Joost Allows Unlimited Invites, Adds More Shows

If you've been waiting patiently to get an invite to test Joost, the peer-to-peer online TV app from the makers of Kazaa and Skype, now's your chance. The developers of the free streaming video program announced today that Joost beta testers can send unlimited invites to their friends, so if you've been dying to give Joost a whirl, it's time to hit up your beta-testing buddies. Also coming soon: new shows from the Turner Broadcasting System, CNN, Adult Swim, Sony Pictures Television, and Sports Illustrated.

For those of you new to Joost (which launched as a private beta back in January), it's an application on your desktop that offers up about two dozen streaming TV channels, including content from Warner Music, National Geographic, MTV, Comedy Central, Guinness World Records TV, and a long list of lesser-known channels (Braindead, JumpTV Arabia, and Havoc Action Sports TV, to name a few). While the actual content is pretty weak, the video quality is impressive for a free, PC-based application. We're not talking DVD quality here, but you do get relatively smooth, full-screen video, all thanks to the power of peer-to-peer networks that distribute the server load among all the users of the service. (Check out advisor Christopher Null's in-depth Joost overview.)

Of course, what would really make Joost a killer app is if it offered dozens of high-quality, on-demand shows. For now, Joost users must make do with the likes of the odd National Geographic special, the last (and totally lame) season of MTV's "Laguna Beach," and "Man Bites Dog" from Comedy Central (sorry, no "Colbert Report"). But the selection will grow a bit larger later this month, when the service adds content from the Turner Broadcasting System (including CNN documentaries, "Larry King Live," "Anderson Cooper 360," and Adult Swim shows from the Cartoon Network), the National Hockey League (classic game highlights), Sony Pictures Television (mainly old episodes of "Charlie's Angels" and "Starsky & Hutch"), Sports Illustrated (videos from—what else?—the swimsuit issue), and Hasbro Inc. ("Transformers" and "G.I. Joe"). It's still a long ways from the TV shows available from the Apple iTunes store or the Xbox Live Marketplace, but hey, it's a start. Also, Joost is signing agreements with advertisers, so expect to see ads running before or after your show.

So, ready to give Joost a try? Just bug any Joost beta testers you know for an invite.

Related:
Online TV company Joost expands content [Yahoo! News]
Hands on with Joost's Web-Based TV Service [Yahoo! Tech]
Joost home page