LG Blu-ray players to stream YouTube

Iron Man is just one of the new-ish movies to be found on CinemaNow
Iron Man is just one of the new-ish movies to be found on CinemaNow

High Definition meets low culture, with news from LG that its new Network Blu-ray players will be able to stream UGC from Google's YouTube.

In the second of its pre-CES leaks today, LG confirmed that YouTube and CinemaNow will be joining Netflix on its new internet-connected Network Blu-ray players, due for launch in Las Vegas in just over a week's time.

CinemaNow allows users to rent or buy Hollywood films, US TV shows and music videos, while YouTube contains the world's entire known supply of home movies starring pet cats dressed as 1970s pop stars.

High Definition streaming from CinemaNow

CinemaNow does have some High Definition content and claims that users will be able to "browse the entire catalogue" from the LG devices, "instantly stream content" and "access movies purchased from other CinemaNow-powered stores".

"As millions of US consumers view and download movies or TV shows through the Internet, they are demanding easier ways to access content and more home entertainment options," said Tim Alessi, Director of Product Development, at LG Electronics USA.

"LG is bridging the gap between packaged media and video-on-demand services to provide entertainment solutions for consumers' demand for content," he said. "With these new alliances, LG continues its innovation leadership by allowing consumers easy access to multiple entertainment options in one device."

The new players will be available in the first half of 2009 in the USA, with no news yet on a worldwide roll-out.

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Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.