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blu-ray players

Wal-Mart serves up $98 Blu-ray player

We don't know how long it will last, but several blogs are reporting that Wal-Mart has rolled back the price on the $168 Magnavox NB530MGX to $98 (in-store only). Apparently, on Father's Day weekend, the same player was selling for $128.

Is the Magnavox NB530MGX any good? It's not a profile 2.0 player (so there's no BD-Live support) and it's about as entry-level as you get. But it is a Blu-ray player, so now all you people who said you'd only buy one when it cost less than $100 have to ante up. … Read more

Oppo's affordable high-end Blu-ray player is here

Over the years Oppo's developed a following for its impressive upscaling DVD players, so a lot its fans were wondering when its much-anticipated BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player would finally show up after being announced last year. Well, it's finally here, and the official price tag is about what we expected: $500.

The idea behind the Oppo BDP-83 is that you're getting a high-end Blu-ray player for mid-range money. Oppo touts the Anchor Bay video processing and the player has support for both SACD and DVD-Audio and is loaded with connectivity, including 2 USB ports, an Ethernet jack … Read more

What? A new Blu-ray player for $99.99?

Well now it's getting interesting. Meijer has a Curtis Mathes CMMBX130 Blu-ray player for just $99.99. It's new, not a refurb, and you can use coupon code DOTMJR09 to get free shipping.

This arrives hot on the heels of Tuesday's Insignia player for $129.99 and Wednesday's refurbished Magnavox for $99.99. (Yes, it's Unofficial Blu-ray Week here at the Cheapskate!)

OK, first up: Meijer? It's a Walmart-like store that's very well-known to those of us who live in the Midwest. No worries there.

Next: Curtis Mathes? Wasn't he an R&… Read more

First portable Blu-ray player packs in the extras

I get tons of e-mails saying "Eric, I love Blu-ray almost as much as I love you, but when will I be able to take it on the go in a smallish all-in-one package?" Now, these e-mails are usually from my fiancee, my mother, or whomever else I've paid off to make me feel good about myself that week, but I'm sure a lot of you have been wondering the same thing.

On Monday, Panasonic announced that its DMP-B15, the world's purported first portable all-in-one Blu-ray player, will be available in June for a suggested … Read more

Blu-ray player sales on the rise, report says

I haven't bought a DVD in more than a year. Since getting a PlayStation 3--which plays Blu-ray Discs--I just find it difficult to justify paying a slightly lower price (for a DVD) for a noticeably lower quality picture.

It wasn't always that way. There was a time when I didn't understand the appeal of Blu-ray. Now, it's difficult for me to even watch a standard DVD. Even the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy--which was the holy grail for me for DVD picture quality only a few years back--disappoints me to watch.

It appears I'… Read more

Sony, Philips, Panasonic to create single Blu-ray license

Companies that wish to make Blu-ray devices will very soon have a less expensive and simpler licensing process, according to a joint announcement Wednesday from Sony, Philips, and Panasonic.

A new license will be established by mid-2009 as a "one-stop shop" for device makers. The license will include all necessary Blu-ray, DVD, and CD patents for selling Blu-ray players. The licensing program will be handled by a new licensing company to be led by Gerald Rosenthal, former head of intellectual property at IBM. It will be based in the U.S., but will have local branches in Asia, … Read more

Panasonic discontinues DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player

Over the past several weeks, we've noticed that our favorite standalone Blu-ray player to date, the Panasonic DMP-BD35, seems almost impossible to find. The player is either out of stock at nearly every retailer, or priced at excessive premiums ($700 at Amazon Marketplace--more than double its $299 MSRP).

Indeed, a Panasonic rep we contacted confirmed that the DMP-BD35 has been discontinued. (The same is presumably true for its big brother, the DMP-BD55.) The good news is that it will soon be replaced by the Panasonic DMP-BD60, which offers a nearly identical spec sheet plus the addition of Viera Cast (… Read more

Samsung BD-P3600 Blu-ray player includes Wi-Fi dongle

The BD-P3600 Blu-ray player includes much of the same basic feature list as the Samsung BD-P2550 released last fall: Profile 2.0 (BD-Live), built-in Netflix and Pandora streaming, and 1GB onboard memory. But the 2009 model includes a few niceties missing from the 2550: an included USB dongle adds 802.11n Wi-Fi (in addition to Ethernet) and the 3600 should support DTS-HD Master Audio decoding out of the box (no need to wait for a future firmware update, as with early purchasers of the 2550). On the design front, the BD-P3600 will also sport unusual topside button placement and Samsung'… Read more