Whats the future of online TV like?
[photopress:359258197_ed74f459c1_t_d.jpg,full,left] Since I finally got into the Joost Beta I thought I’d let you know my 2pence and humble point of view on the situation. If you are looking for the future of television online you are probably in for a bit of a shock since there’s utter confusion of how it should happen. So what’s out there and why should you care?
The big players believe in set-top boxes and video stores online. There are already a lot out there and so far my experience with them has been a bit of a let down. Think of an online video store where you can rent movies and series (i.e. Discovery Channel) at extraordinary prices. I bet it won’t be long before they ask us to coffer up for “Pimp My Ride”! Some of the online retailers work with Windows Media Center but the experience is cumbersome and it’s too expensive to use for more than perhaps the odd movie on the weekend.
So what does the other side look like?
Joost has a sleek interface which takes a little getting used too but it’s remarkably fast! Video quality is also very good considering it starts almost quicker than a YouTube clip but can be viewed in full screen on your TV. The only two things missing are remote control support (so it can be a true TV / cable box replacement) and content I want to watch.
The latter is quite an important point since no matter how good the technical side, without content I want to watch it’s no use to me. So who is going to provide it? Joost is looking to sign up more TV content from people like Endemol (Big Brother, game shows, reality TV..) and you. You read that right, you. If you happen to sit on a bunch of broadcast quality goods and need an audience, get in touch with them.
However, unless I can watch my favorite shows – like Lost, 24, BSG, Scrubs.. – I’m not going to be using it much. What’s the best solution for people like me then? Simple, if you are outside the USA or UK stick to RSS feeds for your Torrents. It’s not the preferred way, and I would be more than happy to either endure some Ads or even pay for a season ticket, but until there’s something useful out there that’s the only way.
Or is it? Thank god for iTunes and their season tickets! Oh wait, that’s for folks in the USA only (again) 
So what are you gonna do?
