Vudu movie streaming comes to Panasonic’s Blu-ray players

Panasonic‘s latest Blu-ray players will include both the Vudu movie-streaming service and stereoscopic 3D capability.

The deal is the latest move by Vudu to expand its reach to as many consumer electronics platforms as possible. Earlier this month, Vudu announced that its movie library of 4,000 high-definition shows would be available to PlayStation 3 owners.

Now customers who buy Panasonic’s 2010 line of Viera Cast Blu-ray players will be able to access Vudu on-demand movie streams in the 1080p HD format starting Nov. 24. Users can rent Vudu movies for two nights for $2 or buy them. Vudu believes that connected TVs — which should account for a third of all TV sales this fall — will increasingly be the way that viewers get their video programming, which is like going to the video store without having to leave the couch.

Panasonic’s connected Blu-ray players can handle a variety of web-based applications, including Netflix, Skype, voice and video calls, Twitter, Pandora and a range of other video options. Vudu will compete on the Panasonic Blu-ray platform with Amazon’s video-on-demand service, YouTube, and other services. Other rivals include Apple TV, Cinema Now, and Xbox Live.