Written by Liz Gannes
Posted Wednesday, January 2, 2008 at 7:02 PM PT

 

Netflix Coming to TV This Year

Netflix is developing a set-top box in partnership with LG, according to various reports. It is to be released in the second half of this year.

This could be a big deal, depending on whether the pricing is attractive. Apple TV, whose customers may be getting access to movie rentals in addition to downloads this month, goes for $299, and Vudu sells for $399. Amazon Unbox currently streams on existing TiVo boxes. Multiple reports mentioned a $799 price for the Netflix-LG box — that’s what LG’s HD DVD/Blu-Ray DVD player currently goes for. $799 sounds way too high, especially considering Netflix doesn’t yet stream in high definition.

Netflix has moved carefully in its rollout of digital movies, launching a Windows-only streaming product for existing DVD-by-mail subscribers at the beginning of this year. It has recently been experimenting with unlimited streaming plans. The company offers 6,000 titles in its streaming library, significantly more than the competition. With competitor Blockbuster on the down and out, Netflix is sounding more ambitious. CEO Reed Hastings told the New York Times:

“We want to be integrated on every Internet-connected device, game system, high-definition DVD player and dedicated Internet set-top box,” he said. “Eventually, as TVs have wireless connectivity built into them, we’ll integrate right into the television.”

 

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Topic: Hardware
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Comments & Trackbacks

  1. Hacking Netflix has screenshots and some more info
    http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2008/01/netflix-lg-part.html

    Now where is that Netflix channel on my Wii ?

    Matt_ on January 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 pm - Permalink

  2. i think they meant the combo blu-ray/hd dvd is $799, and the netflix function would be added into that. not 799 for a standalone box. i’d prefer to see netflix functionality added into somethign like the slingcatcher or gejboxish stuff.

    buster on January 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm - Permalink

  3. The $799 bits weren’t about a new box, but rather that LG may be adding this as a service to their existing $799 BH200 BD/HD DVD box. It has the Ethernet connectivity and limited storage, and it certainly has the hardware.

    megazone on January 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm - Permalink

  4. OK so it’s an added service, but you still have to pay $799 for something.

    Liz Gannes on January 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm - Permalink

  5. [...] Read more… [...]

    KUT-FU on January 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 am - Permalink

  6. Liz Netflix plasns to roll this out on as many boxes as they can but I suppose that LG needed something to announce at CES .

    Its a shame that Netflix didn’t do a deal with a game console manufacturer who already have a huge install base and can do firmware/software updates on the fly over a internet connection or via disk .

    Your Right who wants to pay top dollar for Blue-Ray or HD-DVD functionality when streaming broadband video is the future of the market that can keep broadcasters happy becuse thier is no hard copy kept on a end users machine .

    Im still holding out hope that Joost will look at game consoles this year and if they don’t someone else will because of the large install base that is already connected to the internet to exploit p2p networking and always on connections .

    Microsoft has been working on p2p muti-player gaming
    Microsoft Research TechFest - Using P2P to speed up multiplayer gaming (and other things) http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=289538

    Matt_ on January 3rd, 2008 at 4:03 am - Permalink

  7. [...] It appears there may be a bit of a boxing match shaping up between Apple and Netflix. Amid reports that Apple has inked a video-on-demand deal with Twentieth Century Fox, Netflix has announced plans to develop a set-top box that will give consumers the ability to stream movies directly from the Internet to HDTVs. The DVD-by-mail pioneer has enlisted South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics to build a set-top box that will extend its Watch Instantly online movie delivery service from the PC to the TV. Netflix plans to offer the service — expected to roll out in the fall — for free to its subscribers and the box for a price that’s yet to be announced. [...]

    Forward Looking Statements: Netflix Set-Top Box May be Total Vaporware | John Paczkowski | Digital Daily | AllThingsD on January 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 am - Permalink

  8. At this point, game consoles and DVRs (Tivo) are the real bridge between delivering content via the internet and the TV. Netflix appears to have their strategy well aligned with what they do best, and that is to use the power of the web to select movies. Now if they are able to expand their partnerships to other device manufacturers that are currently plugged into both the internet and the TV, they will be a front-runner in levering the power of IP delivery instead of the US Postal service.

    neal page on January 4th, 2008 at 8:01 am - Permalink

  9. [...] expected movie rental announcement at Macworld tomorrow, the move augments Netflix’s recent partnership with LG for a TV set-top box, which isn’t just a shot at Apple TV, but one at Vudu, TakeTV, Amazon [...]

    Netflix Unleashes its Movie Streaming « NewTeeVee on January 14th, 2008 at 8:39 am - Permalink

  10. [...] with the progress of its online streaming service. He disclosed that in addition to an announced partnership with LG to bring video to the TV, Netflix has signed three additional consumer electronics partners, two of [...]

    Netflix to Add Three Set-top Box Partners « NewTeeVee on April 21st, 2008 at 3:23 pm - Permalink

  11. [...] try and ramp up adoption. And more big names are jumping into the fray later this year. Netflix is making set-top boxes with four different manufacturers, and HP will be launching its MediaSmart Connect [...]

    Essay: Can We Stop with the Video CE Hardware Already? « NewTeeVee on May 9th, 2008 at 3:00 am - Permalink

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