'Joost Feed' & can be easily shared with friends & public,Joost has introduced 'Stealth Mode' that enables you to hide your viewed contents from your friends. Joost has really done a remarkable job on the Social front!

However this is not enough. Today it faces more evolved competition in terms of Hulu & Vimeo apart from other established networks. Broadly I feel its about time Joost moved to web browsers only to be welcomed by the competition & in order to regain its lost ground Joost will have to do something remarkable & join hands with the content providers! Anyways, everything said and done, for Joost its better late than never.

WATCHING...Torche shake the foundations of the Camden Underworld.

ENVYING...my boss, who was off DJ'ing at ATP New York.

VIDEO'ING...an interview with John Dolmayan, drummer with System Of A Down and Scars on Broadway.

READING...nothing but comics. And then writing about them.

RE-ORGANISING...the record bag, as the HypnoCops are DJ'ing again this weekend.

Factor in some horrendously out-of-tune karaoke carnage to celebrate someone's birthday, and the discovery that entire series of old Transformers cartoons are available free and legally on Joost, and you can see why I've not been blogging enough.

The site debuted 17 new genre-based channels, among them action, comedy and horror. Meanwhile, Hulu launched an anime channel with shows like Naruto and Death Note, as well as a "Web Originals" channel featuring such high-profile shows as LG15: The Resistance, The Line and Gemini Division.

Hulu has also added show recommendations, though they are inconveniently buried way down at the bottom of the page beneath the new show and episode-specific discussion forums. The actor-based search works as you would expect it to; a search for "Tina Fey" brought up 30 Rock along with red carpet interviews, and results were broken down by TV network.

Rival online TV service Joost recently ditched its download client to become more web-based like Hulu, and added more socially oriented content discovery. Hulu will be making its own leap into deeper social functionality when it rolls out its Facebook Connect integration, which was supposed to launch in August.

Just as Google is trying to deflect growing antitrust concerns (see previous post), its core search market share also keeps on growing. ComScore’s August search engine market share numbers came out today—via Citi analyst Mark Mahaney—and are reproduced above. Its share of U.S. search queries rose in August to 63 percent, from 61.9 percent in July. Looks like its march towards monopoly is back on track after a slight dip in June. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/speaking-of-competition-googles-search-market-share-just-went-up-again-in-august-to-63 9/18)

Searching for music is one thing, but have you ever wanted to search for an artist and play their songs without needing to visit other sites? If so, Yahoo and Rhapsody have launched a new service that will let you do just that. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/yahoo-and-rhapsody-team-up-for-full-song-playback-in-search-results 9/18)

It was only a matter of time before Amazon would decide to release a Content Delivery Network, and according to the company in an official statement released today, it has done just that. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/amazon-gets-in-on-the-content-delivery-biz 9/18)

The new browser-based Joost, which Techcrunch wrote about two weeks ago (screen shots here), launches this morning. The new Joost still requires a plug-in to facilitate P2P transfers of files (reducing Joost’s bandwidth costs and making high-demand live performances feasible). (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/new-joost-launches-now-and-next-month-joost-will-be-100-flash 9/18)

NBC announced an ambitious, multiplatform effort featuring full episodes of series and season premieres including Kath & Kim, Crusoe and Knight Rider. Look for shows online (NBC.com, Hulu & partners, iTunes, Amazon, Yahoo); on VOD (Comcast, Cox, Charter, Dish, Fios); and on gaming/device platforms (Xbox Live, Zune). (Cynopsis 9/18)

Comedienne Bridget McManus' confessional video blog featured on AfterEllen.com is being developed into a late night series on Logo beginning late Friday night at 2 am ET/PT. To give you an idea of her shtick, here's a collection of Bridget's "best bits." (Cynopsis 9/18)

Ever make tapes or movies of your friends as a child?  This video, like those, includes several awkward moments in which everyone is laughing but I’m not quite sure why.  If she leaned a bit more professional in production, I think these could be a hit.

