Netflix Watch Instantly going 1080p, 5.1-channel surround sound

Netflix will add 1080p video streaming along with 5.1-channel surround sound audio streaming to its Netflix Watch Instantly service in 2010, according to ZDNet. The video streaming service already streams 720p content to a variety of devices including game consoles, Blu-ray players, PCs, laptops and virtually anything else with an internet connection.

Sling Media outs new placeshifting products for television service providers

Sling Media has been busy at CES 2010 debuting a whole slew of new and impressive home theater products. Here's the rundown:

Slingbox 700U--the smallest Slingbox yet, the 700U enables existing, internet-connect set-top boxes to have Slingbox functionality. For those of you that aren't familiar with the Slingbox, it allows you to 'placeshift' your living room TV content to any device, anywhere. The 700U connect to your existing set-top box through a USB connection, decrypting and then transcoding incoming video to be sent to a device. This is obviously aimed at service providers who don't want to put the time and money into developing their own placeshifting technology.

Sling Touch Control 100--a "next-generation, touch-screen device with an interface based on Sling Media's popular SlingGuide electronic program guide." Also known as a touchscreen remote control, the Touch Control 100 features a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 272 x 480 resolution, IP control of HD DVRs and other SlingGuide-enabled devices over 802.11 Wi-Fi, non-IP control over IR with the latter including most gadgets on a home theater rack. The Touch Control 100 is also aimed at television service providers as an alternative to the typical electronic program guide.

Sling Receiver 300--a companion product to SlingLoaded set-top boxes, the Receiver 300 lets users replicate set-top box functionality from their main TV to a secondary HDTV without running wires or purchasing a second set-top box. The Receiver 300 simply hooks up to the second TV via HDMI, component or composite inputs from which content can be transmitted up to 1080i. Audio is also transmitted via inputs on the second TV. The Receiver 300 is small enough to be placed behind a TV and is aimed at television service providers.

Sling Monitor 150--a 15.6-inch, 720p portable display that includes built-in speakers and a folding stand for wall mounting and countertop use. The Monitor 150 accepts content from your main DVR via 802.11n wireless. Inside the monitor is dual-band 2.5 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11n networking capabilities with an internal MIMO antenna and WEP, WPA and WPA2 security support. Like Sling Media's other new products, the Monitor 150 is aimed at television service providers.

Adobe Flash Platform support--a partnership with Adobe means that the Slingbox Solo and Slingbox Pro-HD will both natively support Adobe Flash Player and Flash streaming for H.264 video and audio.

Netflix coming to the Nintendo Wii? Should "work out over time"

According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, streaming Netflix movies could be coming to the Nintendo Wii in the very near future. His exact words, in an interview with All Things Digital's Peter Kafka, were that the chances of the service launching on the Wii are "excellent" and should "work out over time." Other interesting Netflix tidbits coming from CES 2010 include:

• an agreement with Warner Bros. that will see Netflix waiting for 28 days before new DVDs will be rentable. In exchange, Netflix will be able to buy the DVDs for a lower price.
• the company expects to ship physical DVDs until about 2030.
• Netflix will not be a global company anytime soon. Maybe 30-50 years out. However we will see the service launch in one country outside of the United States this year.

Read

Best Buy grabs Netflix streaming for Insignia Blu-ray players--for cheap

Best Buy and Netflix have teamed up to bring instant movie streaming to Insignia brand Blu-ray players. Netflix subscribers with unlimited plans will be able to access movie content instantly with Best Buy's Insignia brand NS-WBRDVD Advanced Series Blu-ray player and NS-BRDVD3 Connected Blu-ray player. The former Blu-ray player streams Netflix movies over Ethernet while the latter Connected model can also stream over Wi-Fi. This is pretty significant as at $180 and $250, respectively, the two Insignia Blu-ray players are bringing advanced functionality to the mainstream consumer at a price that was unheard of even a year ago.

Read

Samsung home theater gear has has Blockbuster, Amazon On Demand movie streaming

Samsung and Blockbuster announced yesterday that Blockbuster OnDemand is now streaming to Samsung home theater products.

The agreement, originally announced in July, will enable owners of Samsung Series 650 and above LCD and plasma HDTVs, Samsung Series 7000 and above LED HDTVs, Samsung BDP-1600, BDP-3600, and BDP-4600 Blu-ray players, and Samsung HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200, and HT-BD8200 Blu-ray home theater systems to get instant access to thousands of Blockbuster's streaming video offerings. Movies will cost $2.99 to $3.99 to rent (like the TiVo), while purchases will range from $7.99 to $19.99. The service is available now through a firmware upgrade.

Also yesterday, Samsung announced an agreement with Amazon to stream Amazon Video On Demand content to its Series 650 LCD and plasma HDTVs and Series 7000 LED HDTVs. Over 50, 000 movies will be available, for rental or purchase, through a downloadable widget accessible through Internet@TV.

VUDU LG BD390 Blu-ray player compatibility, Rotten Tomato movie reviews announced

The makers of the legendary VUDU box were busy yesterday, announcing LG BD390 Blu-ray player compatibility, and the addition of Rotten Tomato movie reviews to its ever-expanding feature set. Each flick that VUDU streams can now be sorted by Rotten Tomato review score, and viewers can see quotes from top reviews on the VUDU interface.

Read

Western Digital outs WD TV Live HD Media Player--the 2nd generation

Western Digital has announced the second-generation WD TV Live HD Media Player, network and 1080p playback capable. The WD media player enables users to playback media from USB thumb drives or local networks, on their HDTV. The second-generation has a more responsive interface, according to WD, as well as YouTube, Flickr and Pandora streaming. The player has an Ethernet port for connecting to home networks, a pair of USB ports, composite and component video outputs, and SPDIF digital audio output. The WD TV Live HD Media Player is available for pre-order currently for $119.99.

