Joost (belatedly) launches Web-based player

No longer do you need a desktop client to watch streaming TV shows and movies on Joost; then again, we've been watching Web-based shows on Hulu, Veoh, and network TV sites for months now. Is it a case of too little, too late?

Joost launched its revamped, free video service early Thursday. For now, you'll still need to download a plug-in to watch videos (both PC and Mac are supported); a Flash-powered version of the site (Joost Standard) should be live next month, according to TechCrunch. (You'll still need the plug-in for live TV and HD videos.)

And yes, Joost's new Web-based (and ad-supported) videos look pretty good—at least as good as those on Hulu and Veoh. Still, watch out for browser crashes: Joost managed to crash Firefox on my Mac more than once. Lets hope the bugs get worked out once Joost gets converted to Flash.

So yes, all well and good—unfortunately for Joost, however, its new Web-based player comes awfully late to the party.

Back in January 2007, Joost was an online video pioneer—its original, P2P-based desktop video client was well ahead of its time, and invites for the closed Joost beta were once hot tickets. But by early 2008, upstarts like Hulu were also streaming network TV shows—and with no cumbersome software installations required.

Even worse, Joost's collection of videos is looking pretty thin compared to the likes of Hulu. Sure, Joost has episodes of CBS shows like "CSI," "Survivor," and "Two and a Half Men", along with selected shows from MTV ("The Hills"), Comedy Central ("Strangers with Candy," "Dog Bites Man") and National Geographic—and there are even a few movies, although they're mostly obscure indies, kung fu flicks, and grade-Z horror films.

But that pales in comparison to Hulu, which boasts hundreds of full-length shows from NBC, Fox, Bravo, FX, Sci-Fi, and others, not to mention scores of movies ("28 Days Later," "Sideways," "Master and Commander," "Men in Black," and "Jerry Maguire" among them). ABC and CBS also have their own thriving video sites, complete with plenty of full-length TV episodes.

I wish Joost well—I thought it was a pretty impressive service back in the day—but its time may well have come and gone. Indeed, I hadn't used Joost for months until I tried its new Web-based browser just now.

So, anyone out there still using Joost? Impressions on its new Web player? Think it'll survive? Fire away.