Panasonic The Latest To Add Streaming Content To Blu-ray Player

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Panasonic has joined LG and Samsung in adding online video streaming to Blu-ray players. Panasonic will add support for Amazon's video on demand service to its standalone Blu-ray players, including the DMP-BD60K, DMP-BD80K, DMP-B15, DMP-BD70V.

This is not a surprising move, as it was predicted when HD DVD was still in play. The HD DVD format made Internet connections mandatory on HD DVD players, and so it turned every standalone player into a device capable of Internet based video streaming. It is only until recently that the majority of Blu-ray players now come with Internet capabilities, as a connection is not mandatory for the Blu-ray specifications.

There were some talk back then about HD DVD to be nothing than a trojan horse format to get people to accept online video streaming (either through the world wide web, or through your own home network), that eventually people will be able to enjoy HD DVD quality content (including all the special features, menus ... all of which can be implemented through a streaming service) through a network connection. This is why the PC companies, such as Microsoft, were so supportive of HD DVD, as they see this as the future of home video.

While the Blu-ray group has not embraced online video streaming, as it could be a competitor to Blu-ray itself, the Blu-ray player manufacturers seems to have taken the initiative. The only problem now is that different players will have different streaming systems due to the lack of any standards, and I wonder if it would have been better for Panasonic to have chosen the much more popular Netflix service and to fall in line with the other players. Of course, there is the rumour that Amazon wants to buy Netflix, so watch this space I suppose.

More on the Panasonic Blu-ray players with Amazon VOD service:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10301738-1.html