Interactive live video streaming pioneer Stickam.com will stream comedian Adam Carolla's Free FM radio show live tonight from the invite-only NBC Fall Premiere Party. Festivities kick off at 9p ET/6 p PT. (Cynopsis 9/18)

The New York Jets are auctioning off 2,000 of its best seats on eBay's StubHub to help pay for the team's new stadium. Beginning the week of Oct. 19 fans can bid on seats in the so-called Coaches Club section. Winning bidders will be granted licenses enabling them to purchase season tickets in that spot for the life of the stadium. (Cynopsis 9/18)

Widgetbox, one of the web’s largest widget creation and distribution platforms, is launching a new blog network and becoming a destination site in the process. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/18/leading-widget-platform-widgetbox-launches-blog-network 9/18)

The Olympics and the U.S. Presidential campaign were the main drivers of online activity during August, according to comScore, resulting in strong gains at politics, sports, news and humor sites. Politics was the hottest category, led by BarackObama.com with nearly 4 million visitors (up 113% from July.) Political satire also boosted traffic to entertainment sites; FunnyOrDie drew 2.4 million visitors (up 256% from July) as users dropped in to view videos like Paris Hilton's mock response to "White Haired dude's" celebrity critique of his opponent. (Expect an even bigger spike this month from the Sarah Palin feeding frenzy.)  (Cynopsis 9/18)

comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by % Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
Total Unique Visitors (000) - August 2008 vs. July 2008
Jul-08      Aug-08     % Change   Rank by Uniques
BEIJING2008.CN                     459        5,832          1,171       193
Activision Blizzard                 1,174       4,566             289        249
NFL Internet Group               7,482     13,902               86          69
HotChalk Network                 3,622      6,239                72        176
Kohls Corporation                 7,568     13,016               72          75
Cablevision                           4,134      5,924               43        188
Mevio Network                      3,890      5,547               43        201
Symantec                             5,298      7,531               42        139
Sun-Times Media Group, Inc.  3,503     4,675               33        242
Buzznet                                 6,772     8,991               33        113
Total Internet Audience       189,134  188,937                0        N/A
Source: comScore Media Metrix: Ranking based on the top 250 properties in August 2008

comScore Top 10 Gaining Categories by % Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
Total Unique Visitors (000) - August 2008 vs. July 2008
Jul-08          Aug-08        % Change
Politics                             10,576          14,040           33
Sports                              74,109          93,307           26
Humor                              23,542          26,464           12
Online Gambling                12,648          14,215           12
Retail - Music                    17,890          20,061           12
Online Gaming                   74,165          82,279           11
General News                     95,321         104,969         10
Consumer Goods                22,455          24,577            9
Education                           88,171          96,017           9
Gay/Lesbian                         2,526            2,748           9
Total Internet Audience     189,134         188,937           0

Now Joost, which was formerly a downloadble player that accessed content from CBS, Warner Brothers, and some other content sources, has moved to Hulu's model of playing content in the browser -- although you need a plugin.

So now, we shall compare the pros/cons of the two services:

-- Joost --

Pros: Available via browser, library includes classic G.I. Joe, Transformers, as well as CBS network shows.

Cons: Downloadable plugin necessary, video streams choppy, library is still thin

-- Hulu --

Pros: Available via browser, diverse library of full length movies, NBC network shows, FOX network shows, and lots of extra video clips, all media embeddable in other web pages.

Cons: Sometimes slow, no international support.

-- Analysis --

Hulu's prospects have definitely turned upwards since launch, offering a lot more content in very flexible forms -- but don't count Joost out.

I beta'd Joost back when it was a downloadable player and spent a good amount of time watching older television series from the Warner Bros. Sci-Fi library. If they can make the transition to the in-browser experience like Hulu or YouTube, then it's likely Joost will get more traction.

All in all, Hulu is still a better solution for watching TV online, though if Joost can pick up ABC's network shows it may be a head-to-head battle between Hulu and Joost for a long time.

(Special note: NBC Universal owns our station -- they own Hulu, too. There is your disclosure.)

Today Joost released a browser version of it`s p2p service (just a plug-in download is needed). Next month, according to CEO Mike Volpi to TechChrunch, Joost will offer a version of the service that doesn’t require any download at all.

In addition to the browser version, they created a video based social network complete with Facebook-style activity streams that show your friends what content you are watching and gives you the chance of commenting or “shouting” about the program (Watch the Demo Video of TechCrunch below.).

TV is and always has been a "social experience" and so I think there is big potential in these features. Imagine watching a soccer game with all your mates... even when you are in a hotel on the other side of the world...

