GREEN TV
Everything is better with a cause, so PC potatoes can feel good about vegging out to this site. The site is a closed broadcast platform that streams on-demand video. Green TV is a collaboration of two sponsors and 28 partner channels. The content is usually produced by the partners, which include the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and the United Nations Environment Programme. Most videos are on the short side (under 20 minutes) and many are informative and well-made. Short films such as Ecostorm’s Melting Point and Cantos' Bio-Fuel Dilemma are worth a watch. The downside is that videos can be glitchy on a slower system. Blend up an organic, fair-trade smoothie and have a gander.
USTREAM
In 2007, user-generated video racked up approximately 22 billion views. That’s good news for sites such as Ustream. Unlike Green TV, Ustream has an open platform that allows members to stream live broadcasts all day. Anything and everything is on the site, from 24-hour news and business channels to would-be talk show hosts streaming from their bedrooms. Some user-produced shows have a following and a few even have sponsors.
JOOST
Commercials, lines at the rental store and locked-in broadcast times are a pain. Happily, none of these exist at Joost. With its own snazzy application available for free download, Joost calls itself the first Internet provider of broadcast-quality video. The presentation and functionality is slick enough to back up the claim. Joost has a wide selection of channels to choose from. You can watch your favorite cartoons and movies or tune into more amateurish made-for-Joost TV. All of the content on Joost is professionally produced, but at different levels. CBS runs several channels, as do record labels, animation studios and Internet junkies. On July 23, the privately owned Web site announced its collaboration with Chinese-language media conglomerate TOM Group to launch Joost in China.
Everything is better with a cause, so PC potatoes can feel good about vegging out to this site. The site is a closed broadcast platform that streams on-demand video. Green TV is a collaboration of two sponsors and 28 partner channels. The content is usually produced by the partners, which include the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and the United Nations Environment Programme. Most videos are on the short side (under 20 minutes) and many are informative and well-made. Short films such as Ecostorm’s Melting Point and Cantos' Bio-Fuel Dilemma are worth a watch. The downside is that videos can be glitchy on a slower system. Blend up an organic, fair-trade smoothie and have a gander.
USTREAM
In 2007, user-generated video racked up approximately 22 billion views. That’s good news for sites such as Ustream. Unlike Green TV, Ustream has an open platform that allows members to stream live broadcasts all day. Anything and everything is on the site, from 24-hour news and business channels to would-be talk show hosts streaming from their bedrooms. Some user-produced shows have a following and a few even have sponsors.
JOOST
Commercials, lines at the rental store and locked-in broadcast times are a pain. Happily, none of these exist at Joost. With its own snazzy application available for free download, Joost calls itself the first Internet provider of broadcast-quality video. The presentation and functionality is slick enough to back up the claim. Joost has a wide selection of channels to choose from. You can watch your favorite cartoons and movies or tune into more amateurish made-for-Joost TV. All of the content on Joost is professionally produced, but at different levels. CBS runs several channels, as do record labels, animation studios and Internet junkies. On July 23, the privately owned Web site announced its collaboration with Chinese-language media conglomerate TOM Group to launch Joost in China.
