Netflix and LG Electronics announced on Sunday that LG will soon be launching a new series of televisions that will be capable of screening Netflix movies directly from the internet, without the need for an external box, according to an article published by Reuters today.
The U.S. DVD rental company and Korean electronics giant teamed up last year to launch set-top boxes and Blu-ray DVD players with the capability to stream Netflix movies, and an update to the Xbox 360 last November saw the Netflix software embedded in to Microsoft's game console.
Subscribers of Netflix who own a device containing the software can choose from a selection of around 12,000 movie titles and TV shows which are available for instant viewing.
Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said that some people "do not like to be encumbered with a rack of boxes around the TV," and added that Netflix are also working on similar partnerships with other companies. "The goal for Netflix is to be ubiquitous ... (on) whatever device connects Internet to the TV."
Although Swasey declined to specify which companies, he did say that Netflix has no immediate plans to do deals with mobile phone makers. "There's a limited market for people who want to watch a 2 1/2-hour movie on a 2-inch screen," he said.
Tim Alessi, LG Electronics USA's director of product development said that LG aim to start selling the Netflix enabled television models this spring. While Alessi did not specify how much the new TVs would cost, he did say that they would charge a "small premium" over the cost of similar televisions. "The main point is to add a lot of value for the consumer," he said.
The new Netflix-enabled LG televisions will be on view at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
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