Wal-Mart plugs into internet TV market

Internet-ready TV sets may still be in their infancy but as adoption continues to grow, a recent move by the nation's leading retailer may speed that process up.

Wal-Mart has recently acquired Silicon Valley-based online video provider VUDU for what has been reported as an estimated $100 million.

"The retailer's purchase of VUDU will likely facilitate greater integration of online video capabilities into HDTV sets and other devices it sells," said a report by FierceTelecom.

As streaming movies become more prevalent, one analyst told the New York Times that this move shows that the retail giant sees the end of traditional at-home movie viewing.

"At the very least this shows Wal-Mart understands that has to change, because the DVD is eventually going away," James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research."They are making a bet on connected devices."

According to a recent report from Isuppli, 27.5 percent of consumers TVs purchased in January were connected to the Internet, either directly or via external devices, such as digital video boxes or game consoles.