I was lucky enough to get an invitation to check out the beta version of The Venice Project which is the newest… um, project from Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis the two guys that brought you Skype and Kazaa. This time they tackle online video and give it a whole new spin.
The Skinny: Here’s a little background on the project. It was first announced in Oct. 2006 and has been shrouded in secrecy ever since. Zennstrom and Friis hired the some of the best software developers in the world and had them working in various cities around the globe. The only details mentioned that they had been in talks with TV Networks to get their content online. That’s it. Yesterday I got an invite in my inbox to check it out and let me tell you, its pretty kickass and is completely different from any of the online video that your used to.
The Process: First of all I had to download the newest build of the “client” which took about 10 seconds and then click through a few steps. At one point it checked my system for the necessary requirements and everything checked out except for my RAM which was a little low, but it recommended that I try it anyway and then let them know how it worked… nice. Then a couple more clicks and then the application immediately opens up into a full screen window and your looking at a list of possible channels.
I first clicked onto the “Green Day” channel and then proceeded to watch Green Day’s live concert special called Bullet in a Bible. Obviously the first thing that caught my attention was the fact that it was full screen… I’m talking corner to corner, like a television. A quick flick of the mouse and four icons pop into the screen, one from each border or side of the monitor. One of the icons was a Control Unit with play, pause, etc., one was a link back to the Channels, one was a link to “My Venice” which allows you to customize and offers a bunch of different plug-ins like Chat, a Clock and many others.
At this point I was comfortable with the controls and navigation and began surfing around the different channels.
The Quality: For a project that is still in beta the quality of the content is pretty solid. There’s a lot of variety in the channels with everything from extreme sports, to music, to comedy shorts, to documentary style clips. One particular channel called Warner Brothers Records had some great behind the scenes clips from some great music videos. My favorite was a look at the band Muse and their video for the song “Knights of Cydonia” (which if you haven’t seen you should definitely check out). Also these aren’t just short clips, they’re full length features and exactly as you’d see them on TV. There is a lot of quality stuff there and I didn’t look through a quarter of it.
The Quantity: A quick count told me that there are 28 different channels and within each channel there is anywhere from 5 to 20 different shows to choose from. Not bad for something still in beta. Word is that they’re aggressively searching out more content and negotiating with numerous TV networks.
The Layout: I think the layout and overall user-experience is what impressed my the most about the Venice Project. Everything was so different from anything like YouTube or Google Video, but at the same time it was extremely intuitive and simple. All the icons and lists are big and easy to read and everything is labeled with quick instructions and descriptions.
The YouTube Factor: Am I going to this site ahead of YouTube? Well, they’re not exactly doing the same thing. But if I’m searching for quality programming in an easy to find format then I’m heading straight to the Venice application that sits in the tray on my windows taskbar. YouTube still wins on user generated content, but that is not what TVP is all about. Its about watching TV online, legitimately. Which is pretty much what got YouTube in trouble in the first place. At this point you’d probably have a better shot of finding something on YouTube than TVP, but it is still in Beta… and I can’t see many TV Networks not wanting to get somewhat involved in this project. Plus, watching shows on YouTube still is essentially illegal.
The Other Stuff: At this point the advertising on the site is very low key, and I only saw ads when they would show up in the background behind the transparent menus when I was scrolling to find a new show to watch. I’m sure they’ll develop advertising more in the future, but as of now its very unobtrusive. The only bugs I noticed were the few times that the video stalled, or froze for a few seconds, but then was back quickly, and a couple times I clicked on a show to watch that was “temporarily unavailable”. Besides that everything was pretty smooth.
The Verdict: This thing is pretty slick. It doesn’t have YouTube’s “in and out, find anything you want in 5 seconds” appeal, but if you’re actually looking to “watch” something of decent length, that is legal, free and you’re nowhere near a television, then this is you’re thing. Depending on how negotiations go with networks I think TVP could be the bridge that TV and the Internet needed. The sky(pe) is the limit… wow that was lame. I give it a 9/10 for my first impression.
Venice Project.
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December 22nd, 2006 at 11:35 am
Jackhammer, a great review and well-written.
However, I was surprised you said “watching shows on YouTube still is essentially illegal.”
Watching shows on YouTube isn’t illegal. What’s illegal is YouTube using and storing copyrighted content without permission or compensation.
By the way, hipmojo.com is refreshing, even to a senior citizen line me.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:44 am
Munir,
thats a good point. I definitely worded that wrong. What I meant was, as you said, YouTube’s storing of the content is illegal, so when YT eventually gets its act together (or gets sued enough) that type of content likely won’t be available, and users will have to look elsewhere.
I hope that makes more sense! Thanks for pointing it out,
cheers,
JH.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:53 am
[…] I also enjoyed hipmojo.com’s review headlined Sneak Peak and Review of The Venice Project.” For other reviews, see Techmeme’s roundup of conversations on the subject. […]
December 26th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
But it is an application vs. native. How is this different from Maven Networks or other downloadable video players??