With the increasing ubiquity of high-speed Internet connections, several major TV networks have been implementing online video streaming of their most popular shows. None of these players feel like they're out of beta yet, but a few are moving along nicely. Let's see how the video players from each of the four big networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox) match up, not only in the quality of the technology but also concerning each network's uploading policy.

NBC

By far the leader of the pack, NBC was one of the earliest to adopt video streaming and has consistently used the best technology. The NBC video player occupies a single window and has a wonderfully intuitive interface. A smooth drop-down menu allows viewers to choose the screen size (normal, large, and full screen) and the volume control is generally responsive, though it has had a sticking problem in the past. The video scan bar clearly marks commercial breaks and there's an easy-to-use Show/Episode/Chapter menu off to the side. The player's simple, unobtrusive design is a beauty of form and function.

NBC has also had a good uploading policy. It has a large menu of new and classic shows to choose from and all new episodes of most primetime shows are on the site by 6:00 AM Eastern/3:00 AM Pacific, though sometimes they show up a bit earlier.

Grade: A

CBS

The CBS player is unique in that it favors social networking features over viewer control. There are only two screen sizes but both come in very clear, though the videos themselves have a choppiness issue for all but the best Internet connections. There is a retractable chat feature that unfortunately reloads the entire video and a Share button that minimizes the video so it can be linked through systems like Facebook or embedded, though in the case of the latter most of the primetime shows are not available for embedding. There is also a button to move to related videos, which is occasionally handy.

Even if CBS's videos are uploaded at a decent rate, the scrolling ads and less-than-stellar streaming quality holds it back.

Grade: C

ABC

While ABC has been above-average in the speed at which they upload new episodes (as quickly as the midnight after airing), their player leaves a lot to be desired. The player itself functions as a pop-up, bringing an ad with it. When the commercial breaks come up during the shows the player returns to normal size from full-screen, then it requires viewers to "click play to continue" instead of offering a smooth service. The video quality is fairly good but the player loads slowly. The whole experience is needlessly clunky, which is a shame considering the favorable uploading policy.

Grade: C-

Fox

The Fox player is the worst of the bunch. The video quality is often just horrible, whether in full screen or not. It will intermittently change quality for no particular reason. The Fox website recently added a downloadable player, but that really doesn't seem necessary when all the other sites have a web player embedded in the sites themselves. The interface is busy with a lot of unnecessary stuff like light dimmers and a reader review button.

Fox has been good but inconsistent with its uploading policy. New episodes will show up any time between midnight and 6:00 AM after the air date and the front page almost always has pictures of new episodes without the corresponding links, so a screen cap of the new episode will link to last week's upload.

Grade: D

It's increasingly important for major networks to snag an Internet audience as fewer people have televisions and cable in their homes. Hopefully, each network will learn from the mistakes of the others and embrace this emerging technology.