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I hope this goes without saying by now, but under no circumstances should you spend more than $100 on a Blu-ray player.

I mean, for months we've seen no-frills and lame-brand models selling for $99 or less. And now you can pick up a Sony BDP-S360 with BD-Live for $99.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

(Note: The $99.99 price will appear once you get to the checkout. First commenter to tell me the product page shows $119.99 gets a virtual noogie.)

It's a refurb, meaning the warranty expires after 90 days. If that doesn't sit well with you, here's another option (and a fall-back in case the Sony sells out): Dell Home has the Vizio VBR100 Blu-ray player with BD-Live for $104.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). That's a new model, meaning you get a full one-year warranty.

Indeed, I'd argue that the Vizio is the better buy, if only for the extra coverage 5 bucks buys you. Both models rock the whole BD-Live thing (and, hey, if you're pulling the Blu-ray trigger, you might as well enjoy a frill or two). Alas, neither one supports Netflix streaming or the like.

CNET's editors had mostly positive things to say about the BDP-S360, particularly about its audio and video quality. As for the Vizio, you'll have to rely on Dell's customer ratings: all 10 of them, each one awarding five stars.

So I guess I should amend my original statement: under no circumstances should you spend more than around $100 on a Blu-ray player. And mark my words: it won't be long before you can get BD-Live and Netflix for that price.

Backup deal: Need cables to connect your new player(s) to your HDTV? Meritline has a three-pack of 6-foot HDMI cables for $6.99 shipped (with coupon code MLC1933503120733N--it's $10.99 without). Hard to beat!

Tom and Rafe talk about the gadgets they've been using, like Windows Home Server, a Canon printer, and the PS3 as a Blu-ray player.

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If you're looking closely at the Blu-ray player reviews on CNET, there's a frustrating trend that complicates buying decisions--Samsung Blu-ray players get solid editorial reviews from CNET, but user opinions are consistently poor. While there are always differences between CNET reviews and user opinions, the differences with Samsung Blu-ray players stand out as being consistent and large.

Ratings have been standardized to a 100-point scale to make comparisons easier.

User opinions from Amazon and Newegg are also included to give some perspective. Their ratings are consistently more positive than CNET user opinions, although we're not sure why.

There are some factors inherent in CNET's review process that can explain why editorial opinion and user opinions are different, and they're worth pointing out.

CNET relies on review samples from manufacturers. CNET gets review samples directly from manufacturers rather than buying them off the shelf like a regular buyer. It's completely possible that manufacturers handpick review samples for us; if there's a problem with a certain "batch," a company can make sure we get the good batch. As much as CNET editors might like to purchase all our review samples, we don't have the budget for it.

CNET's review periods are relatively short. To review as many products as we do, we obviously can't test every product as long as a standard buyer would. If a product has quality control issues that cause it to break down after a couple of months, that's not something we're going to catch. That's why user opinions are so important.

Why did it take take Blu-ray two years to catch up to HD DVD?

(Credit: Amazon)

Universal is set to roll out the first Blu-ray/DVD "flipper discs"--a single, dual-sided disc that contains Blu-ray on one side and DVD on the other. The "Bourne" trilogy ("Identity," "Supremacy," "Ultimatum") will be the first movies to get the dual-sided treatment, with all three discs coming out on January 19.

The flipper discs are a good idea, as one of the biggest drawbacks to Blu-ray is that new movies you buy can't be played in DVD players. That loss of flexibility can be a real pain in locations other than your home theater (car, plane, bedroom), where you probably haven't upgraded to Blu-ray yet.

On the other hand, the flipper discs aren't quite as attractive an option as the increasingly popular Blu-ray-DVD combo packages that include separate discs for both formats. Overall, Blu-ray-DVD combo packages offer more value--you do get two discs to take anywhere you like. The only advantage flipper discs might have is if they can drive down the price of the movies.

HD DVD fanboys (somehow they still exist) will also be quick to point out that this is hardly new technology. HD DVD/DVD combo discs were around back in 2007; in that sense, it's unbelievable that it took Blu-ray this long to get onboard with a good idea.

This 25-inch LCD sports a pair of HDMI inputs and an impossibly low price tag.

(Credit: CompUSA)

Update: Unsurprisingly, this is sold out. Sorry if you missed it! Killer deals like this rarely last long.

You all know my motto by now: "Cheap things come to those who wait." The last time I posted a 25-inch LCD monitor was in July. The price back then: $199.99.

Today, CompUSA is offering a 25-inch I-Inc LCD monitor for $149.99 shipped.

D'oh! Wasn't it just yesterday that a 24-inch Synaps was selling for $159.99? (Yes, yes it was.)

So, to amend my motto, cheap things come to those who wait--a whole entire day. The I-Inc is not only $10 cheaper and one inch larger (diagonally speaking) than the Synaps, it also comes with an HDMI input. Two of them, actually.

That means if it's not destined for PC duty, you can pair it with a game console and a Blu-ray player. It also has built-in speakers, natch, though don't expect room-filling volume or Dolby-quality sound.

Other noteworthy specs include 1,920 x 1,080 resolution (aka 1080p), a 2ms response time (faster than most), and a one-year warranty (this is new, not a refurb).

Without putting too fine a point on it, this is the best monitor deal I've ever posted. Consequently, it'll probably sell out seconds after I click Publish, and then everyone will be mad at me (and I wouldn't blame them--even though it's not my fault :).

