Review Opinion

(Credit: Roku)

Amazon Video On Demand will be coming to the Roku Netflix Player in early 2009.

Amazon’s video service will become the first non-Netflix “channel” to be available on the Roku box. The service, formerly known as Amazon Unbox, offers more than 40,000 movies and TV shows.
…

I ended 2008 talking about all-in-ones, so might as well begin 2009 on the same topic. Lenovo hasn’t been much of a player in U.S. consumer desktop market lately, but the IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one, announced this morning, very plainly has the home user in mind.

According to the …

Originally posted at CES 2009

Monday, LG announced the first TVs with built-in Netflix streaming, due to arrive in the U.S. this spring. The models will go by the generic name “Broadband HDTVs,” but we have a feeling they’ll be known as “Netflix TVs” soon enough. The plasmas and LCDs are equipped with Ethernet jacks that allow them to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix, including HD content when available.

Netflix currently offers online streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, dubbed “Watch Instantly,” to its customers who pay $8.99 per month and up. But you need to connect an external device, like the Roku Netflix player, an Xbox 360, a TiVo DVR, a specially equipped Blu-ray player like the Samsung BD-P2550 or LG BD300, or even a PC, to enjoy it on your TV.

LG’s upcoming plasmas and LCDs will be the first TVs to stream Netflix directly.

(Credit: LG)

The LG TVs eliminate the need for an external device. They will cost around $300 more than similar LG models that lack the streaming capability–a pretty steep premium considering that you can get a Roku for $99 or an Xbox 360 for $199, but a premium typical of any technology “first.”

“It’s hugely symbolic,” said Netflix’s chief executive, Reed Hastings. “The holy grail has always been to give the TV an Internet jack in addition to the cable jack. It’s an early glimpse of the long-term future.” …

Originally posted at CES 2009

iMac style, Windows pricing. This sexy all-in-one is a steal at $699.99.

(Credit: CNET)

Call me crazy (you won’t be the first), but I have a soft spot for all-in-one desktops. And with my noisy, hulking Pentium 4 tower just about ready for retirement, I’m seriously eyeballing …

Originally posted at The Cheapskate

This TiVo-in-a-box comes with everything you need for PC DVR goodness.

(Credit: Nero)

Many times in this space I’ve sung the praises of TV tuners, which let you watch and record shows on your PC, TiVo-style. Well, now you can get more than just the style: Nero’s LiquidTV TiVo PC brings the actual TiVo software to your system….

Originally posted at The Cheapskate