TVSquad

Babelgum may have started its life as a Joost-killer, but since Joost doesn't really seem to be catching on with the general public, it's not clear that anyone really needs to kill it. But while Joost is still working to sign major TV networks and movie studios as content partners, Babelgum appears to have given up on that endeavor and has instead created a $15 million fund to invest in independent films.

Right now when you fire up the Babelgum peer to peer video client, you're confronted with a ton of short videos from independent filmmakers. There's even a sort of online film festival, where Babelgum users can rate videos.

Overall, the Babelgum player provides an awesome interface for viewing internet video content. The video quality is far superior to what you'll find on YouTube. And since the client provides has a full screen interface you don't need to constantly hit a button to make your videos toggle between full screen and in-browser modes. But there's one big problem with Babelgum: It doesn't have much content you've heard of. So while it might make sense for Babelgum to focus on independent film while the big guys go to Hulu, Joost and other sites, I can't help but wonder if the service will ever see a return on the investment.

[via paidContent]

There's one big difference between internet TV platforms like Joost, Vuze, Babelgum and VeohTV and live television. Internet TV is almost never live. And it's delivered over the internet. OK, I guess that's two things.

But Joost plans to test a system that will let you watch TV shows as they air live. PaidContent:UK reports that Joost will be offering live streaming television to US customers during the first quarter of 2008.

Programs that are transmitted live will also be available on demand after the live transmission is finished. For example, if you want to watch a sporting event, you can either sit down and watch the game as it happens or "catch up" with a game you missed. You'll be able to use Joost widgets to keep track of scores, bookmark favorite moments in a game, or share links with your friends.

Microsoft, Linksys, Niveus, D-Link, and HP recently announced the next generation of media extenders for Windows Media Center users. But here's the thing. If you've got a Mac, these things are useless and you'll probably need an AppleTV or similar device to watch downloaded movies and TV shows on your TV screen. And if you've got Windows XP (the non-media center version), you might prefer a different kind of box altogether for your streaming needs.

And that, in a nutshell is why you probably don't watch streaming or downloaded videos on your TV. It's just too complicated. If your computer is next to your PC, you probably need to buy a new video card that will let you run a cable from your PC to TV. And if you're like most people your PC is in a completely different room and you'll need to get a $300+ box which plugs into your TV so that you can stream video over your home network.

But as Techdirt's Tim Lee points out, shelling out the money for additional hadware is only the tip of the iceberg. You also need to find the right hardware for your operating system and software. If you download your movies from iTunes, Amazon, MovieLink, or Vongo, you'll need to make sure you have the right hardware to support your online video store of choice. And if you use multiple services, good luck. Oh yeah, and good luck trying watching Joost, VeohTV, Vuze, or Babelgum using a media extender.

While we don't expect everyone to start using the same video codecs anytime soon, it's interesting to note that Amazon, Apple, and other online music stores are starting to offer DRM-free music. Maybe one day we'll see the same thing happen with online video and as long as your hardware can support a wide selection of codecs, you'll have no problems playing any video on it.

Ever want to take the AppleTV interface for a spin without spending $299 to actually buy a little white box? Flash developer Paul Yanez has come up with the next best thing to actually giving Apple your money. Not AppleTV mimics the AppleTV interface, but instead of iTunes videos, you can browse a selection of videos from online video sites like YouTube, Break, and the NSFW Pornotube.

Yanez is the same guy who developed the Flash-based Joost clone we told you about last month. He also has a Babelgum version.

We can't imagine that Joost, Babelgum, or Apple aren't going to come after this guy at some point and force him to shut down the sites. While he's not taking any video content from their respective services, his designs probably violate their intellectual property.

That said, it would be great if one of these companies would hire Yanez to develop a web interface for their products. It'd be great if you could install Joost on your home computer but access your account over the web using any browser. It would be even more exciting if you could access content stored on your AppleTV over the web using an interface like Not AppleTV.

[via TechCrunch]

Now that I've had a chance to check out full-screen online video programs Joost, VeohTV, and Babelgum I'd been thinking about writing up a comparison. Mashable beat me to it, and threw in Democracy to boot.

All four programs aim to make the experience of watching online video easier. Web browsers were really designed for viewing text and images, not video. A side benefit is that most of these programs are also welcome additions to an HTPC.

In a nutshell, here's what Mashable found:

At this point, television networks have made some prime time content available for free online. We're not talking about $1.99 downloads from iTunes. We're talking free streaming episodes from networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and the CW.

But you can usually find just few episodes of a few programs. Mashable has put together a list of 33 services that provide online access to TV programs in one way or another. Some are 100% legal, like Joost and Babelgum. Others are a bit shadiers, like TV Links, which doesn't host any copyright-infringing video on its servers, but provides links to sites where you can (probably illegally) stream video.

Joost isn't the only invitation-only internet TV platform out there. Babelgum is still a few months and a few major content partners behind Joost, but it's opening its doors to a wider beta test next week.

Babelgum will begin acepting beta testers on Wednesday, and invitations will be sent out starting next Friday. While Joost has been busy signing up major content providers like Viacom, Babelgum will focus on independent film, shorts, and documentaries.

One of the biggest complaints about Joost has been its lack of quality programming. Even with material from MTV and Comedy Central, there's not really that much worth watching. If Babelgum can get interesting programming, I doubt anyone will care if its from lesser known sources.