Audio Video News

Try as they may, there's still nothing that compares to sitting in an uncomfortable stadium seat for nine innings. The battle for runner-up, however has gotten to be quite interesting. While plunking down in front of the TV to watch a game is great, watching it on a computer screen now actually seems a little better because of MLB.TV's new premium plan.

A subscription runs $109 a year (or $20 monthly), which is an extra $40 when compared to the standard plan, but that upgrade comes with some pretty impressive new features. First and foremost is the fact that they have greatly increased the video quality, claiming "HD quality." While it certainly isn't Blu-ray status, the streamed picture looks as good or better than anything else on the web Even in full-screen mode on my 1080p monitor, video looks great.

The audio fidelity could still use a little boost, but they now give you the option to listen to either the radio or TV comentators during the game. That kind of choice almost seems worth sacrificing a little in the quality department.

Another big upgrade is the multi-game viewing option that we have been in love with since DirectTV started doing it with their NFL Direct Ticket package. Direct Ticket lets you watch eight games at a time. MLB.TV only allows four, but you can pick from a wider range of content in each box including recorded games or highlights.

One of the most impressive features, though, is the player tracker. You can track your fantasy (or just your favorite) players and a pop-up window will tell you when they're at bat and let you watch it live.

With windows popping up everywhere and data flying at you from every direction, this seems like the kind of thing people had in mind before Web TV crashed and burned so many years ago. Personally, I find the whole thing pretty exciting. But, I'm sure many of you look at that screen grab above and cringe at the sheer amount of crap jammed on the screen. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.