Get a Sony Blu-ray player for $199.96 shipped

If you were smart enough not to spend $500-plus on a Blu-ray player during the last year or so, your patience just paid off: Circuit City has the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player for $199.96 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). It's new, not a refurb, with no rebates required.

As you'll see in the video, CNET had mostly good things to say about the BDP-S300, though the complete review dings it for slow load times (true of most Blu-ray players) and lack of Dolby TrueHD decoding (which has been remedied via a firmware update). Although CNET readers rated it 3 stars out of 5, Circuit City buyers gave it 4.2 out of 5.

As the holidays draw nearer, we'll probably start to see a lot more Blu-ray players dip below the $200 mark (where they should have been a year ago). Is this price low enough for you to pull the trigger?

[bathswana]

BDP-S300 is a retarded 1.0 player. It already is obsolete and won't play internet video, and PiP.

Why are you touting this absolute piece of crap?

Blu-ray is a joke.

[MCVanOLinda]

Rick does a good job providing his readers with Tech deals, and you'll notice that he leaves it up to the reader to make the final decision on whether or not they want to buy the item. You can't criticize him on everything, and if the item for today does not fit your personal needs, then move on and let others who are interested read without your harsh and biased opinions.

[Chapmaniac]

Yes! Finally! Too bad my family just bought the SD (low-res) versions of Batman Begins and Iron Man though :(

[skimike4]

I gotta agree, I'd be much happier with an upconverting DVD player than buying all new movies for a blu-ray player. $200 + expensive blu-ray disks = not cheap.

[umbrae]

$200 is still too much for THAT BR player. Two generations out of date and still a rip-off.

[BobRed0965]

Nope... not low enough for this cheapskate. I need to see them go below $100. That is when I'll start to believe that they can sufficiently penetrate the market in order to ensure that BD can be sustained. Until it gets sub-100, it'll be a toy for video aficionado's only.

CYa!
Bob

[SteamChip]

When they are installed in computers as commonly as DVD burner / players are now, I will probably get one

[xfi]

I think the market is flooded with many cheaper alternatives. It not only can store more movies; it also play decent DVD quality movies too. Not rushing to purchase one at the current moment unless all movies are digitally protected and also in new digital format which I couldn't play or record other than blu-ray players. But as technology advances, anything can happen.

[WallyChamp]

Man sub 200 is very fair for an electronic gadget like this. I know this is the cheapskate blog but come on! I bet these people just got sony walkmans because they are sub $2 now

[rickbroida]

FWIW, I've been perfectly happy with my upscaling DVD player (which is actually the regular old DVD drive inside my media-center PC). Movies look outstanding on my HDTV, so I see no compelling reason to buy a slow, standalone Blu-ray player.

[yland]

"Blu-ray is a joke"? Let me guess, you are one of those knuckleheads that purchased an HD player for peanuts after they announced that the format would be discontinued. Or maybe, you spend a grand on one long before then? I have to say, the player is s-l-o-w at loading. But beyond that I have no complaints. And "I think the market is flooded with many cheaper alternatives"? What would be a cheaper alternative that has comparable features and picture quality?

[planblove]

Its good to see Blu Ray players finally at the $200 mark, but I still wouldn't recommend one until the movies themselves are as cheap as their DVD counterparts. The average home movie consumer still hasn't taken to BluRay and I suspect that as one of the main reasons.

[prberg]

Man you guys are cheap! Less than $200 for a high def blu-ray player sounds great. If I had a HDTV I would go for it. After going to the movie theater recently and having to deal with loud people, a scratched film print, and audio that was only coming out of the front speaker, the idea of seeing great looking HD movies at home is very exciting. I can't wait for black friday!

[guitarpete987]

Maybe I've just got razor sharp vision, but movies in high definition look INCREDIBLY better than even my best standard DVDs upscaled to HD. To say there's no noticeable improvement is just wrong. The technology doesn't lie. Even the best upscaling player cannot remedy the fact that there are nearly three times more pixels being used to display the image with a Blu-ray disc.

