Written by Chris Albrecht
Posted Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 9:01 PM PT

Netflix on LG TVs: No Box Required

Netflix announced today that its streaming service will be embedded directly into broadband-enabled LG HDTVs coming out this spring. This marks the first time that streaming Netflix content to a television set won’t require an external box like the Roku.

While LG is the first television partner for Netflix it isn’t the first manufacturer to offer broadband-connected TVs. Panasonic’s Viera TVs have YouTube video capabilities and Amazon’s Video on Demand streaming service is available on Sony Bravia Internet Link sets.

Now imagine when all those TVs start offering all those video services (and more!). You could watch new release content through a la carte rental, courtesy of Amazon; library titles through your Netflix subscription; and your favorite web video through YouTube — all with the push of a button on your remote (I pity the UI designers tasked with making all that content navigable and searchable).

As Om noted over at GigaOM, this ain’t great news for burgeoning set-top box makers. Broadband-connected TVs don’t spell immediate doom for set-top box manufacturers like Roku and Apple TV (people still have to adopt these new types of sets) — but the writing has got to be on the wall. And as I wrote earlier, the wildcard in this scenario is cable and telcos. They stand to lose big if you trade in your pricey subscription to watch video delivered over the web. Will bandwidth caps and metered access rain on this new TV-set parade?

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Topic: Distribution, Hardware, Hitlines

Comments (8)

I’m watching Netflix streaming over Tivo now, and the experience is less than stellar. Lots of glitches, even a hung Tivo.

Warren — 4:40 AM on January 5, 2009 Reply
Oh well, looks like a very good option for LG users who love home entertainment.

regards.

Publicidad Internet Gratis — 7:53 AM on January 5, 2009 Reply
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it must be a duck. This “broadband TV” is nothing more that a set-top-box stuck inside a TV. Whether its on the inside or outside, its still a box.

I don’t think any of these duplicate-processor solutions make sense. Folks already have an expensive box – their PCs – why buy another one?

You can easily connect your PC to your TV with an affordable cable and bring the Internet into your living room. I watched the film “Secret Service” on my HDTV last night and it streamed beautifully (thanks Joost!). I still believe that in the next few years both PCs and TVs will come with a built-in ability to communicate wirelessly (Quartics.com). For now, my $25 cable works great! PCTVCables.com

geraldz — 7:53 AM on January 5, 2009 Reply
How many TV’s does a man need,

All I want is an all-in-one multimedia PC, a keyboard that doubles as a remote control, then I can use my laptop for all the mobile stuff.

Why do I need all these cables, I want to switch on my PC/TV press a button then watch TV or press another button then surf the net. All from a layed back position.

Is this to much to ask.

Neno Brown — 8:41 AM on January 5, 2009 Reply
It’s just a very expensive STB in a TV.

alan p — 3:42 PM on January 5, 2009 Reply
Nice stuff, but I think it’s price is a little to high… I will get another one :D

Moto — 9:08 AM on March 26, 2009 Reply
I’ve enjoyed this post, good work, i’ll keep tuned.

Mick McCarthy — 6:30 PM on May 24, 2009 Reply
First time I have heard about this feature. I wonder if other television makers have also added this feature since your article was published.

Steve — 7:17 PM on October 10, 2009 Reply

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