Thursday, Oct 23, 2008    Text size: 

Samsung is bringing Netflix movies to some of its Blu-ray players. Consumers who buy the BD-P2550 and BD-P2500 Blu-ray machines will be able to add an upgrade that will let them instantly play certain Netflix movies.

Consumers will be able to choose from a smaller library of about 12,000 movies for instant download. Netflix has a selection of Blu-ray movies, but they have given no indication that they'll start offering high-definition titles for instant download.

In May, Netflix teamed up with electronics manufacturer Roku.com to build and distribute the machine, which costs $99.99 and removes the whole mail-and-return process from the Netflix experience.

In the adult industry, SugarDVD.com remains the leading XXX counterpart to Netflix. SugarDVD Content Manager Justin Brand told XBIZ that the company has considered making a box similar to Netflix's.

"We think it's a great idea, but we don't know how it'll resonate with Netflix's customers, or with our customers, for that matter," he said.

Brand added that although SugarDVD has been concentrating on VOD delivery, they'll keep an eye on the success of the Netflix box.

To date, Netflix doesn't offer any hardcore adult content, but a simple search for "sex" returns dozens of adult titles, including the documentary "Sex: The Annabel Chong Story," which chronicles Chong's experience doing a large-scale gangbang.

Last month, digital video recording giant TiVo teamed up with German software company Nero AG to deliver a new hardware and software pack that will turn a PC into a working TiVo box. Known as the Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC, it goes on sale Oct. 15.

The $199 package comes with remote control and a TV tuner that hooks into the PC being used. Consumers who already have a TV tuner card installed in their PCs can get the software by itself for $99. Both prices include a year's subscription to TiVo services, which renews at $99 per year.