LG Electronics on Thursday said it would sell this fall a high-definition Blu-ray disc player that can stream to a TV more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix.
The LG BD300 player will rely on a wired broadband connection and a queue-based user interface to display on a TV a variety of content selected by the Netflix subscriber. Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds, the companies said.
Netflix members will be able to use the player's remote control to browse and make selections on their TV screens, as well as read synopses and rate movies. They will also have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream.
"The BD300 is another LG industry first and provides consumers with an advanced high-def disc player with unparalleled flexibility and networked access for services such as Netflix," Teddy Hwang, president of LG Electronics USA, said in a statement.
The LG-Netflix deal is not exclusive, so LG could add similar services from Netflix rivals in the future. Netflix has said that its long-term goal is to get Sony, Panasonic, and LG to integrate Netflix services into their digital TVs.
The partnership was expected. LG and Netflix said at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January that they would provide a device for streaming content from the Web to the TV in the second half of the year. Pricing was not disclosed.
While the BD 300 supports high-definition content, Netflix does not offer HD content for streaming. It does offer HD movies via its by-mail service.
Netflix has offered subscribers the option of streaming movies to their PCs at no additional cost. The company is hoping to stay ahead of the curve as the Internet matures as a distribution mechanism. Netflix rival Blockbuster is also expanding its digital offerings.
LG is not the only Netflix partner for streaming content. The DVD rental firm this month unveiled a partnership in which it would stream movies through Microsoft's Internet-based Xbox Live service.
Under the deal, people with Xbox 360 videogame consoles can download Netflix movies at no additional cost and watch them on TVs. The service, which is expected to launch in the fall, will only be available to subscribers of Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service.
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The New Xbox Experience is now live for download. Once you boot up your Xbox 360 the update should start. I'm excited to see how these new features work and if it will be better than what Microsoft previously offered. A bit of bad news,
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck at work, so I can't verify this personally, but a friend of mine is at home and is trying unsuccessfully to activate his Netflix account on Xbox LIVE. He tells me via IM that he was told to go to Netflix's Web
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