Michael Gracie

I just finished installing the Joost client. Despite having a self-imposed deadline for day’s end and a full schedule for the weekend, I had to stop what I what I was doing, just to say “wow!” The install was the generally easy, drag and drop that I’ve become accustomed to on OS X, and registering was cake. I had to jump through a few Snitch hoops, as it kept alerting me to new peer-to-peer connections being made (then I just selected “Any Server” and “forever”). The content selections and first blush picture quality? That’s the “wow” - it’s great. Simply great.

What else I’ve noticed

• I’ve seen a little transparent ad popup on the screen, but before I could click the “X” to close it, it closed itself.
• I’ve seen a commercial break - same advertiser, and about ten seconds or so. No more intrusive than a TV ad, but seemingly shorter.
• There were a few frame freezes and stutters when I loaded a browser to start this entry. Since then, nothing but continuous picture and sound.
• The windowed screen mode on a MacBook Pro is clear, clear, clear. Full screen mode on a 23″ Cinema Display leaves a bit to be desired.
• The app is eating between 30% and 40% of my CoreDuo processor’s capacity, on a continuous basis. But it’s pretty cool in the house so the fans aren’t running.

My initial conclusion…pretty darn slick. And I’ll have to qualify my opinion: I’ve been thinking plenty about new visual entertainment options lately. Been meaning to can the television (I rarely use it anyway), and after Comcast nixed my Discovery Channel access I was seeking new options even more. Then yesterday I gave my television to a friend, to be used in their kids’ room. I’ve since debated getting a bigger one (if mostly for movies) or getting another Cinema display to attach to the Mac Mini stereo system which resides in the living room. I’m also thinking about getting a Slingbox tuner for cable signal grabbing (since canceling said signal actually results in a higher overall cable bill and lower bandwidth - don’t ask why).

But I think I’ll keep things the way they are, and tinker with Joost a bit more before making any decisions at all. Now back to work (distracted by National Geographic Wild).

UPDATE: One thing I won’t be doing is getting a Tivo. After all, it depends on cable.

UPDATE 2: The Joost control interface is functional and cool too.

UPDATE 3: Some say Joost has limitations, primarily related to US broadband.