How is publishing in JoVE (a "video journal") perceived?

Based on our work with them, it seems to be a high quality publication. We published a JoVE article last year and several of the protocols we use in the lab are adapted from other JoVE articles. So it seems effective in its mission. The video format really works for certain protocols, and it may make it easier for people to reproduce your work (thereby getting you more citations).

That said, there is the price tag to consider, and the editorial process is extensive and time consuming (you write an article, then go through normal peer review, then work with them to turn it into a screenplay, then get everyone together with the videographer they provide, etc.). So I would say that if your method does not specifically benefit from the video format, there isn't an advantage over a conventional methods journal.

As far as how it's received, I haven't noticed any differences from any other small journal.

The biggest criticism I have heard so far among colleagues is the price tag:

Standard access: $2,400

Open access: $4,200

But people who are willing to publish in things like Frontiers are used to this order of magnitude. At least with JoVe you understand a part of the price, as a filming team apparently visits your lab and helps with the storyline.

Apart from that, I think that filming experimental protocols is a great alternative to the sometimes obscure text descriptions in traditional papers. It might also lower the threshold for reproducibility. I would keep an eye on that trend, especially in biology, although I think it's more likely that traditional journals will include video documents (some already do) rather than methods-centered video-journals taking over the academic publishing business.

While not in J. Beall's list, he does indeed point out predatory practices of JoVe. You can take a look here:

JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, is an innovative video journal. However, the journal is mercenary and demonstrating at least a couple characteristics of predatory journals.

JoVE — which is not on my list — is a subscription journal, and its [sic] expensive. However, the publication uses the delayed open-access model, so its videos are made open access and re-published by the United States Government in PubMed Central after two years.

It also uses the hybrid open-access model, in which authors are given the opportunity to pay extra and have the content made open-access immediately upon publication. This option, however, costs the authors $4200. Like some predatory journals, JoVE charges both authors and subscribers.

Like most predatory journals, JoVE sends unwarranted spam emails ...