Devices that deliver high-quality video over broadband networks are a hit with consumers. For example, Netflix, the pioneering online DVD rental service, recently rolled out its Netflix Player device which allows Netflix subscribers to access Netflix’s library of movies and TV shows instantly over their broadband connections.

Response to the new service has been enthusiastic, to say the least:

Less than one month after introducing a set-top box that allows “instant” viewing over a broadband connection, Netflix says that the current supply of devices has sold out. CEO Reed Hastings did not disclose any sales figures, but he told Bloomberg News that the company is pressing their supplier, Roku Inc., to step up production. The backlog of orders will reportedly take six to eight weeks to fulfill.

Devices such as the Netflix Player are increasingly finding their way into the nation’s living rooms. Without broadband, this kind of on-demand access to high-bandwidth content would not be possible.

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