PBS Launches Video Portal with Full-Length Programming

PBS has launched a new video portal today that allows viewers to watch episodes of a variety of PBS shows online. They decided to launch the videos today because part of the new videos are based around EarthDay. Looking at the source, it looks like the videos are hosted by a CDN although I can’t figure out which one. Update: PBS notified me that they signed a deal with Limelight for CDN services last year.

Some of the available shows include Julia Child, The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Nova, Masterpiece, Great Performances and Antiques Roadshow. I found the video player to be pretty basic with a variety of sharing options along with the ability to view a video full-screen. Without using the full-screen mode, the player is set to about 400 pixels in width – a bit small for this category of videos.

The new video portal will also allow local PBS stations to share their local content with a national audience. For those of you wondering, Ask This Old House isn’t listed although This Old House is.

The one thing that this new video portal is missing is a place to be notified when new videos are added. I don’t understand why so many companies forget this when they make a new product or content service live. I might watch a video today but will I remember to come back to check if new videos are added for a show I am interested in? Do I need to remember what I have viewed and what’s new? I sure hope they will add some options – RSS or email – in the near future.