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(Credit: Vudu)

Vudu's Internet video-on-demand service will be coming to select LG TVs in August. The service will effectively embed the functionality of the Vudu BX100 set-top box into the televisions, obviating the need for connecting an external box to access the Vudu's lineup of movies and TV shows, hundreds of which are available in HD video and 5.1 Dolby surround sound.

Vudu had previously announced a deal with Entone earlier this year, but the LG deal offers a more mainstream and widely available avenue for the company as it shifts from a standalone hardware maker to a video service provider. Vizio, for instance, had previously listed Vudu as one of several media providers for the "Vizio Internet Apps" that are slated for its upcoming VF552XVT model, but it has yet to provide additional details.

The Vudu feature will appear on LG's "Netcast" TVs, which currently includes the LH50 LCDs and the PS80 plasmas. It will join the already strong interactive features on those sets, which include Netflix, YouTube, and Yahoo Widgets (read David Katzmaier's review of the LG 47LH50 for details).

Vudu claims that the embedded version of its video client will offer the same features and performance as the BX100 set-top box. That unit's HDX 1080p video is the best Internet video we've seen to date, but it requires pre-caching on the BX100's built-in hard drive on all but the highest bandwidth broadband connections. We'll be curious to see if Vudu and LG can deliver a similar experience without the ample storage space.

The LG/Vudu deal is merely the latest example of TVs and consumer electronics offering increasingly sophisticated Internet media options. In recent weeks, Sony has announced that it's bringing Netflix to some TVs, while rival Samsung will be adding Blockbuster. Roku's $100 is expanding beyond its current Netflix and Amazon offerings to deliver Mediafly and Blip.tv content, with the promise of even more coming later this year. Netflix and YouTube streaming, meanwhile, is available on an increasingly wide array of TVs and Blu-ray players as well.

Netflix compatibility coming soon

Netflix streaming will be coming to online-enabled Sony Bravia televisions this fall.

Once enabled via a software update, the Netflix feature will give Bravia sets access to the same 12,000-title catalog of Netflix streaming movies and TV shows that's available on a growing number of devices, including the Xbox 360, Roku Player, and all recent Samsung and LG Blu-ray players and home theater systems.

Compatible Sony TVs include the XBR9 series, the Z5100 series, and the W5100 series. However, a wider variety of sets can access the Netflix feature by adding the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, an add-on accessory that currently costs about $200.

In addition to Netflix, Bravia Internet Video-enabled products currently support content from Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, CBS (the parent company of CNET), and a variety of lesser-known online video providers. (For an overview of the pre-Netflix Bravia Internet experience, check out our recent slideshow.) Recent additions include Demand Media (videos from Golflink.com, Livestrong.com, and eHow.com) and ON Networks (programs such as Golf Tips, Play Value, and Beautiful Places).

The addition of Netflix will certainly go a long way to ameliorating our decidedly less-than-enthusiastic experience with the Bravia Internet Video features. (That said, remember that Netflix and Amazon video can be added to any TV with the $100 Roku Player.) Moreover, we hope that the fact that Netflix and Sony are now partners means that we'll eventually see Netflix added to Sony's Blu-ray players and, eventually, the PlayStation 3 (which currently only supports Netflix via the third-party Play On software).

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link (or "BIVL," as we call it around here) is getting two more content partners: Slacker and Howcast. Slacker is the online streaming music service (similar to Pandora and Last.FM), while Howcast is a help and how-to Web site. Both will be available for free on the Sony IPTV accessory, which streams digital audio and video to compatible Bravia TVs. They join free channels available from YouTube, Wired, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, and CBS (CNET's parent company), among others content partners.

Unfortunately, we gave Bravia Internet Video Link low marks when we reviewed it in October, and the new content isn't enough of a killer app to change that evaluation--it's still not a recommended purchase. The good news? Anyone interested in Slacker and Howcast content can access it straight from their respective Web sites (as linked). Slacker is also available on a variety of other portable and home devices as well, including Blackberrys and--perhaps--the iPhone (coming soon).

Related coverage:
Read the full review of the Sony DMX-NV1 Bravia Internet Video Link

Read the CNET editors' take of the Slacker Web Player

Slacker-compatible hardware compared

(Credit: 2Wire)

2Wire has unveiled the MediaPoint, a thin-client set-top box that's designed to deliver HD video via broadband. The MediaPoint box will have a small footprint (just 7 inches square) and a good array of features, including HDMI output, wired and wireless network connectivity, USB expansion options, and UPnP and DLNA compatibility for streaming media from sources on the home network. The catch? MediaPoint won't be available to consumers--at least, not directly.

That's because 2Wire is effectively acting as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). 2Wire's customers--broadband service providers--can customize the MediaPoint box to their specific needs, and then distribute the box to their customers under their respective brands. It's a model that's worked for 2Wire in the past, with products like its MediaPortal being marketed to end users by third-party providers such as SBC (now AT&T).

How long before a customized version of the MediaPoint hits the streets? We're hearing that the first deal's already been struck, and it'll be a matter of weeks--if not days--before you see a yet-to-be-named service provider offering its own version of the MediaPoint, possibly at a sub-$100 price point.

The question for you: do you have room under your TV to squeeze in the MediaPoint? Or is it already too crowded under there, with the cable/satellite box, one or two game consoles, Netflix Player, DVD/Blu-ray player, Windows Media Extender, Vudu, TiVo, and/or Apple TV?

