LG Blu-ray Player Streams Netflix Movies: A Closer Look

After all of the hullabaloo over the high-definition DVD format wars died down and Blu-ray emerged victorious over HD DVD, the industry waited for a burst of Blu-ray sales that has yet to materialize. Will the addition of streaming content sweeten the pot?

LG plans to find out with the introduction of its LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, which promises to play Blu-ray discs, up-convert standard DVDs and stream movies and TV episodes on-demand to their TVs from Netflix at no extra charge to subscribers.

The move comes as the next HD content war looms on the horizon: whether HD movies on discs will eventually lose out to digital HD content that is streamed on-demand. It's an interesting move on LG's part in that it lets it straddle both sides for awhile.

In this case the 12,000 or so titles that Netflix offers for streaming aren't in HD, but LG will at least be able to test the waters on how compelling the on-demand content market is for Blu-ray consumers.

It's a strategy LG has employed before: during the height of the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD battle, its Super Blu Player Model BH200 supported both formats.

Users will need a wired broadband connection to stream Netflix content. They'll be able to set up a queue of desired titles and play them on-demand within as few as 30 seconds, the companies said. Users will also be able to fast-forward and rewind the video stream, the companies said in a statement.

The player will also support BD Live, a feature that provides extra content and special features from Blu-ray discs.