Joost, the peer network video platform, has hired former CableLabs chief scientist and ex-Comcast engineer Jason Gaedtke as chief architect. He will report to Matt Zelesko, the SVP of engineering who was himself brought in from Comcast Interactive Media. It seems there is still much work to be done at Joost.
Jason Gaedtke was previously and briefly chief scientist at CableLabs. Prior to that he was chief architect for Comcast Interactive Group, where Matt Zelsko was VP of engineering.
Another member of that team has also joined Joost as user experience lead. Gabo Mendoza previously held that role at Comcast, where he was involved in the design and development of projects like The Fan broadband web service.
Joost may be getting its act together, having disappointed many users following the hyperbole surrounding its launch. Bringing in experience from Comcast could be a smart move, as Joost has so far failed to create a particularly satisfactory video entertainment experience.
Joost has been testing a live service, streaming the March Madness basketball tournament. Reports from users suggest that it has not been working as well as it might and in our experience it has been unwatchable.
The Joost team has been making much of the fact that it is a technical trial and that things may well go wrong. However, if Joost is to be taken seriously it will need to up its game.
Broadcasters and pay-television service providers spend millions to deliver continuously available services. Delivering comparable services over the public internet is technically challenging. At informitv we have considerable experience in this field and would not pretend otherwise.
Nevertheless, broadcasters such as the BBC in Britain and the national networks in the United States currently seem to be doing a better job at providing quality services than some of the upstart startups that have attracted a lot of media attention.