Best Buy, CinemaNow Make Streaming Pact

The latest in a series of streaming deals involves Best Buy and the Roxio CinemaNow service owned by Sonic Solutions.

Best Buy will work with makers of various web-connected devices--including TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and gaming consoles--to incorporate CinemaNow video streaming. Which manufacturers are ready to play ball has not yet been disclosed, but you'll begin seeing affected products late this year.

In an unusual twist, Best Buy will also cut deals with content owners, throwing its mega-retailer weight around to get attractive programming for those who buy its CinemaNow-enhanced devices. Consumers will have the choice of renting or buying programming, which effectively means you'd purchase either temporary or permanent rights to stream a given program.

Best Buy also recently announced that its Insignia-brand Blu-ray players would stream programming from Netflix.

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