Web Videos on Your iPad
By 
You’ve had your iPad for almost a full week now. You’ve had the chance to play with your new toy, rotated the screen multiple times, downloaded apps, imported your own media, and probably started reading books and newspapers already. But, what about watching web videos?
We all know that many websites are not ready yet for iPad use. Many are playing videos exclusively in Adobe Flash, a format your iPad will not support. You may be asking, what kind of video sites can I enjoy? We say, be patient, the list of sites that will support videos for your iPad will continue to grow. We wanted to share with you some of the websites we have visited with our iPads.
TV Shows Sites
CBS.com - One of the first media companies that optimized their entire site for the iPad. You will be able to play video clips and full show episodes. Videos can be played in context or full screen mode. I played extensively with different video clips, and I must say the video quality is very good, even in full-screen mode. A site that you must visit!
ABC.com - It plays some videos, but the site is not ready yet. However, ABC already offers you an iPad app. The app is free and with lots of bells and whistles!
NBC.com - For now, the site will redirect you to their mobile site. It does play some videos, but I must say this site is not ready yet.
Hulu.com, Fox.com and Comedycentral.com - Do not have video content available for your iPad yet. In Hulu’s case, there are several reports indicating they could be working on an iPad app. Even though these sites don’t have any iPad video content available yet, simply be patient, some of them soon could join the iPad experience.
Sports Sites
ESPN.com - This is a very elegant site. It gives you the choice to select between their mobile and desktop page sites. Based on my experience, use the desktop page. Not a lot of high-resolution videos in there yet, but you will have access to lots of video content that play back right in the page and look acceptable in full-screen mode. This is a site you should bookmark.
MLB.com - The site has been optimized for your iPad, but the iPad-video content is not available yet. They do have the MLB At Bat 2010 iPad app, but requires you to sign up for the MLB package. The site is not ready yet, but the iPad app rocks!
NHL.com - This is a well designed site. Comes with several iPad-ready videos. The video clips look crisp. This site is worth bookmarking.
NFL.com - The site fits nicely into your iPad screen. It does play videos and the clips look very crisp. This site is worth the visit.
NBA.com and Yahoo Sports - Both sites require Flash to play videos. The sites have great information, but are not ready to enhance your video experience. At least not yet!
News Sites
CNN.com - The site makes several news video clips available on the iPad. However, their live content seems to be only available via Flash for now. This site is worth bookmarking for the articles. The video content needs a bit more work.
The New York Times.com - The main page does play some videos. However, their ‘Video’ page still requires Flash. Overall, the website looks very elegant. The video content is not ready yet, but keep in mind they do have an iPad app.
Reuters.com - The site seems to be ready for the iPad, but they need to improve the video content quality. If you like Reuters, you can still visit. Keep in mind they have a few iPad apps.
USAToday.com - The site does play video content, but you will be redirected to a page that suggests you download their iPad app. Their app is very nice indeed. The site is worth the visit, but you will not get the same experience as in the iPad app.
A Few Video Sharing Sites
YouTube - It plays iPad video content, but redirects you to the touch screen version of its page, which is the same page targeted for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The videos play very nice, although videos featuring ads don’t seem to play. This site is worth the visit and expect continued improvements.
Vimeo - Very nice site. Your iPad will use the same page that is dedicated to desktop PCs. Videos play in context and full screen. This site is a must bookmark!
We all know that many websites are not ready yet for iPad use. Many are playing videos exclusively in Adobe Flash, a format your iPad will not support. You may be asking, what kind of video sites can I enjoy? Be patient, the list of sites that will support videos for your iPad will continue to grow. We wanted to share with you some of the websites we have visited with our iPads.
TV Shows Sites
CBS.com – they were one of the first media companies that optimized their entire site for the iPad. You will be able to play video clips and full show episodes. Videos can be played in context or full screen mode. I played extensively with different video clips and I must say the video quality is very good, even in full-screen mode. A site that you must visit!
ABC.com – It plays some videos, but the site is not ready yet. However, ABC already offers you an iPad app. The app is free and with lots of bells and whistles!
NBC.com – For now, the site will redirect you to the mobile site (m.nbc.com). It does play some videos, but I must say this site is not ready yet.
Hulu.com, Fox.com and Comedycentral.com – Do not have video content available for your iPad yet. In Hulu’s case, there are a lot of reports they could be working on an iPad app. New York Times sources have been cited saying Hulu may be interested in testing out a subscription model. Although these sites do not have any video content available yet, I recommend you be patient because many of themm will not want to miss the iPad experience.
Sports Sites
ESPN.com – This one is tricky. It gives you the choice to select between their mobile and desktop page sites. Based on my experience, use the desktop page. Not a lot of high-resolution videos in there yet. But, you will have access to lots of video content that play back right in the page and look acceptable in full-screen mode. This is a site you should bookmark, although it still needs more higher-resolution videos.
MLB.com – It looks the site has been optimized for your iPad. They do have the MLB At Bat 2010 iPad app, but requires you to sign up for the MLB package. This site is not ready yet.
NHL.com – The site looks really nice. Comes with several iPad-ready videos. The video clips look crisp. This site is worth bookmarking.
NFL.com – The site fits nicely into your iPad screen. It does play videos. This site is worth the visit.
NBA.com – Does not play videos in your iPad. At least not yet!
Yahoo Sports – Site looks very nice. But, from what I can tell, video content is not ready for your iPad. At least not yet!
News Sites
CNN.com – The site makes several news clips available on the iPad. However, their live content seems to be only available via Flash for now. This is site is worth bookmarking for the articles. The video content is not ready yet!
The New York Times.com – The main page does play some videos. However, their ‘Video’ page still requires Flash. Overall, the website looks very elegant. The video content is not ready yet. Keep in mind they do have an iPad app.
Reuters.com – The site seems to be ready for the iPad. But, they need to improve their video content quality. If you like Reuters, you can still visit. Keep in mind they have a few iPad apps.
USAToday.com – The site does play video content. But, the first thing you will experience is being redirected to a page that suggests you download their iPad app. Their app is very nice indeed. The site is worth the visit, but you will not get the same experience as in the iPad app.
A Few Video Sharing Sites
YouTube – OIt plays video content, but redirects you to the touch screen version of its page, which is the same page targeted for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The videos play very nice, although videos featuring ads don’t seem to play. this site is worth the visit. Expect continued improvements.
Vimeo – Very nice site. Your iPad will use the same page that is dedicated to desktop PCs. Videos play in context and full screen. This site is a must bookmark!