So Joost goes a little bit in the direction of what Last.Fm does for music....  integrating "social" components... there is only a good recommendation system missing ... maybe coming soon ... and of course, the biggest problem of all,  the "big blockbuster" content is missing. Last.Fm made it cause they lived in the "grey" area of copyright usage... Joost is in the green area... and there is no chance to compete... it's too expensive to finance great video content with full copyrights ... we will see...

But anyway, I think this model is a very interesting perspective for the television industry...

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.692939&w=425&h=350&fv=]

What's more, the company says it expects the majority of its users will come to its content through the Flash player. The premium version of the site is open to the public today; the standard version will launch in mid-October.

Also -- yay! -- Joost is improving its terrible navigation system. The site will now organize shows, films, and music into hierarchical categories.

Joost is also adding new content throughout the course of the fall. Its library of 28,000 shows includes some that no other web video sites offer, for instance the largest collection of anime on the web, according to a spokesperson.

With general consumer knowledge and adoption of the availability of TV online just beginning, Joost may just have an outside chance at reclaiming the ground it lost with its (often faulty) desktop client.

Screenshots below, courtesy of Joost PR:

Technology companies like Google/YouTube and Joost are "parasites," British broadcaster ITV Chairman Michael Grade said at the IBC technology conference in Amsterdam today. "The day that Google or Joost or any of these people start investing £1bn a year in UK content is the day I'll start to be worried...They're all parasites, they just live off our content is what they do. As long as we can create the content, the content is the keys (sic) to the castle for us going forward."

ITV hasn't exactly been doing well lately, with active talk of a buyout in progress. The company says it can make £150 million ($269 million) in online revenues by 2012, two years later than it had previously estimated. Meanwhile, it's been reported that YouTube expects to make $200 million this year.

Grade said ITV compares favorably to tech companies because its content expertise has long-term value.

Personally, I think any media company that hopes to stick around needs to master both production and distribution, especially since some of the most interesting opportunities arise when you combine the two. Then again, starting out in technology before venturing into content hasn't worked out especially well for anyone, either. So where do you think the staying power lies?

Il servizio di video in streaming Joost decide di abbandonare il suo applicativo desktop e passare a un plugin che permetterà di visualizzare i contenuti all'interno dei browser, nel tentativo di riguadagnare terreno nei confronti dei suoi concorrenti.

Joost, startup partita un paio di anni fa con un'imponente campagna marketing e ambiziosi obiettivi (non trascurabile il fatto che tra i fondatori vi fosse Niklas Zennström, uno dei padri di Skype) ha poi però tradito le aspettative: sia per un'offerta non proprio all'altezza , sia per problemi di banda limitata e infine perchè nel frattempo sul mercato si sono affacciati agguerriti competitor.

Il plugin di Joost peserà circa 18 MB e si suppone possa velocizzare la fruizione dei video e facilitare la visualizzazione da parte degli utenti, anche se la qualità dovrebbe rimanere nella media dei servizi web di questo tipo e in rincorsa con Hulu.

Joost aggiungerà poi delle funzioni Social, permettendo agli iscritti di aggiungere amicizie, confrontarsi sul palinsesto, condividere le proprie playlist e iscriversi a gruppi tematici.

Link | Joost

Via | GigaOM

250 GB is a lot, and unlikely to affect me personally, but with services like Hulu becoming more popular, and Joost abandoning their desktop application to go for a web browser-only service, it would be a shame for cable internet providers to kill the future of content delivery with a cap on usage.

Hi-ya friends and net neighbors!

This week has been a busy one in the tropics, hasn't it? After seeing Hurricane Gustav crash into Louisiana, we just had tropical storm Hanna go by us yesterday, and now are watching Hurricane Ike moving south and it looks like it will be heading for the Gulf and up to and near New Orleans or maybe the Florida Panhandle. You sure can tell it's hurricane season.

Meanwhile, the battle between Comcast and the federal government continues as the cable giant is appealing the FCC's decision on it's internet access. As I mentioned last week, Comcast has determined it's users may only use 250 GB of download transfer a month, thereby setting limits that the government says is a violation. http://tinyurl.com/comcast-vs-fcc

This week, Google released a browser called Chrome to the public in beta form with the goal to offer an alternative to Internet Explorer and Firefox. Claims of faster loading pages and simplicity, with straightforward tabs on the top, an uncluttered screen, and no dialogue boxes that pop up and prompt users to do something when surfing the Web. On the surface, this is a great piece of software, but there are some issues, remembering this is a beginning edition that will need adjusting and tweaking. http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1858

