Netflix Button Debuting On TV Remotes

Netflix is the first streaming video provider to get its own button on the remote controls of Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray disc players, and other devices.

Starting in the spring, a button sporting the red Netflix logo will appear on Blu-ray disc player remotes from Best Buy, which has its own in-house Dynex brand; Haier, Memorex, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The latter three consumer electronics makers have also agreed to place the button on remotes for their Internet-connected TVs.


Startup City welcomes Hon Wong, CEO of a startup called Symphoniq, which provides web application performance monitoring. Hon discusses their product TrueView and its features.Netflix has also convinced set-top box makers Boxee, Iomega, and Roku to include one-click access to the video service on their remote controls. Netflix, which announced the arrangements on Tuesday, did not provide details on the deals behind the prominent placement.

How long Netflix competitors Hulu, CinemaNow, and others will leave such prime real estate to their rival remains to be seen. Having a button on a remote is important because it makes accessing the service very easy, a necessary component to enticing use. Roughly one in four digital televisions are Internet-enabled today and the number is growing.

More than 250 consumer electronics ship with a link to Netflix on their user interface software. The company has 16 million subscribers to its streaming movie and flate-rate, rent-by-mail DVD service. The company has been moving aggressively into Internet delivery of movies, posing a threat to cable TV companies. Analysts say the latter have already seen some subscribers trade cable for cheaper, good-enough services like Netflix's, which typically have to wait much longer to license popular movies for streaming online.

Netflix has been beefing up its online content with TV shows. The company announced last month that it would add shows from Disney-ABC Television Group to its library. The agreement added many more episodes from such shows as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." The deal also added episodes from shows not previously available for streaming, including "Brothers & Sisters," "Ugly Betty," and "Reaper," and for the first time included content from the ABC Family network.

damn netflix, if it was free, but they want to put it right in your controller, so 1 day youl will purchase it, they want to domain the TVs just like Norton want to domain all PCs

netflix isn't too bad not to exprise way more cheaper buying all those dvd and this way dont have worried about putting some where when your are done with them

MaynardIsGod wrote:netflix isn't too bad not to exprise way more cheaper buying all those dvd and this way dont have worried about putting some where when your are done with them

i can get any movie for free, i win.

I love netflix, I haven't had cable in almost two years. If I want to watch something I pull up abc.com or just watch netflix. This became easier with them adding it onto the PS3. I love that they are continually adding new seasons of shows that I never knew about. Only thing that upsets me is that for additional seasons you have to wait on the discs. One day, I"m sure it will be 100% streaming. I pay $8.99 now and would be willing to pay up to $19.99 for that service. Screw Cable, always charging more for less channels >

Netflix is cool but they have to start getting more current movies. I also hate how a lot of movies I would like to see are DVD only. Some movies are released for a short period of time to stream, then they remove it and make it DVD only! It kind of sucks for those reasons. The TV shows are cool though.