LG and Netflix made good on their promise to deliver a new set-top box that would stream movies from the online video service.
In September, LG will launch the LG BD300, a Blu-Ray disc player that will stream Netflix videos at standard definition straight to your television. There is no word on price yet, but according to reports LG says it will be "well under $500" and there will be no extra cost to Netflix subscribers.
The Blu-Ray player will allow subscribers to browse for videos on their TVs via the Netflix website as well as read synopses and rate movies.
The LG BD 300 is the third announcement this year between Netflix and console makers. Microsoft's Xbox 360 will start streaming Netflix content for Xbox LIVE Gold members this holiday season and Netflix partnered with Roku in May to develop a Netflix-branded box.
Netflix currently offers a limited selection of movies and television shows as part of its streaming service, with only 12,000 videos from its library of more than 100,000 titles. This may prove to be challenging for the rental company as the digital video delivery market starts to get crowded. Amazon recently expanded its digital business beyond its partnership with Tivo. There's iTunes, a host of free services like Hulu and AOL's In2TV, and Blockbuster recently hired a vice president for studio relations and new media to "lead Blockbuster's efforts to acquire digital content."
