So, TidalTV is a site that has been in beta for a while and seems to be up and running for any and all to check out.
It is, in it’s simplest form, just another site to watch web videos, except TidalTV has licensed some actual live streams of cable TV including stuff from FoodNetwork, AP and others. It is a pretty neat layout with a program guide that allows you to channel surf a bit like real TV – something I think has been missing from the web video experience.
While the content is really limited right now and I don’t think TidalTV is something one should invest money in since it seems remarkably easy to duplicate but it’s worth taking a peek to absorb the interface.
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Although there is nothing surprising about the release of the Adobe’s video player I’m still not sure why it’s meaningful.
It is basically the same thing as Joost and that hasn’t exactly been a grand prize winner. Sure, it’s Adobe so they have great market recognition but you still have to offer something really special today if you want to stand out.
Really, what is Adobe Video other than a stepping-stone to the eventuality of it all being, well, TV? Like cable but with a lot more options. Nobody cares what the software is that delivers the cable to their DTV and I don’t think the fact that it’s web-based makes a difference.
Were the people crying out for another way to watch video? If so, they were crying softly. In truth, people want better content. How it gets their doesn’t really matter…
As a big fan of the internet and all it has to offer I have been close on a number of occasions to canceling my TimeWarner cable subscription. This would save me close to $1000/year.
The biggest thing standing in my way has always been the lack of live sports. I don’t mind waiting to see this week’s Family Guy, but there’s something about sports that demands to be viewed live.
Now, big news from Joost (via Mashable):
“Joost today announced that they’ll be carrying as of tomorrow live streaming coverage of March Madness, in a deal struck with Joost investor CBS, according to a report from NewTeeVee this evening.”
This is pretty huge since it has been the one thing traditional TV has had over the net. Of course, I can’t imagine the quality of the broadcast will be anything close to what you’ll get at home on your big HDTV but for those stuck at work or in the airport this is a great service.
Even more astounding is that the games are going to be presented ad-free. Clearly, this is more an attempt by Joost/CBS to boost recognition and use of the service but it’s a good one.
I’m hard-pressed to imagine the circumstances under which the (over)hyped video player Joost could become successful but, according to CNet, the backers are CBS are confident:
“Speaking to a small gathering of tech and media reporters at CBS’ New York headquarters Thursday, (CBS Interactive president Quincy) Smith gave a firm “no” when asked if Joost–which requires a software download and has slipped from the Web video radar since its buzzworthy debut–was dead in the water. “(Mike) Volpe knows what he’s doing,” Smith said of the Cisco Systems veteran who serves as the start-up’s CEO. “It’s got a good team.”
I guess you have to give the guy credit for keeping a positive outlook but he doesn’t seem to have much more to back up his optimism. The problem is that Joost isn’t especially unique or difficult to replicate so there doesn’t seem to be any reason for it to become a go-to kind of app.
One approach to web video is to create player applications that worked outside of your browser to either stream or download video content for viewing. One of the most-publicized of these is Joost (though it is not looking like it’s going to live up to expectations), which uses streaming to deliver video.
Another application, the open-source and free Miro player takes a slightly different approach, allowing users to subscribe to videos which are downloaded and stored in the background for viewing anytime.
Mashable has a quick story on Miro’s offering a pre-packaged content bundles:
“We previously brought you word of Miro’s partnerships with various content producers in building video channels. Revision3 and TED are couple of brand names that have joined with Miro to deliver clips and shows to new viewers. Now Miro has put together a duo of collections: one having to do with the culinary arts and another targeted at those looking to consume Christian-toned material. Both are available at Miro’s website now.”
If you haven’t experienced Miro yet it is worth a download.
It seems like only a few months ago that the webs were all chattering about this fantastic new service called Joost. Check out some of the coverage from, um, back in the day, here and here.
I’ll admit, I was never sold on the whole thing since it just boiled down to an interface and that is too easy to replicate. However, I was ready to be proven wrong. Well, the final judgments can’t be made, but Mashable points out:
“Usually when a popular Web service goes down, we get a flood of emails about it. For example, last month, when 37Signals, Blogger, and LinkedIn all suffered outages within the span of a couple days, we got pinged almost instantly by some of our readers.
That’s why today, when I saw a report from Royal Pingdom indicating that Joost has been suffering significant downtime this month, I was a bit surprised I hadn’t heard anything about it, from anyone.”
I’m betting Mashable’s experience isn’t unique. It’s the old, if a tree falls in the forest…
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June 12, 2008 2:32 pm | 
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