Netflix developing movie set-top-box with LG
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 2nd 2008 9:26PM
posted Jan 2nd 2008 9:26PM
This one's just coming across the wires, but apparently, Netflix is actually developing a movie set-top-box with LG Electronics. If you'll recall, there was quite a buzz surrounding such a device years back, but rumblings had remained largely dormant until a few months back. Slated to launch sometime in Q2, the networked player would purportedly allow owners to stream in movies for viewing on their television, and it's being reported that the feature would be "included in all of its various price plans... at no extra charge." Pricing deets on the LG device have yet to be disclosed, but we're told that the firm could "embed the receiver into its $799 dual-DVD player [likely the BH200]." According to Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings, the LG partnership will hopefully be "the first of many such deals" for the company, and he added that he'd love to "see a hundred Netflix-capable boxes," suggesting that there could be deals struck with internet-connected gaming consoles as well as cable / satellite providers. We'll be keeping an ear to the ground for further details.
this is great i would buy this if i can watch a 1080p movie then i would buy it if i like it
That is, if you have an ultra-fast (54-Mbps or higher) internet connection.
Since it is streaming I wouldn't hold your breath for 1080p. Even 720p with H.264 would be hard over most user's links, without over-compressing the image to hell. I'd expect it is more likely going to be 480p with maybe upscaling in the player to HD resolutions.
Integration with Blu-ray/HD-DVD/Tivo is the key. Few people will buy a dedicated netflix set top box, but they'll use it if it's included with their HD-DVD player.
I'm a big fan of the streaming service. I get my HD movies in the mail, and my sons watches his shows via the streaming service. It gives him the ability to pick what he wants to see immediately, and it frees up my 4 rentals for shows my wife and I like. I just wish the software would support Mac or Linux. I'm hopeful that they will announce a Mac version at CES.
"I'm hopeful that they will announce a Mac version at CES."
It's been long overdue. If they were to somehow make it work with appleTV, I might actually buy one.
I'd love to see Netflix integrated into my TivoHD or PS3. I'm already subscribing to Netflix anyway, so why not?
I think the best combination would be with Windows Media Center integration. There is already a huge install base including the XBOX 360 and other Media Center extenders. This would also help to promote Media Center.
Great plan, Reed Hastings. You are building a set-top-box into LG's dual-format player, which sells for about $800. LG has sold roughly one thousand of these players and probably fewer than 100 of the owners of these LG dual-format players are actually Netflix customers. Way to get Netflix WatchNow (or Watch Instantly, whatever you are calling it today) to the masses directly to their televisions. Yawn.
They had better hurry up. Apple could be doing it with Apple TV in less than two weeks.