<p><img title="Image: http://www.myvivvo.com/thumbnail.php?file=abc_809145243.jpg&amp;size=article_medium" src="http://www.myvivvo.com/thumbnail.php?file=abc_809145243.jpg&amp;size=article_medium" alt="ABC soups up online video player" /></p>
<div>LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC.com is souping up its full-episode broadband player with new features for the fall.<br /><br />Among the bells and whistles set for the broadcaster's online destination are full-screen viewing, closed captioning and the ability to send video links that can be embedded on blogs and social networks.<br /><br />"Having come out of the gate with the first player in the space, we're continually looking at how we expand and provide a better experience from our users," said Alexis Rapo, vp digital media at ABC Entertainment.<br /><br />ABC.com was the first full-episode player online when it launched in 2006, and as of April, it is the dominant one: Its 8.9 million unique users was tops for the month among broadcasters, according to Nielsen Online. ABC.com also leads in minutes spent per user.<br /><br />The user interface has been redesigned with new navigation and search features that allow users to comb series offerings graphically, alphabetically, by genre or popularity. Also added: content recommendation technology that suggests programs based on a viewer's choices.<br /><br />Although ABC.com previously contained the video to a browser window, the improved player will allow the image to take up the entire monitor. The viewer also will have the option of choosing from a variety of screen sizes, as well as picking standard or high definition.<br /><br />Users also can send links that can be posted elsewhere online, where they can launch cued to a particular scene mid-episode. Video on ABC.com also will be more easy to sift through, with thumbnail images that offer a glimpse of the story line progression in each episode.<br /><br />The new player will be tested in a closed beta over the summer before launching ahead of ABC's premiere week in the fall. ABC.com uses technology from Move Networks for its player.</div>
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