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In a conference call yesterday, CEO Reed Hastings of Netflix explained to analysts that the company's profits were down partly due to investment in the online delivery of movies. He also revealed that the company has signed deals with four manufacturers, including LG, the large Korean conglomerate. Netflix's partners have agreed to build the ability to watch movies downloaded from Netflix directly into their hardware, and promised to deliver these products by the fourth quarter — just in time for the holiday shopping season. Netflix customers wouldn't have to pay for individual titles, just their normal monthly subscription fee, similar to Netflix's current Web-based movie distribution service. What he didn't say, but we're wondering: Will LG and the others get a cut of the fees, as Apple does from AT&T for the IPhone? (Photo by AP/John Todd)