ABC Adds Full-Screen Mode to Online Shows

Who needs TiVo when you can stream your favorite ABC shows straight to your big screen TV? That's right, now that ABC has added full-screen mode, all you have to do is hook up your laptop to your LCD display to watch Lost, Ugly Betty, or Desperate Housewives in near HD quality. The Broadcasting Cable reports that ABC quietly launched an improved high-quality player from Move Networks that "shows videos that look surprisingly similar to HDTV."

Being the online TV aficionada that I am, I immediately headed over to ABC to check out just how good the quality of the video really is. Let me tell you, I was really impressed. I played some of the shows on my 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, in full-screen mode, and they looked great for streaming media. I wouldn't say they were HD crystal clear, but they still looked better than the flash based full-screen grainy videos on NBC. Move Network players stream videos at an adaptive rate, which means the quality of the video depends on your CPU and bandwidth, as opposed to Flash videos that look the same no matter how good your resources are.

The new player can play shows at a full-screen resolution, as well as a mini-resolution (240x136) for a more discreet TV watching experience. All you have to do is install a plug-in from Movie Networks, which only takes about a minute, but it's well worth your time.

Related:Missed a Show? Here's What to Do