09.03.2008 — LG officially launched its BD300 network Blu-ray player, which streams movies and TV shows from Netflix, at a press conference at CEDIA Expo 2008.

The BD300 targets homeowners by offering 1080p Blu-ray video compatibility, upscaled DVD content playback and instant access to Netflix's online library.

The player supports 24Hz and 60Hz video refresh rates and next generation audio formats. While the player comes as BD-Profile 1.1 (Bonus View), company officials emphasize that firmware updates are easy because it's an Ethernet-based networked player.

Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications for Netflix, says that LG was the first electronics company to realize the potential of the new service Netflix was about to offer.

"[The streaming media announcement at CES 2008] garnered enormous attention from the news media and LG was the first to embrace and the first to make it a reality," says Sweeney.

Netflix has a library of about 12,000 titles for instant streaming, but the highest resolution available is 480i.

LG plans to support the rollout with an elaborate advertising campaign, the company says.

MSRP
$399 (Available first week of October)

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