Digital Home Thoughts: Joost: Fresh-squeezed or is it the Pits?

So What's The Catch?
Honestly, there isn't one right now. It's 100% free, and all the content is available to everyone who's got access to it. Joost recently announced content deals with Viacom. What form that takes remains to be seen, but we already have Comedy Central content on Joost and I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before we see more big names. Because of its encrypted nature, Joost is an attractive option for the skittish entertainment industry.

I went into Joost expecting nothing, so I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's a ways off from replacing my television, but it's a nice diversion when you're tired of the boob tube. The programming is a bit strange, but some of it is good. CNN is always interesting, the Guinness channel is awesome if you're into that sort of thing, and there's plenty more where that came from.

As I mentioned earlier, don't expect terrific quality, but it's definitely passable. I have a 15 meg downstream Internet connection and that's more than fast enough. I imagine if you have a slow Internet connection, you won't be too thrilled with the performance. Also be aware that since Joost is peer to peer, you will still be burning bandwidth even when you're not actively watching any programming. Joost warns about this in their FAQ on Joost.com.

Finally, it's obvious but bears mention that you can't record your shows. You can always go back and rewatch anything as long as the channel is serving it, but once it's gone, it's gone.

The Last Word
In the end, I think Joost is cool. I'm not quite sure it's lived up to its hype, but I don't see how it possibly could've anyway. People are rioting in the streets looking for invites to Joost and frankly it isn't quite that good. Knowing the minds behind it, though, I think we have a lot on the way in the future. Also, when you take into account that major media outlets are signing up to provide content, that in itself will give the service some longevity.

As of right now, I'd say grab an invite if you can and enjoy it. Seeing as it's free, you're not venturing anything and you have nothing to lose.

Vincent M. Ferrari is a blogger, photographer wannabe, digital media junkie, and Apple fanboy from the Bronx, New York. His most famous accomplishment is canceling his AOL account which got him an inordinate amount of fame, something he still brags about to all his friends. When he's not taking down multi-billion dollar corporations, he's writing on his own blog, taking photos, and working as a Producer for the iLifeZone podcast.