You got to hand it to Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX). At a time when movie rental houses -- chief among them, rival Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) -- are struggling to keep their doors open, Netflix is prospering, rolling out new initiatives and finding new ways for video-hungry consumers to watch movies.

On Thursday, co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings told investors on a conference call that the company will soon partner with another consumer-electronics maker to make streaming video available on more devices. That's on top of deals Netflix has already struck with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and its Xbox, which expires next month, and Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY), with its line of Insignia brand Blu-Ray disc players.

Could this be the next logical step in the video war between Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX)?

A report contends that Netflix will soon offer its "Watch Instantly" video-streaming feature for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, as well as the Nintendo Wii gaming console. Netflix already allows subscribers to manage their movie queue and search for movies via their iPhones, so watching their choices on the smartphone would be the next logical step.

Right now, over at Hulu.com -- a joint project of News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) and General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal, viewers can check out recent editions of, for example, The Daily Show or Man Caves, among many other programs normally viewed on cable networks such as Comedy Central or the DIY Network. Viewers need a computer and a high-speed Internet connection to catch these programs, but they don't need a cable subscription (or even a television!).

Michael Eisner hasn't been up to much since his departure from Disney.

It looks though, like Eisner is eyeing the Online Video space.  With broadband becoming more and more prevalent in US homes, the technological infrastructure/capability for streaming videos is reaching fruition.  With American Idol and the plethora of reality t.v. shows abounding, there is a discernible trend towards amateur/'real' videos and the corresponding stars and starlets.

The space is still being defined, but already net giant Google and Yahoo are getting positioned with video versions of their respective search engines. 

Google Video is a portal type page which is hoping to bridge the gap between amateur and licensed videos and programming. 

YouTube though is arguably the most successful player in this space, pulling in 9 million users a month (according to Nielson/NetRatings)

Eisner will also sit on the board of directors for Veoh.  The online network space is a very interesting one and one to keep an eye on. 

For Time Warner the natural motives would be to incorporate Veoh or a module/shell into its AOL portal.  The distribution aspect is also huge as Time Warner's video content is tremendous (ie. Warner Brothers).