web video | The Joost breakup

I don’t think Joost and I will ever be friends. We’ve tried to make it work, time after time.

First, there was the obnoxious, enormous software platform it wanted me to download to view its precious videos. This didn’t work very well because it annoys people to have to download huge, clunky files for something they should be able to do in a web browser. iTunes is big enough, no?

Then came the Joost plugin, which never seemed to work properly for me in Firefox. I installed it, gave the thing a whirl, and had trouble getting the video to stream and render. So I gave up.

Finally, Joost has gotten on board with the ‘revolutionary’ concept of Flash-based video, which requires no downloads or plugins other than Flash, which most people have in their browsers anyway. I went to check it out today, and then I remembered by other essential problem with Joost: there’s too much content.

It’s broken down into loosely defined categories, sure. And content is a good thing, in most cases. But if I’m trying to get an idea of what Joost can do for me, that’s difficult to conceptualize when I’m made to click through page after page of clips sorted alphabetically or by date added. There are no options to customize the number of items displayed on the page, either. I’m not in love with Hulu’s interface, but at least I can find what I’m looking for — or browse alphabetically — without getting carpel tunnel from all the clicking.

There is a search function, but that is only useful if I know what I’m looking for. Display ads tout programs like The Daily Show and The O.C., which are ubiquitous on the Internet, and at better-designed, more functional sites. Quit sucking, Joost, or you’ll be out of business before you know what hit you. If other users share my frustrations, I don’t know how you’ll build a community.

Regardless, I think you and I are done. Thanks for being persistent, though. I appreciate you making the effort, and happy trails to you and that dancing box of a mascot.

Late reviewlet: The Mentalist

It took me almost three weeks to get the pilot of this new CBS drama off my DVR, but when I finally got around to it I was satisfied with the show. Especially for a first time out, this was an entertaining hour of television. Think Psych (minus the slapstick hilarity) meets Profiler (minus the embarrassingly bad writing) with a twist of television psychic John Edward (plus a healthy portion of shame).

I suppose the sleight of hand is designed in part to keep eyeballs on the action rather than the myriad distractions viewers juggle while “watching” television. There’s definitely plenty to look at, including CBS veteran Simon Baker (The Guardian, Smith) and his straight (wo)man foil Robin Tunney (you say Prison Break, I say “Empire Records”).

In the time between its premiere and me watching it, CBS picked up a full season of the show, which has performed very well in its first two outings. The key to its continued success (or at least my continued viewership) will be its ability to get creative with the premise so as to avoid becoming stale and transparent like Psych.

Also, may I suggest that we wrap up this Red John business in a season, at the most? I’m pretty sure even Ally Walker got tired of chasing after Jack on Profiler for three long years. By the time Jamie Luner shows up to replace a burned-out Baker, I will long ago have fled the scene.