If that wasn't enough, this week we learned that HP, the world's largest computer manufacturer, is creating it's own operating system for it's computers. Business Week reported that the company has seen so many complaints of the Windows Vista program, combined with the increased popularity of Apple's MAC notebooks, that it has decided to take matters into it's own hands and the hands of it's "Skunk Works" team of engineers. Based on the Linux platform, the OS will need some work before it's ready to be launched to a worldwide acceptance. http://blogs.zdnet.com/computers/?p=219

Remember Joost? They are the online video and film providers that pounced onto the online-video scene with what seemed to be the right technology. You download their software, log in, and find hours of programs to watch in really good quality. Well, the owners just announced that they're planning to launch a test version of its new site later this month that will feature a browser-based plug-in and will no longer require users to watch via the desktop client. http://tinyurl.com/joost-online

Chime.TV already pulls from the best online video providers like Break.com, Dailymotion, Veoh, and YouTube to make editor-created channels filled with stuff you'll love. The channels feature the latest episodes of shows as well as channels for news, cute stuff, extreme sports, technology, and about 20 more ... including stuff from the network TV sites. It might seem a little odd when you could just visit the sites, but think of Chime.TV as an aggregate to avoid all the surfing to find what you want to view. http://www.chimetv.com/

Speaking of sites like YouTube, some videos are not necessarily for young eyes to see. Totlol takes care of that. Actual human beings vet videos from all over the Web as suitable for kids age 6 months to 6 years and embed them at this site. Classics include Kermit singing "It's Not Easy Being Green" on Sesame Street on up to modern VeggieTales and Wiggles and lots of obscure stuff in between. And of course, cute personal videos abound, all kid safe, all in bite-size chunks great for those kid-size (and modern adult) attention spans. http://www.totlol.com/

<===HuMoR===>
Bubba Had Shingles Those of us who spend much time in a doctor's office should appreciate this! Doesn't it seem more and more that physicians are running their practices like an assembly line? Here's what happened to Bubba:
Bubba walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Bubba said: 'Shingles.'
So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, 'Shingles.'
So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Bubba to wait in the examining room.
A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, 'Shingles.'
So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Bubba to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
An hour later the doctor came in and found Bubba sitting patiently in the nude and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, 'Shingles.'
The doctor asked, 'Where?' Bubba said, 'Outside on the truck. Where do you want me to unload 'em??'
(thanks, dad)
+++++++++++++++++++++
My poor wife was sick in bed with the flu. Being a dutiful husband, I offered to fix her some of her favorite herbal tea. I couldn't find the tea though and went back upstairs to ask where it was.
She said, "I don't know how it could be any easier to see. It's in the pantry, third shelf down, in a cocoa tin marked 'matches'."
(thanks, Bill)
+++++++++++++++++++++
As a concierge at a posh resort, I was often asked about the ski facilities. One day a couple, who had just checked in after a long flight, came by and asked me where the lift was. "Go down this hall," I told them, "out the door, past the pool, 200 yards down the block and you'll see it on your right."
Their tired faces suddenly looked even more exhausted, until the man behind them spoke up. "They're from England," he said. "I think they're looking for the elevator."
(thanks, Paul)
+++++++++++++++++++++
I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times unintentionally. ..but this one is real, and it's important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e- mail list.
If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warm weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!!
They only want to see you naked.
I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.
(thanks, Reggie)
====================
And that's most of what happened this week on the Web. Now that the political conventions are over, we're down to less than two months before the election for our next President. In the weeks to come, I'll feature sites that can help you better determine who to vote for in this election year, if you haven't already decided. And I'll keep watch on continuing stories like Comcast-FCC and Google's new browser.

Til next week, may God continue to bless you and keep you safe.

c-ya!
Jim
Jim's WebLetter
Discover the best of the Web
C-my-site at www.jimonline.com

Like the T-List? Read it as a feed.

So much for Joost’s carefully prepared plans to release a browser version of their TV over IP service later this month. News leaked this morning that Joost would be abandoning their year old XUL based desktop client in favor of a browser based service that’s more like Hulu and YouTube. Users will still be required to download a plugin that facilitates P2P transfers of files, which is still an adoption hurdle. But at least users can watch videos directly in their browser. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/05/screenshots-of-the-new-joost 9/5)

On the heels of a major upgrade earlier this week that added facial recognition and video-editing features to its Picasa photo management service, Google added a new Explore page today that shows off the most popular public photos uploaded by members. In addition to the featured photos, shown in a 3 X 4 grid, the Explore page also shows the most recent photos uploaded in a slide-show widget.

