Easy Syndication Of Online Video

by Ross Fadner, Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 10:45 AM ET

Easy Syndication Of Online Video

Business 2.0 Blog Joost, the online TV service that utilizes peer-to-peer technology, is outmoded, says Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of rival video upstart Veoh. Joost is a closed system that only shows video from the producers it has deals with. Shapiro thinks Internet TV should be something more open--like the Web itself--that draws content from both professional producers and the greater online community. Later this week, Veoh will unveil a competing service called VeohTV, a P2P-based desktop application that allows you to watch any video from anywhere on the Web. What exactly does that mean? VeohTV is RSS-like in the sense that it gathers video from across the Web-NBC.com, YouTube, CNN.com--and brings it in one customizable, controllable location. You can search for and then subscribe to shows, and even download video streams to watch later. And it's controlled by a standard remote, like TV. VeohTV is version 2.0 of the company's downloadable video player, close to 1 million downloads, compared to Joost's half a million (though Joost is still in beta and requires an invite). But why desktop software? As Shapiro says: "The Web browser is not the right application for consuming video," citing the success of Outlook, the Web browser, and iTunes, so-called "killer apps" that all reside on the desktop.    Read the whole story...