LG and Netflix are finally unveiling the first joint Blu-ray/media streamer set-top box later tonight, almost eight months after it was first announced at this year's CES.
The entertainment media center is the latest move by the Internet movie rental service to port their business from the mailing model to the cloud, which, combined with the public's growing demand for Blu-ray content, might start a real push for people to buy their first Blu player. After all, Netflix has a wide and dedicated base of people who love the service (~ 6 ½ million users).
However, this player might be a good test about where the media player market is going to go in the next few years. By adding a streaming service, which most people don't have much experience with, to a coveted Blu-ray player, it could function as a Trojan horse for streaming tech.
If a media player can easily stream movies (thought not at the same quality as that of on-set Blu disk), they might actually skip that player and wait a few years until the streaming matches the quality. In contrast, it could also succeed in pushing the Blu-ray brand further into the mainstream by showing the difference in quality; to say nothing of the extra behind-the-scenes content that’s only available on the large Blu-ray disks.
Dubbed the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, the box essentially combines a high-end Blu-ray player with the capabilities of the recently released Roku player, a box that streams Netflix content straight from the web to HDTVs.
However, it's important to note again that just like the Roku player, the LG BD300 streams video instead of downloading it. This means that the connection speed will determine the quality of the stream (as opposed to a scratched disk in physical media). The Roku provided streaming speed at 1.0 Mpbs and turned in a quality picture, so this one shouldn't have a problem either.
In addition to playing Blu-ray disks, it will up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p resolution, and will allow subscribers of the movie service to stream about 10% of its catalogue, or about 12,000 titles. All this can be done without using a computer, except when you need to add movies to your queues.
You should also be able to browse through that queue with the player's remote, and forward and rewind the stream as well, replicating the video rental experience people are used to.
When we reviewed the Roku earlier this year, we found that the relatively small percentage of movies available for streaming was indeed its one major flaw. Otherwise, it was found to be a quality service, and that $100 tag was particularly attractive. The expected price of this one is expected to come in under $500.
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Ed. Note: Will update this with a comment later from an LG representative regarding the potential conflict between streaming and Blu-ray tech.
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