Contrary to what LG coerced us into believing at CEDIA, its Netflix / Blu-ray-lovin' BD300 will actually be sold a full $50 cheaper than the previously quoted $399.95. Circuit City has the deck up for pre-order right this very moment for $349.99 (okay, so maybe that's not a full $50, but c'mon), and better still, the retailer is listing an October 10th release date. Now that Netflix has inked deals with CBS, ABC and Starz, there's just one question left: are you in for three fifty?

[Thanks, Joshua]

Forget the lames waiting for a New Xbox Experience to bring Netflix streaming to the console, the latest edition of Media Mall's PlayOn Media Server beta includes Watch Instantly support right now. An update notification should be on the way to anyone already testing things out, the impatient can grab it from the website. Also streaming Hulu, CBS, YouTube, ESPN and others to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, HP MediaSmart TV or other DLNA hardware (Nintendo Wii's still on the coming-soon list) the presence of Netflix (and the recent Watch Instantly additions) gives even more reason to check it out. Since its still in beta don't be surprised to find a few issues, but considering our smooth sailing so far, the list of reservations over its $30 price tag (after the 60 day free trial period is over) is rapidly shrinking.

Good news, developers of the world -- the Netflix API will be open to all starting tomorrow. As of October 1st, absolutely anyone can self-signup by visiting the read link, and while details are a tad sketchy at the moment, it sounds like this could hold some serious promise. The API itself allows access to data for 100,000 movie and TV episode titles, is completely free and (most importantly) allows commercial use. In other words, it's kosher if a bright developer out there somewhere feels like "creating an iPhone app to sell for $0.99 (Netflix's words, not ours)." On the technical side, the API includes a REST API, Javascript API and ATOM feeds, and it also uses OAuth standard security "to allow the subscriber to control which applications can access the service on his or her behalf." It's time to get creative, folks.

We hate to say we called it, but our complete in-the-dark guess of just under four C-notes was right on the money. LG has just announced that it's BD300 Network Blu-ray player (and Netflix streamer) will begin shipping to national retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City, Bass Pro Shops, etc.) next month (as in, a month later than initially anticipated) for $399.95. Not the cheapest BonusView-enabled deck in the mix, but given the Netflix functionality tossed in on the side, we can still see quite a few folks joining the BD camp with this one. Matter of fact, we'll just go ahead and ask -- is this your ticket into the Blu?

PlayOn wants to make sure you can get your daily dose of Barackrolls and Airwolf episodes beyond the desktop, while Hulu might not have a slick streaming set-top box of its own, this media server software turns flash video RSS streams into easily browsed folders for your DLNA-compliant hardware. PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and HP MediaSmart HDTVs being at the top of that list (with Nintendo Wii support planned by year-end) owners can grab the beta release of the software and stream low-res episodes of Psych, or any assortment of YouTube video they please. With Netflix support "just down the road" this could provide an end around for PS3 owners looking for streaming love, or Xbox 360 owners without Xbox Live Gold (we know you're out there.) Bad news is the beta only lasts 60 days and there's a $30 pricetag waiting at the end of the free lunch highway. Our experience was good, with no stutters in a Psych episode streamed via Wi-Fi to the PS3 (albeit with no choice of HD clips), but we'd wait for confirmation on the whole Netflix bit before dropping any dough.

Update: Getting 69-C00D36C4 / folder could not be accessed errors on your PS3 or Xbox 360, or waiting for 64-bit Vista support to dive in? PlayOn CTO David Karlton updated the official blog to let users know fixes and additional support is in the works, so keep an eye out for more news shortly if things aren't working just yet.


[Via PS3 Fanboy]

We've been following the rumor since January, today it's official: LG's BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player will begin streaming Netflix movies in the US this September. The player will cost "well under $500" and allow Netflix members to stream more than 12,000 standard definition TV and films through the device at no additional increase to their monthly paid subscriptions. Members will use the Netflix website to add movies or TV to their individual instant queues. Movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds when selected from the TV where users can browse, make selections, read synopses, rate movies, and fast-forward / rewind video streams using the BD300's remote control. While specs on the player itself are scarce, we do know that it supports BD Live and LG's SimpLink technology to integrate easily with LG TVs and AV products. One thing's for sure, with this deal announced and those with Roku and the Xbox 360 in the bag, it looks like Netflix is grown-up and ready for the digital age.

Can't wait to understand what Netflix integration on the Xbox 360 will be like? Stop daydreaming and click on past the jump then, as Major Nelson takes you through the entire process on video. We could continue on explaining how easy it looks to navigate to one's Queue, press play and pop some popcorn, but we'd rather let the aforementioned expert handle that.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

US Xbox 360 got some huge news today in Microsoft's new partnership with Netflix, but the Dashboard's got us pretty damned excited, too. We got a chance to sit down with Microsoft, including Shane Kim, VP of Strategy and BizDev for Xbox. Here's what you need to know:

Netflix

• For now, Netflix will only stream in about-SD resolution.
• As Netflix transitions to HD, Microsoft said it stands to reason that streaming HD to the Xbox should be feasible. (Read: eventual.)
• Netflix will be for Xbox Live Gold members only, so you'll be paying that $50 per year if you want it.
• Netflix video sharing ONLY works with other Netflix / Xbox Live Gold subscribers. You can't share video with a Silver member, or who doesn't subscribe to Netflix.
• Microsoft doesn't seem to have concerns about redundant content between Netflix and XBLM, or Netflix cannibalizing XBLM sales. Makes sense -- if you had content available to rent or stream with Netflix, you probably weren't going to pay to rent it on XBLM anyway.
  

