LG Ships First Netflix-Ready HDTV Sets

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 6/11/2009

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. — LG Electronics said Thursday it has started shipping a pair of flat-panel TVs that are among the first with built-in capability to stream movies from the Netflix online service.

The 47-inch 47LH50 ($2,100 suggested retail) LCD TV and 50-inch plasma 50PS80 ($2,100), which were introduced at International CES, are FullHD 1080p models incorporating Netflix instant-streaming software. The software enables access to the Internet-based movie-rental content without the need of external devices, other than an in-home broadband network.

Two additional models with the feature — a 42-inch 42LH50 LCD TV ($1,700)and 60-inch 60PS80 plasma

LG’s 47-inch 47LH50 ($2,100 suggested retail) is one of two models shipping now that incorporate access to the Netflix online movie service.

set ($3,200) — are slated to ship this summer, LG said.

The models include what LG calls NetCast Entertainment Access.

LG currently sells two Blu-ray Disc players and a pair of Network Home Theater Systems with built-in access to the Netflix movie service.

The Netflix streaming video library offers virtually instant access to more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes, with hundreds available in HD, LG said. Netflix member fees start at $8.99/month for unlimited instant streaming in addition to the ability to rent from among 100,000 titles of DVD and Blu-ray Discs via mail.

"With 2.5 million North American households looking to purchase a networked TV, incorporating broadband connectivity into our new HDTVs became a natural progression of our partnership with Netflix," stated Peter Reiner, LG Electronics marketing and strategy senior VP. "Both LG and Netflix are committed to offering consumers easy access to entertainment on demand, and LG's newest HDTVs make it easier than ever to access thousands of movies and TV shows instantly."