Samsung adds Netflix streaming to Blu-ray players

Samsung on Thursday said it has struck a deal to offer Netflix movie streaming on its Internet-capable devices, starting with its more recent Blu-ray players. Both the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 can apply a software update that lets them use their built-in Ethernet connections to access an existing Netflix instant viewing queue and play any selections directly from the player itself. Like a similar LG offering, Samsung's front-end will play standard-definition movies and also allows viewing synopses and rating movies from the remote.

The update is free for either of the $400 Samsung players and requires any Netflix subscription that already qualifies for the Watch Instantly streaming feature, which includes most plans. Both of the involved companies expect to release future devices with Netflix support built-in but haven't announced future plans or whether these will be limited to set-top boxes or will include future HDTVs, some of which now include built-in Internet access and video decoding.

Filed under: industry, gadgets, digital imaging
Other story tags: Samsung, blu-ray, LG, Netflix