I'm VUZED!!!

At this point, I'm ready to tell Joost what I really think of them. Linux is in the midst of a renaissance amongst geeks, and a revolution within the mainstream of computer users. But Joost thinks it's okay to ignore us. (For those of you just tuning in, Joost allows you to watch full-screen TV shows on your computer. As long as you run Windows XP or Vista.) So, until I see a linux client, I'm done blogging about them. On to the alternatives:

Vuze is the most promising. This is the Azureus bittorrent client with a makeover. Well, it's really a tightly integrated Firefox web browser grafted onto the bittorrent client. Or at least that's what it looks like to me. I'm running version 3.0.2.0 for linux. All the Java and Flash slows the program down, even on my desktop (AMD dual-core 4400+ X2 64 with 2 GB RAM). But it's still usable, just a bit sluggish. The interface is slick and easy to use.

The innards are still accessible for geeks. And it seems pretty stable!

Basically, there's a bunch of downloadable content on different channels. Click one, and wait while it downloads via bittorrent. Then watch it. Easy, eh?

Mostly it's a lot of promos and trailers, but most everything is in high definition! And there are even a few stations like Stage 3 Media that are producing some independent content that is pretty good quality. Also, Showtime and HBO have made some shows available for paid download like my personal favorite, Dexter. So far, I like...

The second alternative is Miro. I used it for a while when it was called Democracy Player. It's good for video and regular podcasts, but the interface is still pretty flaky on linux. Lots of crashes and such. Clearly not my first choice, but I wanted to mention it. And I'm sure it will evolve.

The race will be for content. Whoever gets the most content agreements will win this deal. Joost is waaaaay ahead of the curve here, but Vuze is not far behind with Showtime and HBO in their pocket. If you've got the hardware, give some of these a spin (yes, they all support windows). Let me know what you think...

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