The big problem, of course, is that you must be online to view the shows as they stream through a small window in a Web browser. No download options are available. I can see watching a TV show on a laptop, perhaps while traveling, but I wouldn't typically tune in on my desktop PC, which has a large widescreen display.

Another problem is advertising. The Web-based ABC shows include advertising, much like the TV-based originals. Although you can pause, rewind, and fast-forward during the actual TV episodes, you can't fast-forward through commercials. So, as with TV, you'll have to suffer through them or get up and do something else for a bit.

Quality is surprisingly good, but you'll still see the artifacting and blurriness that often accompany the heavily compressed videos we've come to expect from PCs. If you've ever downloaded a TV show from iTunes, the comparison is interesting: The Web-based ABC shows offer higher resolution than their iTunes equivalents and are shown in the correct aspect ratio. For example, on iTunes, Lost is shown in at 320 x 240 and is inexplicably cropped into a 4:3 aspect ratio. But Lost is actually recorded in widescreen, and the Web-based version retains the correct aspect ratio with a resolution of 500 x 282. It's significantly better than what you get on iTunes.

The iTunes version of a Lost episode will set you back $1.99. For that price, you can bring the episode with you and watch it offline on as many as five PCs (or Macs) and can even watch it on the tiny screen of the latest iPod if you don't mind the eye strain (and the fact that videos drain an iPod battery at an alarming rate). Also, there are no commercials in the iTunes version, which is obviously a huge benefit.

People who wait for the DVD set of Lost Season 2, or other TV shows, will benefit enormously in price, quality, and extra features when compared to iTunes downloads. They'll also get a version of the show that is infinitely more accessible than the Web episodes. Plus, there's the benefit of being able to enjoy an entire season's worth of shows in large chunks.

To be fair, ABC isn't trying to compete with DVDs or even iTunes. The goal here is to let real fans have another option if they miss a single episode. It's a wonderful gesture, and although I'd like to see at least a download option, if not a full-resolution version, it's a good start. The future of video is on-demand. It's nice to see that ABC gets that.

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Reader Comments
I agree with most of what you say, however, it doesn't bother me to watch a TV episode on my iPod. I certainly don't get eyestrain, and I can easily watch more than one episode without draining my battery. To me, buying episodes on iTunes is only for portability - I buy the DVDs of things I really want to keep and enjoy. One clarification - you can buy entire seasons through iTunes, and enjoy large chunks of the season just as you can with the DVDs. Personally, I like the iTunes model better. It's worth $1.99 to me to watch an episode whenever I want and without commercials. However, if it's something I really want to keep, I buy the DVDs. Jim -May 3, 2006 They have a larger view, too, which is like 700 wide but still looks good...better quality than regular TV for sure, and way better than iTunes...I feel like I wasted my money on buying Lost from Apple, lower quality and I only watched the episodes once anyway. But I agree with Jim, I buy DVDs for stuff I want. As for the ads, they're not a big deal, I'll trade 90 seconds of my time for $2 any day, especially if it looks better. Aliaser -May 3, 2006 I just set the Tivo and copy the show to my Pocketpc's sd memory card. It works great!!! Tivo version 2 ROCKS!!!! I can fast forward through commercials and take the show anywhere I go. I'm using a dell AXIM X50 pocketpc - battery life for video viewing is great (several hours). Dave -May 3, 2006 What a waste of time. I KNEW they would force the commercials on you. Short of Time -May 4, 2006 The format that people use to view their entertainment doesn't seem as important to me as the effort so many people are making to avoid the time loss of intrusive and useless commercials. I continue to be appalled at the increasing number of commercials we are expected to tolerate. With 12-15 commercials, it's hard to refocus on the programming and keep on track while still being entertained. It's not long before the entertainment value is a negative. I no longer can tolerate the intrusion and therefore do not watch much tv anymore. However I bought a media center PC and Beyond TV and use my computer or media center extender to watch whatever I want, forwarding through the commercials. This was the choice I made out of two, the other being to cancel cable service. I think we all need to be entertained and most of us would be willing to pay to watch the programs we like without advertising or with minimal advertising. It is obvious that people enjoy jumping through their points of interest on the internet and use all resources to block advertising, popups, etc. In my opinion, commercial advertising has gone way overboard. It's not ok to show an ad for hard liquor, but it is ok to bombard the elderly and obese with constant medical solutions. Not being able to fast forward through commercials defeats the purpose and will be a loser; however there is a lot of room for enterprise here. I rarely listen to radio for the same reason and refuse to pay $10 to $12 per month just to do so. For TV, I also refuse to pay for TIVO just to watch recorded media. I would find it easier to just pull the plug. Reading is a good thing. I also buy all my own movies or TV series that I think of as keepers. I would love to see access to TV and radio content be more in the hands of consumers. It is sure to be a rocky start, but probably way more profitable in the long run than the current advertising controlled methods. Art, science and entertainment are far greater than the commercial backing currently being used. 95% of all advertising is for something I would never use. Why do I have to hear about it until I slam my thumb down on the on-off button? It will be interesting to see how this plays out along with the activities currently under way to allow selective channels from cable providers. kmk -May 5, 2006 I just finsihed watching the last 3 episodes of Lost. The viseo window is really small. During commercials I did experience playback issues and blaring sound, both very annoying. I really like that ABC chose to do this. I wish they were downlaodable, but I guess Apple has that ability on the iTunes website. I wish other networks would also step up and off this so I can catch up on all the stuf I missed this season. crashoverrideplik -May 19, 2006 its all bullcrap the episodes you download from itunes are small resoulution and the player to play it only goes half the size of my screen no full screen view. compared to an avi file from someones tivo or whatever these episodes rate 3 out of 10 for quality just terrible. Just makes you hate the stupid ipods and itunes even more. joe -May 30, 2006 well I think that these comments about computer tv is all something that I don't know about until I see the actually see some episode. These are ppl that have seen it not me so where do I get a sample of some sort? Harold Paul -June 1, 2006 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -August 23, 2006 ok Ryan -August 27, 2006 none mary mills -September 14, 2006 supper!!!! mary mills -September 14, 2006 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -October 14, 2006 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -February 28, 2007 your ticket to one of the most comprehensive on line collections of free entertainment links available on the web,no registration,no fees, no downloads!!! http://nosubscriptionrequired.blogspot.com/ Norman Roberts -May 11, 2007 I'm sorry, maybe it's just my computer's wifi, but this quality is awful, at least the sound skipping. Kyle -April 23, 2009 READER COMMENTS: We want to hear what you have to say about this article!     Acceptable Use Policy Your Comments (required): Your email is only used if our editors need to contact you. It is not used or stored for any other purpose, nor posted with your comments. 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