TV makers tout connections to Internet, Netflix

LAS VEGAS -- TV makers are adding sexy new features such as streaming Internet movies and 3-D capabilities this year, betting that they can keep consumers away from basic, no-frills sets, even in a weak economy.

The manufacturers are fighting an unhappy trend. DisplaySearch, a research firm, forecasts that global sales of LCD TVs, the most popular kind, will fall 16 percent in 2009 to $64 billion. That would be the first sales decline since the technology debuted in TVs in 2000.

To entice consumers to come back, manufacturers are touting relatively inexpensive advances. One is that many top-line and even some value-priced TVs will connect to the Internet. Such TVs started appearing a year ago with limited functions, like being able to display news stories and weather reports.

Now, back-end systems and partnerships to provide streaming movies are coming together. For instance, LG Electronics and Vizio announced this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show that some of their TVs will be able to show video from Netflix's streaming service. LG said the service would add $200 to $300 to the price of a TV. Panasonic and Sony TVs will show videos from Amazon.com's Unbox service.