On Wednesday, dozens of short cartoons by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane will start rolling out through Google to a variety of sites. The new "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" series could change the way entertainment is distributed on the Web. (Iwantmedia 9/5, http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB122057832909402221.html 9/5)

In what is heralded as the seeds of an Internet-age emergency broadcast system, MySpace is teaming with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to spread news on hurricanes through users of the online social network. A new widget will feed hurricane data to MySpace users. (Iwantmedia 9/5, http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080905/tc_afp/usitstormweatherinternet 9/5)

U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama is running a more advanced online campaign than rival John McCain, according to comScore. Obama leads McCain in both candidate searches and display ads. (Iwantmedia 9/5, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2329529,00.asp 9/4)

According to a new study by research firm TNS, about 20% of homes that log on to the Internet also watch TV shows online for a variety of reasons: they can watch episodes when and where they want and they can, for the most part, skip ads. "The shift from appointment TV to content on demand is well under way," said Michael Saxon, senior vice president of brand and communications at TNS. "Fundamentally, consumers expect content to be available when they want it, and on the screen of their choice -- TV, PC or mobile." InformationWeek (9/4) , Variety (9/4)

Almost one of every five Internet users -- 19% -- have downloaded a podcast, according to a new study from The Pew Internet & American Life Project. That's an increase from the 12% that reported downloading a podcast in an August 2006 study and the 7% who said they did so between February and April 2006. Radio Ink (9/4)

 O joost é um software desenvolvido pelos programadores do famoso kazaa (programa p2p de partilha mundialmente conhecido) que se encontra em fase beta. Conta com centenas de canais para os mais diversos gostos do espectador exigente. Quem aprecia um bom concerto, tem aqui uma solução para deixar de gastar euros em DVD's. Para já nota-se que há melhorias a fazer em breve mas é neste momento real ver um filme português com o Diogo Infante. A maioria dos canais são de conhecimento publico, destaco a MTV, CNN, Comedy Central, AXN, FOX, Eurosports, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, etc. As possibilidades são infinitas.

O rumo que esta a tecnologia segue faz-nos acreditar na independência global de quem gosta de boa televisão pois vislumbra-se num futuro próximo que a necessidade de pagar uma mensalidade se torne cada vez mais uma miragem. Compra-se um pc de médio custo, adere-se a um serviço de internet de banda larga, liga-se o pc à televisão e executa-se o joost. 5 minutos mais tarde temos a liberdade de pesquisar o tema, título ou show que queremos assistir à hora que podemos.

Como em todos os grandes monopólios, surge sempre qualquer borbulha a arranhar que vai ganhando forma e significância até superar as espectativas mais séptivas para se tornar num problema que obriga a medidas... é destes abanões que nasce a competição que neste caso se traduz em time-share... O que nos vale é a desatenção de quem tem normalmente capacidade de travar este tipo de iniciativas à nascença. Assim continuem meus senhores! O povo agradece.

The plug-in is a 18.6 MB download, and it installed fine on my Mac. The site seems especially driven by a social experience. One of my problems with Joost all along has been its lack of an organized, chronologically ordered, hierarchical program guide, and that's still the case. But now content discovery is more socially oriented, with the home page including a Facebook/FriendFeed-like activity feed of what everyone is watching on the service at the time (users can opt out of being included in this if they wish). Users can friend each other and join groups, though there's no internal messaging system. There are, though, a lot of RSS feeds -- for anything and everyone.

The video-watching interface is pretty slick, with a 16x9 default player. Video looks good and starts extremely quickly, but the quality isn't above and beyond the rest of the web.

And, of course, the other difference between Hulu and Joost is that Hulu still has more premium content.

From Om Malik at GigaOm.com
In what is likely to be a major shift in the company’s strategy, peer-to-peer startup Joost is going to stop making its desktop client. The decision to suspend the client is likely to be announced soon, I am told. The company is going to a browser-only strategy, in which much of its content is going to be available through a browser-based player.

Joost, I am told, will release a small plugin that would embed itself in the browser and allow you to grab files using the P2P technologies. The web client is likely to have better quality than average video sites.

Update: Video and sreenshots of the new Joost service.