Rich Fiscus
12 Jan 2009 11:52
Just last year some in the financial community were highly critical of Netflix for making streaming video their focus. Just over 6 months later it looks like Netflix CEO Reed Hastings must know something those analysts don't because the number of consumer electronics devices capable of playing his company's online video seems to grow faster every month. Last week the company added a new category of devices to that list - HDTVs.
Last week, during the leadup to CES, both LG and Vizio announced plans to make TVs that can play Netflix streaming video without the need for even a set-top box of any kind. LG is showing off their Broadband HDTVs at CES this week, and will start selling them sometime in the spring. The Vizio Connected HDTVs are slated to be available at an unspecified time later in the year.
Last May the first set-top box to support Netflix streaming video was introduced by Roku. It was an immediate hit and was followed by an announcement that LG would offer a similar feature on Blu-ray players.
All the interest among consumer electronics manufacturers, along with the deals like their partnership with premium cable service Starz make Netflix executives look smarter by the day. Combined with increased competition from video games for home entertainment dollars, it may be a sign of where the home video industry is headed in the next few years.