There's a Huge Olympics Menu Online, but Service Is Spotty

If more is all you ask of the Olympics, your computer has the answer.With an incredible array of Internet options, NBC is countering years of complaints from those who have yearned to see more games and a more varied set of players. Last night into early morning, NBCOlympics .com offered 50 live feeds of full events, badminton to wrestling, many involving countries and sports seldom showcased here. You've always wanted to see South Korea play Iceland in handball? Now you can.With some exceptions: You have to be able to download NBC's Microsoft-powered video player, and for HD feeds, you need Vista. And NBC will not compete with itself, so you won't see events the company is planning to air on TV. But it's still offering more than anyone could possibly watch.Even the webcast choices come with choices. You can switch among the regular player, an enlarged view or a four-screen picture-in-picture version (for that one, you either need a giant screen or very good eyes).Yet as impressive as the technology is, it's still in its infancy, and like most infants, it has issues. Experiences will differ, but the feeds come with standard Internet hiccups, along with a few new ones. Moving between formats can cause the player to crash, and switching between sports causes the ads to play again. You can end up watching more ads on the Web than you do on NBC, as impossible as that may sound.Beyond the stops and starts, the viewing experience takes some adjustment. The feeds have no announcers and, apparently, no directors. You simply peer in on venues, which sometimes means staring at an empty platform until the athletes step on to it. And once they do, it's up to you to figure out what they're doing. USA Today's Robert Bianco reports

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There's a Huge Olympics Menu Online, but Service Is Spotty

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