14 DAY TRIAL // "The magic of television, with the power of the Internet built right in. Joost puts you in control, and TV will never be the same again. Coming soon!" reads a fragment posted on the Joost official website. Well, coming soon meant yesterday for me. I finally got the Joost beta invitation that I had signed up for quite a while back. But let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Joost will revolutionize the way you watch television over the Internet. And, as such, a broadband connection is a must, but that is pretty much it.
Joost will work with both PCs and Intel-based Macs. With both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Joost will work seamlessly with the following configuration: "Windows XP Service Pack 2 with DirectX 9.0c, Pentium 4 processor, 1GHz, 512Mb or more RAM, a modern video card with DirectX support and at least 32Mb of VRAM and about 500 MB free disk space."
The actual Joost software weighs in at just 10 MB and will expand to a maximum of 30-35 MB on the disk. However, the connection requirements are a tad harsh: "broadband/ADSL (1Mbit/s downstream, 512Kbit/s upstream recommended, although lower speeds may well work)."
But go ahead an do your best to meet these requirements. TV over the Internet has never felt this way and Joost is still in Beta. I have included a collection of screenshots at the bottom of this article. Simply click on the thumbnails in order to access higher resolution images.
Essentially, Joost bundles free TV with the Internet, as an advertisement supported service. I have even caught a glimpse of a few ads. And a glimpse is the right term. They only take a few seconds and manage to do little to ruin your experience.
Joost features a modern, simple and intuitive interface. For the most part, you will be able to use it just as any other graphical user interface for your average digital movie player. Through it users can change the channels in a manner similar to an actual TV, but also flip around through the programs available. In its current beta stage, Joost is delivering a total of 26 Channels with luxuriant program listings. Believe me, you will have what to choose from.
Otherwise, users have the usual Play, Stop, StandBy, Next (Skip to next program), Previous, Restart commands at their disposal. The UI wouldn't feel complete without a volume controller, and a Search box from where you can expedite switching to your favorite program. Navigation is impressive because you cannot only choose the channels and programs available but also jump around inside a single video with little lag and delay.
One of the best things however is the fact that Joost is offering no less than high-quality full-screen picture. And the term high quality is not used lightly, it defines the experience you will access on Joost. Among the images included at the bottom there are a few screenshots illustrative of the quality offered by the service.
"Inside the box - You get great Internet features too, such as search, chat and instant messaging, built right into the program - so you find shows quickly and talk to your friends while you watch. And with no schedules to worry about, you can watch whatever you want, whenever you like - as often as you want. Joost is completely free, and works with most modern PCs and Intel Mac-based computers with a broadband connection," reads a description of the service on the Joost website.
Yes, Joost features search capabilities, chat and instant messaging. Users even have a Widget Menu at their disposal. If I were you, I'd do everything in my power to get an invite. It's worth it. Just keep in mind that Joost is the child of Niklas Zennstr?m and Janus Friis (founders of Skype and Kazaa). That is an excellent guarantee for success.
