Soon, the video quality we currently expect from YouTube and other sites will be ancient history.  Adobe will soon be widely releasing Flash Player 9, and incorporating the H.264 codec – meaning MPEG 4 standard, high quality even in large screen, blissfull web video!

What does that mean? It means the same (or better) quality you see on Joost today. It means that web video will look as good (or better) than it does on your television. It means a lot more Internet TV services coming your way – and you can watch directly through your browser.  No downloads necessary.

Aside from the monetization challenges, in my view the major impediment to ubiquitous professional video content on the web is the diminished user experience.  With Flash Player 9 start-ups can promise studios the same quality as on the television (or their own sites) directly through the browser.

My browser may finally be my T.V.  I’d love to go to a site where each tab represents a channel, clicking on the show I want, and watching what I want, when I want.  All the inevitable social network, RSS, etc. functions will be a bonus.

But there’s still that ever present problem; there’s no money like T.V. advertising money. But if the user experience is that compelling, and user growth substantial, the advertising spend might grow to make it worth it for the start-up, studios, networks, and most importantly the consumer.