ABC Videos

There's been a lot of buzz lately about ABC releasing popular shows after the original airdate for viewing on the internet. Since I missed LOST last night (and didn't record it at home), I'm happy that they offer this service (for free, even!).

There are a couple of commercials that you must watch. They are 30 second spots, and once the 30 seconds have elapsed, then the next segment of the show becomes "unlocked" and you can continue watching. This is actually A LOT less intrusive than normal television (assuming that you're watching a live broadcast, and not timeshifting). Plus, there's pause and seek functionality.

Having said that, though, there are still bugs that ABC has to work out. More than once, the video just stopped, and I ended up closing the browser and restarting (after waiting a few minutes to see if the video would resume on its own).

Is this a glimpse into the future of how "television" might be delivered? Quite possibly (as long as it remains free to the viewer).