New LG Blu-ray Players will Stream YouTube

New partnerships with CinemaNow and YouTube will allow next-gen LG players to access pay-per-view movies and free online clips.

After tapping into significant demand for streaming video with its Blu-ray player that can pull movies from Netflix over the Web, LG will take the concept one step further next month by introducing players that connect to both YouTube and CinemaNow. The company announced its new content alliances on Tuesday.

Like Netflix, CinemaNow will provide owners of LG’s next-gen Blu-ray players with streaming movies from major studios, but on a pay-per-view basis, rather than using a subscription. The company currently offers over 14,000 titles, from The Dark Knight to the latest Indiana Jones, with rental prices of $4 per movie. Broadcast and cable TV shows are also available.

YouTube will offer all of its content for free, just as it does on the Web, with search capability, thumbnail previews, and multiple screen size viewing options.

LG hasn’t yet announced pricing or other details on the new players, but plans to release more information, including additional content partnerships, at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.