ABC App Updated for 3G iPads

ABC just updated their iPad video app to support the 3G iPad’s new wireless capabilities.  The update also adds support for watching videos in either portrait or landscape mode.

There has been a lot of recent buzz regarding the 3G iPad’s video streaming capabilities and the fact that ABC’s iPad app refused to work when connected over a 3G network.  The ABC app was one of the first applications available after the iPad launched and quickly shot to the top of the apps chart (our apps tracker currently places it at number six on the top free iPad apps chart).  It’s been a staff favorite here at PadGadget and was a top app in our recent iPad video apps round up.

We previously discussed issues we saw with iPad video streaming over 3G and how app developers have taken different approaches with optimizing video quality over 3G.  We decided to compare the updated ABC app to see how video compared over 3G and WiFi.

Overall, we’re pleased with the ABC app’s video quality while we were watching TV shows over a 3G wireless connection.  Video quality was good over 3G and was close to the quality we experienced over WiFi.  It’s clear ABC has opted for a lower bandwidth approach to their 3G streaming solution, probably to reduce buffering and ensure smoother playback over 3G networks.  The 3G video showed more digital artifacts and the image lacked some detail compared to the same TV episode viewed over WiFi.  The video was not the same quality as what we saw over WiFi but was still very watchable even in full screen mode.

The ABC app is one of the better video apps available for the iPad and a great way to stay caught up on some of your favorite ABC TV shows.  The latest ABC app is available in the App Store for free.