The video-streaming product category is getting crowded. There's the Apple TV, Vudu, Xbox 360, Netflix Player, and PlayStation 3, not to mention the traditional video on-demand services from cable and satellite providers. Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link (also known as the BIVL) is fighting in the same space, but it starts out with one significant handicap--it only works with newer Sony Bravia LCDs.

If you don't already have a Sony Bravia LCD and don't want to buy one, don't worry about it, as you're not missing much with the BIVL. While it does differentiate itself significantly from its competition by offering lots of free content, we felt like we got what we paid for--most of the content was lackluster. More annoying was the sluggish interface, which was only made worse by haphazard organization of the program material. It wasn't all bad news, as the BIVL did reliably stream the video clips we selected, and the recent addition of Amazon's Video On-Demand service makes it more appealing. But, at the end of the day, almost everyone will be better off with one of the aforementioned alternatives, all of which offer better user experiences.

Read the full Sony Bravia Internet Video Link review.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony has just confirmed the rumor we all heard back in April: video downloads will be available on the PS3 this summer. Details right now are scarce, but we do know the service will first be rolled out in the United States, followed by Japan and Europe later in the year. As we mentioned before, we would like to see a service tied in with Netflix since everybody and their mother seems to use the service, or even a Hulu type service, which offers TV shows from Fox and NBC, broken up by short 15-second ads. Our best guess though: iTunes-esque pricing, the most expensive of all three choices. Rent a movie, pay a high premium, and lose it . We can't see how this will be successful, considering Sony's quirky history with digital media downloads (see: Sony Connect and ATRAC3).

Sony's own Bravia line of televisions will be getting video as well via Bravia Internet Video Link (BIVL). The film, Hancock, as mentioned in Sony's press release, will be available "exclusively to all Internet connected Bravia LCD TVs in the U.S. before it is available on DVD." We'll have a review of the BIVL system very soon.

Another interesting tidbit from the press release: Sony wants 90 percent of their electronics products network-enabled and wireless-capable by March 2011. The PSP, PS3, and a Bravia television--all connected together and sharing media? Yes, we're just as thrilled as you are of the future possibilities. Let's hope that Sony doesn't limit their content and media-sharing capabilities to a Sony-centric universe, which the BIVL system seems to be all about. We'll have more details as they roll in.

In the meantime, what do you think of Sony's direction? Will the company go down the Hulu route or will it offer time-limited DRM content?

(Credit: Crave UK)

We've seen our fair share of Internet video cameras in our time, and the one thing they all have in common is the fact they're all either rubbish, broken in some way or just plain ... sucky.

One Internet video camera that doesn't fall into any of these categories is the Y-cam. Not only is it flippin' gorgeous and built like a brick house, but it's also packed with features and extremely easy to set up--something rival camera manufacturers should note.

The Y-cam connects to networks via Ethernet--you'll have to supply your own cable, unfortunately--or via 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. It runs at a resolution at 640 x 480 pixels, so picture quality is YouTube-esque, but the frame rate stayed high in our tests, in the region of 25 frames per second.

Combine that reliability with the Y-cam's infrared mode, and you have yourself a product that's extremely versatile. We've been using it to keep an eye on our exotic car collection while we're at work--as soon as anyone gets near its field of vision, it begins recording. It'll even send e-mail alerts saying something's up, so you can view--and hear, thanks to the integrated mic--the live stream.

Two versions of the Y-cam are available. There's the all-singing, all-dancing Black version with built-in night vision (140 pounds, or about $276) and a slightly cheaper White version without night vision (100 pounds, or about $197).

(Source: Crave UK)

The Vudu XL, which offers 1TB of storage, is now available.

(Credit: Vudu)

Apple TV has gotten a lot of press since its recent 2.0 upgrade added the ability to rent instant-on movies from all the major studios directly through its onscreen interface. But start-up Vudu--whose set-top box offered all of those features months before Apple's--is still kicking. Just weeks after dropping the price of its entry-level product to $295, the company just rolled out its version 1.3 software, which adds some improved interface and functionality tweaks. Most notably is the "Vudu Vault." The company says that the feature lets users archive some purchased movies (and all purchased TV show episodes) to a "secure area on Vudu servers." In fact, it appears to just flag the title as "owned," so the user can free up space on the Vudu's hard drive for additional downloads, while still being able to stream the "Vaulted" content again at any point in the future. (The Vault feature as well as the interface tweaks were already up and running on our Vudu review sample as of today.)

Two other Vudu announcements of note: the Vudu XL--the $1,000 Vudu announced at CES that packs a 1 terabyte hard drive--is now available to custom installers. Vudu is also making the IR dongle included with the XL model available as an add-on to its existing boxes for $39. With the dongle in place, the Vudu--which includes an RF-only remote--can be controlled with standard universal remotes. (Previously, the company said that the dongle would only work with the XL model, so the wider compatibility will no doubt be welcome news to current Vudu owners.)

A quick scan of Vudu's inventory today listed 5,075 movies--101 of which are in high-def. See our earlier Crave posting to see how that compares with offerings from Apple TV, Xbox Video Marketplace, and Amazon Unbox (available on TiVo). Also of note: Gizmodo's recent video quality shootout between the first three.

Of the major announcements blasting out of Macworld (see coverage), the release of iTunes 7.6 for Windows and Mac touches more users most immediately. Unlike the ultrathin MacBook Air, you can get the iTunes update right now. Stick with us as CNET editor Donald Bell cruises through the new video rental features in this video shot from the show floor.