Joost: take 1

Want TV on your computer? Of course, but then you'd have to get a TV tuner card. Or, if you're on a laptop, you're going to have to get a TV tuner external USB adaptor. Then again, there's always Slingbox. But don't all of these require something that I'm not willing to give? Hmm....

Our solution: Joost (pronounced "juiced")

Although it's still in beta, I must say it's quite impressive. It "streams" videos through its software right into your home. I can't really explain it, but I think Wikipedia could help you.

Yes, Beyonce Live@Much. I've always considered taping some Live@Much shows, but I really haven't gotten around to it. Some of them are actually pretty interesting, but none are actually things I've considered having to watch more than once. Now, I can, I guess.

It has a decent GUI. I like the semi-transparent vibe, it goes along with Vista quite nicely. It might be a bit choppy at first, but I think thats only because I was running a lot of programs (they were on another window in my cube; I'll show you a software that does that later).

It doesn't have much material yet, though.

Yes, they do have the 2007 NHL playoff games. Interesting :) you can also watch fullscreen, which brings me to my next complaint.

First off, I'm watching on a 1280x800 display; it has a 16:9 aspect ratio. Or, 16:10? I really have to get this figured out. Anyway, that explains why the two bars are there, because it was meant for a 4:3 aspect ratio monitor. That said, I think that many consumers nowadays have widescreen monitors; perhaps they would consider it an option in the future?

Secondly, you might not see it in the compressed screenshot, but it has grainy quality. I don't think its resolution is too high; that might be due to my internet's download speed, but I think this might be a problem Joost has already on its own.

Lastly, where are all the prime time shows? Live@Much isn't exactly prime time, and NHL hockey isn't something I'd prefer to watch over and over again. I'd really like it if they got more popular shows, but I realize that this is a negotiating problem, so I can't really blame them.

Actually, its hard to blame them for anything. No matter how many cons it has, I think that free TV for your computer is decent. And I'd like to thank the developers of Joost and the concept designers for bringing such a wonderful creation to us. :)