Joost Hopes To Change How You View TV

(CBS)  Joost looks like TV. It sounds like TV, too. But unlike cable or satellite TV, CBS News correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports, the signal comes through the Internet — for free.

"If you know how to use a TV, you can use this software," says David Clark, vice president of Joost.

Joost is a revolutionary venture from the same guys who angered the record companies with their music downloading software and then turned the Internet into a popular way to make cheap phone calls.

"People now, with the Internet, are used to control. They want to be in control of what they're watching and when they're watching it," says co-creator Janus Friis. "So we thought we could actually combine the best of TV with the best of the Internet."

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Video: Joost Demonstration
Tech Talk Blog: Getting Joost
Web Site: Joost.com

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Things like interactivity, instant messaging and search engines.

Just because the TV is off, doesn't mean Joanna Stern isn't watching ... and messaging her friends.

"We can be straight on our computers, watching the same channel, talking about it, and then saying, check out what's on this channel," says Stern, a Joost user.

Stern is one of 14,000 people who've been testing the program, but the creators say it could be coming to a computer near you any day now.

High-tech couch potatoes would be freed from the bonds of their couch. You could pretty much watch TV anywhere as long as you have a broadband Internet connection.

Your favorite programs probably aren't on the system yet. Right now, it's mostly music videos, documentaries and specialty shows, but the developers say that's going to change.

"We're talking about a potential unlimited number of channels," Clark says.

"This is just bringing the TV to the Internet in a more direct way, so it will definitely change the way we watch TV," Stern says.

But if it all seems like too many choices, remember: You can always turn it off.

[toshi43]

Not a bad idea, but do you want to bet that once free internet TV becomes popular, they won't find a way to charge for it? The cable/satellite companies won't sit back and let this happen for very long, not to even mention Hollywood. Anyone heard of DRM?

[michellem99-2009]

I watch the CBS News on the web.I never had any idea years ago that this could ever be done on computer until broadband/DSL. I don't have a TV tuner in my tower. I think it is cool to watch the web casts. In fact I got my 1st and only computer a mouth I before I turned 52. I do have a TV set on cable that I watch. I am on the computer reading the news, visiting a web site,the like. I found the artcle quite interesting. I do rembemer the old TV sets in the 60s of black and white. The colour TV sets we have . I watched Ugly Betty on the web and had a good laugh as I enjoyed the programme. It would be nice if others that air on TV would air on the net for free as well.Great idea..I watched a show in the 60s about the 21th centary and I wondered then what that centary would be like. I think the computer is the main thing that has changed our lives in many ways as has the cell phone. It is a very different than in my day. I think the home computer is a must today for many reasons. It is a very useful tool.