On the other hand, maybe we'll all get lucky and CompUSA will have enough supply to last the day--because I guarantee you these will sell like hotcakes. And rightly so.

Blu-ray and decent gaming graphics for less than a grand: Vaio FW560F/T

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Several months ago, one of our favorite retail laptops was the Sony Vaio FW480J/T. Besides offering no-hassle Blu-ray playback and a large if not full-HD 1,600x900-pixel resolution, 16.4-inch screen, it had decent discrete graphics that could handle many mainstream games. At the time, its $1,199 price was a little high, but very good when compared with traditional "gaming" laptops.

Just a few months later, the Sony Vaio FW560F/T has found itself at the top of our Holiday 2009 retail laptop roundup, a high-end system by definition of its price and features. At $999, however, this Vaio slips right under that psychological $1,000 line, while keeping Blu-ray and slightly improving the processor speed--and now it has Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled instead of Windows Vista.

This has jumped from a good deal to a great deal for anyone looking for a Blu-ray-ready multimedia laptop. The package offered is a big improvement over the Vaio FW351J/H, which cost nearly the same amount of money early this summer.

On the other hand, gaming laptops have changed the landscape recently with the release of the Intel Core i7 processor. High-end laptops have never been faster, and going with a Core 2 Duo is now a significant step down from that new plateau. We can't really call the Vaio FW560F/T a gaming laptop, but it's certainly affordable, and can handle many games better than you think.

Read our review of the Sony Vaio FW560F/T.

Sony Vaio FW560F/T (photos)

The 720p-shooting Kodak Zi6 is on sale for just $99.

(Credit: CNET)

The deals are coming fast and furious this week, to the point where I couldn't pick just one for today. Instead I've rounded up a little cheapskate trifecta. (Note: All have a high sellout risk!) Take a look:

1) CompUSA has a 24-inch Synaps LCD monitor for $159.99 shipped. It's a 1080p display with VGA and DVI inputs (no HDMI, alas), built-in speakers, and a 5ms response time. User reviews are overwhelmingly positive. And this is almost an all-time low for a 24-inch monitor.

2) Amazon is offering the Kodak Zi6 HD pocket camcorder for $99 shipped. It can record 720p video on inexpensive SD/SDHC cards (here's an 8GB card for just $15.45). CNET liked its "solid video quality" (read the full review here), and Amazon customers collectively rated it 4 stars out of 5.

3) At US Appliance you can score a new LG BD270 Blu-ray player for $94, plus $5.99 for shipping. (Use coupon code welcome10 to get that price.) That's not the best Blu-ray deal I've seen, as this model doesn't do BD-Live or Netflix, but it's definitely rare to see an LG for under $100. CNET hasn't reviewed it, but user reviews on Amazon are very high.

Anything strike your fancy? If not, be sure to check out Five Black Friday deals you shouldn't miss (if you haven't already). And if you spot anything awesome that I've missed, by all means post it in the comments or shoot me an e-mail. Happy shopping!

Editors' note: Updated on November 23, 2009.

A few years ago, we used to do a feature highlighting some of the top DVDs that made your home theater really look and sound like one. Well, with Blu-ray in full swing, we thought it high time to come up with a similar roundup of our favorite Blu-ray Discs that will help show off your home theater in all its glory.

While my face is at the top of the column, the list was compiled with input from editors John Falcone, Matthew Moskovciak, and David Katzmaier, who look at a lot of content in their day-to-day testing of products. We also keep an eye on AVS Forum's Blu-ray picture- and audio-quality threads and have always appreciated the site's "tier" rating system.

This list is not set in stone, and we'll be adding and removing discs as new ones come out. As always, feel free to make comments and suggest your own personal favorites. They may get added to the list in the future.

Also: If you're someone who likes demoing your system and skipping around between scenes, you'll want a fast Blu-ray player. Right now, the fastest players we've tested are the LG BD390, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Samsung BD-P3600. Though not quite as fast as its step-up sibling, the Samsung BDP-1600 is among the fastest sub-$300 players we've tested. (See CNET's full list of best Blu-ray players.)

Click any of the images below to start the slideshow.

CNET's Top 40 must-have Blu-ray Discs

Vizio's VBR110 goes sub-$100 for Black Friday at Costco.

(Credit: Vizio)

We knew it was coming and now it's here: Costco will be serving up Vizio's entry-level VBR110 Blu-ray player for $99.99 on Black Friday. As usual, this comes with the disclaimer: "While supplies last."

In case you're wondering, while the VBR110 is an entry-level player that retails for around $150, it does have an Ethernet port and BD-Live capabilities. And you also get a free HDMI cable.

Here's a complete list of all of Vizio's Black Friday deals:

• Vizio VBR110 Blu-ray player with free HDMI cable: $99.99 at Costco and online at Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($40 savings).
• Vizio VSB210WS sound bar with wireless subwoofer: $199.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VA19LHDTV10T 19-inch HD LCD TV: $178 at Wal-Mart; available now through the end of the year ($30 savings).
• Vizio VA26LHDTV10T 26-inch HD LCD TV: $248 at Wal-Mart from November 21 to 27, while supplies last ($99 savings).
• Vizio VO320E 32-inch HD LCD TV: $339.99 at Sam's Club, Samsclub.com, Costco, and Costco.com; available now through November 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VL320M 32-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $399.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VO400E 40-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $599.99 at Costco from December 3 to 20 ($100 savings).
• Vizio VF550M 55-inch full HD 1080p 120Hz LCD TV: $1199.99 at Costco and Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($300 savings).