Blockbuster flix finally streaming to TiVos everywhere

It's been a long time coming, but today TiVo owners will finally be able to stream Blockbuster OnDemand movies. First announced in March, the TiVo/Blockbuster partnership will stream $3.99 new releases, $2.99 classics, and "select HD titles" in the next few weeks. As part of the agreement, Blockbuster stores will also sell TiVo units--at least in the United States. Owners of TiVo models Series 2 and Series 3 will be able to access the service immediately, after signing up for a Blockbuster account.

Read

Akamai HD Network brings HDTV to the internet

Akamai Technologies, a company that provides much of the underlying infrastructure powering dynamic video content and enterprise applications online, is looking to bring true HDTV to the internet.

Announced today, the Akamai HD Network is the company's "next generation video delivery offering and the first platform to deliver HD video online to customers using Adobe Flash technology, Microsoft Silverlight, and to the iPhone, at broadcast-level audience scale," according to a press release issued.

The system leverages Akamai's global EdgePlatform of more than 50, 000 servers, and according to Akamai, "enables content providers to deliver more HD content than previously possible--due to its wide-scale distribution in 70 countries and increased throughputs in more than 900 networks.

So what online video delivery features does the Akamai HD Network include and improve upon?

• Adaptive bitrate streaming--video streaming process automatically adjusts to the fluctuations in bandwidth, enabling uninterrupted playback at HD bitrate.
• Instant response--viewer interactions with the video player including play, rewind, and pause are immediately responded to.
• HD video player--open standards-based player enables faster time to market.
• HD player authentication--authenticates player for all 3 playback platforms ensuring only authorized viewers can access video content.

When it comes right down to the nitty-gritty, the purpose of Akamai's HD Network is to allow content producers to reach TV-scale audiences online while still providing an HD-quality experience--something thus far lacking on the web. As more television channels and film producers begin to leverage the internet in evermore bandwidth-sucking ways in order to augment their traditional video distribution strategies, an HD platform like this is a big plus.

Read

Philips Wireless HDTV Link transmits 1080p video up to 30 feet

Philips intends to clean up your home theater cable clutter with the Wireless HDTV Link, a small box capable of transmitting 1080p/30 content to any major brand HDTV from up to 30 feet away. Small enough to fit behind a standard wall mount, the Philips Wireless HDTV Link also has 2 HDMI ports and 2 component slots. Costing the equivalent of US$850, the Wireless HDTV Link is expected to ship soon (probably in Europe).

Read (PDF link)

Mitsubishi ships VUDU-integrated Diamond LCD TVs in the United States

Mitsubishi has announced it is now shipping its VUDU-integrated Diamond Unisen Immersive Sound LCD HDTVs. Comprised of the 46-inch LT-46249 and the 52-inch LT-52249, the new Diamond line features 1080p resolution, integrated 18-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound with Dual Driver Extended Range Sound, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and a 1-inch thickness. Both sets also feature wide color gamut backlight technology and Energy Star 3.0 certification. The VUDU integration provides 2200 HD titles and 16000 titles in total. Plus, later this month, VUDU will also provide video, music and photo streaming from YouTube, Pandora, Flickr, Picasa, and "On Demand TV" which provides 80 channels. There is also a limited time offer available that will net new owners $50 worth of free SD, HD and HDX movie rentals. Available now in the United States, the new 46- and 52-inch Diamond models are priced at $2599 and $3099.

Read

Roku adds MLB video streaming to its set-top box

The Roku set-top box, also known as the Netflix box, has added to its roster of video streaming content. And the addition will prove to be a popular one.

Starting today, subscribers to MLB.com Premium, which typically streams baseball games on PCs and the iPhone, will be able to access live games through Roku. This is actually a very significant development no matter which way you look at it. Not only is it great content, but live content is one of the few types subscription cable is counting on to keep the advertising revenues rolling in.

From an end user perspective, MLB streaming works the same way as Netflix or Amazon on Demand streaming. You'll be able to see any game except for the usual blacked-out home games, see the schedule a week in advance, and be able to access games up to one week old in the archive.

In order to improve the picture quality, Roku uses adaptive bit-rate technology Swarmcast, which detects your connection speed and adjusts the video quality in order to prevent lags from buffering and the like.

And the great thing is the the Roku box only costs $99.

Read

Kodak outs Theatre HD Player--Wi-Fi enabled media streamer

Kodak this morning announced the Kodak Theatre HD Player, an HDTV hook-in that allows you to display personal and web-based content on your high-def TV, all streamed over your home Wi-Fi network.

The Theatre HD Player optimizes Youtube videos for HDTV viewing and allows access to a ton of free online video feeds. It also enables you to stream your PC-based pictures and videos. Pictures are displayed in a collage view that you can organize by event, date or just look at randomly.

The player also includes a motion-sensitive "point and play" remote control, SD/MMC/xD/MS/CF and USB slots for loading personal media from your PC.

Kodak's Theatre HD Player is available from Amazon, Kodak.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frontgate.com and Sears.com for an MSRP of $199.99.

Read

Vudu signs deal with LG Electronics for broadband HDTV movie streaming

Vudu has announced a partnership with LG Electronics, incorporating its streaming movie service into broadband connect LG HDTVs. Vudu continues to sell its set-top box online and through bricks-and-mortar retailers like Best Buy, but is increasingly focused on partnerships in the consumer electronics industry. Earlier this year Vudu announced a similar partnership with Vizio. At the same time the company, which arguably offers the best movie streaming service on the market, will face big competition from Amazon and Netflix. Both companies are also working hard to establish partnerships with HDTV manufacturers.

Read