Joost a BT rival?

[mystvearn]

First, they brought us Kazaa which revolutionized peer-to-peer file sharing. Then they gave us Skype, which was sold to eBay for $2.6 billion last year. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis have since been working on another project codenamed 'The Venice Project'. The goal of the project was to bring television to the internet, allowing one to have full control of what and when a show is to be watched. Just today, the rebranding of the 'The Venice Project' to JoostTM took a new step with the launch of their new website http://www.joost.com. JoostTM works in a similar manner in how peer-to-peer file sharing works. As one downloads viewing content, the same content will be uploaded to others. This reduced the load of bandwidth demand on the main server. This is the mechanism that has made the project a success so far and has kept people waiting for its full launch. As of yet, we do not know if it is going to be affected by peer-to-peer throttling. We just have to keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, checkout their website and sign up for the beta testing. If you get selected, let us know how it works for you. Read on for more details and screenshots of the program in action. Currently available in private beta testing, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost fills a critical gap in the online video entertainment arena. Joost is powered by a secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators. "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 the first global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free. "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'". http://www.lowyat.net/v2/latest/joost-up.html

a bittorrent killer? But I don't see any requirements for it since BT already fills a lot of gaps

[glc]

Joost fills a critical gap in the online video entertainment arena. Joost is powered by a secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators.

That's the key. BT sure doesn't do that.

[Floppyman]

Joost looks pretty interesting, but somehow appears kind of like a "one up" on YouTube. I've signed up for the beta testing -- maybe I'll get a chance to try it out.

[mystvearn]

that key feature in reality is not popular with lots of people glc...

[glc]

Which is why we don't really help people with BT issues here - as per forum rule 9. We don't care about popularity, we care about the laws.

[mystvearn]

Then this thing has a big mountain to climb, companies might want to use it, but it goes back to the user either want to adopt it or not.

[glc]

Not everybody is out to steal stuff.

[heymrdj]

Originally Posted by glc Not everybody is out to steal stuff.

Your right, while BT has many shady uses, its biggest for me is Linux. I rented out a server just to experiment with it and managed to link together tons of seeders and peers. 40mbs download for an 8GB Debian Ultra package. Sweet