I think a lot of people who say their standard DVDs look good enough are probably telling the truth. It is good enough but why settle for that when there is improved technology that is becoming available at what I consider to be a very fair price (but not necessarily this player because it IS profile 1.0). To make it seem like Blu-ray is not significantly better is silly. It is OBVIOUSLY better, and even my very non-videophile wife notices.

I think Blu-ray is worth it -- if you have an HDTV of course; without it it's worthless -- and I bought a PS3 when it launched ($500). The one thing I do agree on with the detractors is that the movies have to come down in price. I'd buy more than one or two a month if the average price was $15-$20 and not $25-$30.

[guitarpete987]

Maybe I've just got razor sharp vision, but movies in high definition look INCREDIBLY better than even my best standard DVDs upscaled to HD. To say there's no noticeable improvement is just wrong. The technology doesn't lie. Even the best upscaling player cannot remedy the fact that there are nearly three times more pixels being used to display the image with a Blu-ray disc.

I think a lot of people who say their standard DVDs look good enough are probably telling the truth. It is good enough but why settle for that when there is improved technology that is becoming available at what I consider to be a very fair price (but not necessarily this player because it IS profile 1.0). To make it seem like Blu-ray is not significantly better is silly. It is OBVIOUSLY better, and even my very non-videophile wife notices.

I think Blu-ray is worth it -- if you have an HDTV of course; without it it's worthless -- and I bought a PS3 when it launched ($500). The one thing I do agree on with the detractors is that the movies have to come down in price. I'd buy more than one or two a month if the average price was $15-$20 and not $25-$30.

[andy1142]

Blu ray player + HD TV + blu ray discs = don't have to worry about going outside

Surgery to unclog arteries of potato chip grease from years of sedentary lifestyle = dunno yet

[AintNoSin]

People seem to forget that Blu-ray is just about where DVD was two years after its debut. My first DVD player was $300 in 1999 (and that was way before the dollar tanked). People are so spoiled by $50 players and $10.00 movies that they forget that it was not always that way. Sub-$200 players for this X-mas are right on schedule compared to DVD. And Blu-ray movies are only expensive if you're dumb enough to buy them at B&M retailers...

[make_or_break]

I don't watch BD movies on my FIRST Blu-ray player (a PS3)...why in blazes would I want a stand-alone to do something with non-existent media that I won't buy to begin with? That said, $200 for a BD player as an alternative to a $400 PS3 isn't that bad; it wasn't that long ago that a $200 DVD player was considered a good deal.

However, there's still the cost of the media itself (assuming you like to own your movies). I stopped going to movies because ticket and refreshment prices are getting ridiculous. Waiting for the DVD to come out actually makes some sense; thanks to first week release specials with certain retailers, it's actually CHEAPER to buy the DVD than it is for two tickets down at the movie house. Now BD comes along and ups the price back up for ownership in the name of higher fidelity, and it doesn't make financial sense anymore. It just doesn't excite me to ask me to pay almost double for the BD version. A pretty picture just ain't worth it, especially if the flick is typical Hollywood ho-hum.

[sled_dog]

I was the first person I know who bought a DVD player 10 years ago. While the prices were higher, there was a compelling reason to buy: DVD was a huge leap in video quality. While BD is better than DVD, it is not enough better to justify the ridiculously high prices for players and disks. $200 is still too much for a second rate player, and many BD players do not display DVD video well. We are not there yet.

[nwball]

i have to say this is pretty smart of sony...i think it goes to satiate those that didn't want to spend 400 on a PS3 (seeing as the PS3 is the best blu-ray player sub-$500). Myself (being part of that demographic), I don't really care about profile 2.0 (i don't care about in-movie commentary...i never watch commentary on any of my movies), and the new firmware takes care of dolby HD. definitely sounds like an option...

but i would rather wait til black friday or something and see if things just plummet in time for holiday season.

[kevings31]

it's good to see the players coming down in price. but until the media itself gets a little more reasonable, i wont be a buyer......and i buy a lot of dvds.....current count is a little past 1600 movies.