The first noticeable difference between Miro and Joost is that Miro has an interface more in line with iTunes than a media center product, giving you an easier way to navigate programs before you watch. Miro also claims to have over 2,000 channels, where Joost has around 300 channels. But let's be clear about something: the quality of Miro's "channels" varies from major media broadcasts (NBC, Adult Swim, etc.) to some guy with a web cam, so it's often more difficult to find good entertainment. However, Miro has a larger collection of "news" channels, while Joost only has a few of the major ones like CNN and CBS.
While Miro's content quality varies, it does have nearly the same stuff that Joost offers, except commercial free. And one advantage with Miro 1.0 (or disadvantage, if you have a fast connection) is that programs are downloaded automatically to your computer instead of streaming over the internet, giving more access to those with slower computers.
Downloading a program on Miro 1.0.
Miro 1.0 also takes up fewer system resources than either Veoh and Joost. For Windows, Miro requires 128 MB of RAM and Direct X 3.0 or higher running on Vista, XP or 2000 (it also has unofficial support for Windows 95 and 98). For Macintosh, Miro requires at least OS X 10.3 and Quicktime 7 to run. And of course, there is a Linux version with official packages for Fedora, Ubuntu, Gentoo, and Debian distributions of Linux.
I tested Miro running Windows Vista and had very few problems getting started with Miro 1.0; in fact, it ran much smoother than similar tests using Joost and Veoh. The graphical interface is easy to use and had a familiarity about it while still using cutting edge technology. Within minutes, I had added all of my favorite channels, and the latest episodes started downloading to my computer immediately. To save hard drive space, Miro only keeps a copy of every show you download for five days with the option to delete or permanently keep the show. If you choose to keep the show, the file is saved in a folder, and you can upload it to any device since Miro does not use DRM to lock shows to the software platform.
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