The streaming-video market is getting streamier as Redbox Instant, the Redbox/Verizon mashup aimed squarely at the Netflix juggernaut, goes into the public beta phase by the end of December.

For $8 a month, in addition to streaming videos like Netflix, subscribers get as many as four DVDs a month at the giant red box in their local convenience store or supermarket. They’ll have to fork over another buck a month for Blu-ray. And $6 bucks for a streaming-only account.

Redbox provides access to flicks from Warner Bros., Sony and Epix (who partners with Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate and MGM). But Redbox Instant will have fewer streaming titles than Netflix.

When the Redbox Instant service does launch to the masses (sometime in 2013) it will be available on iOS, Android and Google TV devices in addition to smart TVs and Blu-ray players form LG and Samsung.

Redbox Instant Enters Crowded Instant Streaming Field with Beta | Gadget Lab | Wired.com