Xbox Dashboard / Guide and Live

• "No functionality goes away" in new Dash -- so you won't be missing anything you have now.
• Microsoft's Shane Kim says the company has "no plans to create a [Sony] 'Home'-like environment. ... It's about delivering base functionality at the service level." So it sounds like the avatars won't have a Home-like virtual theme-park to run around in.
• No comment was made about Xbox price drops or how long it will take to get to the all-important $199 price point.
• There will be no increase in your number of Xbox Live friends. Psh.
• Don't like the new Dashboard look or avatars? Sorry, sucka, it's a mandatory update. Hey, at least it's free.
• Microsoft didn't have any comment on what it intends to do about the whole modded controller thing.
• The content Marketplace will be overhauled and revamped to ensure it's easier to navigate and much more scalable for the huge amount of content it's got.

After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it's partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost -- which isn't entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access. Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it's not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at -- we'd guess it's roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku's Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that'll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.

Now that you've had a little over a month to cram down popcorn while enjoying your shiny matte new Roku Netflix Player, we're interested to find just how pleased (or displeased) you are with the $99 purchase. Has it lived up to your expectations? Is the quality sufficient for you? How does it look on your HDTV? Is wireless performance up to par, or were you practically forced to run an Ethernet cable all the way downstairs? We already know what the paid professionals said -- we want the cold, hard facts straight from the users themselves. Let us have it comments below.

Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Roku's Netflix Player got off to a hot start after launching just over a month ago, and apparently its creator has big plans for the plainly designed $99 box. According to a recent report over on Forbes, Tim Twerdahl, Roku's vice president of consumer products, has affirmed that a routine software update would be hitting later this year to enable content to be fetched and streamed from other "big name" providers. Regrettably, the conversation ended there, so there's absolutely no telling which "providers" he's referring to. Still, we're certainly intrigued by the idea of this thing becoming more versatile in the coming months, but wouldn't the name have to be tweaked at the very least?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

It seems like everything about Roku's Netflix Player seems understated, from the plain, unceremonious purple box it shipped in, to the nondescript black plastic case, to the stripped-bare user interface. But as we've quickly discovered, it's pretty easy to learn to love this little hundred dollar bugger, even despite the fact that we need another set top box in our living room like we need a hole in the head. Sure, it's great that Netflix subscribers get a cheap, easy avenue for additional content to their TV, but the real beauty here is that this might actually be a streaming video box friendly enough to rival the Apple TV -- or to give your folks. Some initial impressions:

• The box is extremely small and light; looking inside, it just looks like a single, small PCB.
• Most of the vertical space it does consume seems to be for its myriad ports, including composite, component, S-Video, HDMI, and TOSLINK.
• The guided setup out of the box is really brief and painless. It supports 802.11b/g with WEP, WPA, and WPA2, and we were online in a cinch. Activating the box is as simple as hitting netflix.com/activate and entering a short code -- really easy and instantaneous.
  
• The remote looks cheap at first blush, but it's actually got a pretty good feel to it. The buttons are clikier than they are mushy.
• The interface, at its best, is simple and slick looking. It has almost no options and is ridiculously straight-forward. The interface, at its worst (namely, during movie playback), is still pretty decent, but lacks some polish.
• While fast-forwarding, you get still image markers to help indicate progress. It's nicety to ease the pain of skipping through streaming video (which we know presents some unique technological challenges), but it can use a little work. Chapter/scene markers, as in the Apple TV, would be a good start.
  
• Movie selection is done completely within Netflix's site, so don't expect to do any browsing through the device interface. If you want to load and watch any content on the box, you have to make sure it's in your Netflix Instant Queue through a browser. This part is definitely the biggest drawback for power users, but it does ensure a crazy simple device UI with zero learning curve.
  
• Movies don't load instantly (even on a 25Mbps connection), but they do load pretty quickly.
• Video quality is so-so. Definitely worse than a DVD and not even quite up to a standard def Apple TV vid. But it's certainly passable, and Netflix seems genuinely interested in bumping up the visual fidelity in the future.
• We saw some really wacky stuff going on with the HDMI, and the device did not play well at all with our HDMI switch. Roku let us know they're aware of some HDMI problems, and will be pushing out bug fixes and software updates as they're completed.

Stuff we hadn't yet heard about the Netflix Player

• Netflix dispatched a team of a couple dozen engineers to Roku to build the Netflix Player. Netflix didn't want to be the only hardware partner (which we already know), but clearly wanted to make sure whomever released the first box really nailed it.
• Netflix (and Roku) understand that the device's value doesn't just end with playing back Netflix content, and anticipate the box having content coming in from other providers as partnerships get hammered out.
• The box only outputs at 480i (over composite and S-Video) and 480p (over component and HDMI), although Roku will enable HD content (and menus) as soon as Netflix gives the thumbs-up. From the sound of things, it seems like they want to do this sooner than later, which we clearly hope they will.