Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Get juiced with Joost,
yet another way to watch TV on your PC

This is a preview, not a review.
Currently available in limited beta testing, Joost combines TV and the Internet by offering a TV-like experience enhanced with choice, control, flexibility, and community.

Joost is said to fill a gap in the online video entertainment arena. It uses a secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators.

Joost founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis also developed Skype, the Internet telephone service. They discussed the idea behind Joost even before Skype, but to make it work, they needed the combination of widespread broadband and powerful computers. In early 2006, the time was right. Gathering engineers, web gurus and media visionaries, they started work under the code name of The Venice Project, and now their work is ready for public viewing.

"People are looking for increased choice and flexibility in their TV experience, while the entertainment industry needs to retain control over their content," said Fredrik de Wahl, chief executive officer of Joost. "With Joost, we've married that consumer desire with the industry's interests."

Joost is said to be the first global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost is accessed with a broadband Internet connection, and according to the company, offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free. Viewers will be able to engage in messaging with other viewers.

"We've received positive and constructive feedback from our early beta-testers and are now at a stage where we're ready to reveal our true brand," said de Wahl. "The Joost name has global appeal, embodies fun and energy, and will come to define the 'best of TV and the best of the Internet'".

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