Crave

This $78 Magnavox Blu-ray player has no front-panel display, but it does have an SDHC card slot.

Proof positive that camping out all night to score Black Friday deals is a waste of time, Wal-Mart is offering the same $78 Magnavox MB500MG1F Blu-ray player on its Web site that was previously an in-store-only, fight-the-crowds-to-get-it deal.

Its shipping will run you a measly 97 cents, though you'll probably have to add sales tax as well.

As you might expect, the MB500MG1F is about as no-frills as Blu-ray players come. There's no front-panel LED display, and it definitely won't do BD-Live, Netflix, or anything like that.

Actually, there is one frill: an SDHC slot, meaning you can pop in the memory card from your camera for an onscreen photo slideshows.

Other than that, the player offers the usual 1080p output, video upscaling, remote control, power cord, box, and so on.

I haven't seen any reviews of this model, but there are plenty of favorable user comments over at the Blu-ray Forum.

Well, what say you, fellow cheapskates? Is this price low enough for you to pull the Blu-ray trigger? Might you actually be considering a second player for your home? Personally, I say pair one of these with Planet Earth on Blu-ray and enjoy one seriously eyeball-pleasing holiday.

Backup deal: You know online backups should be part of your overall backup regimen, right? Well, here's a rare chance to get in cheap: Carbonite is offering 50 percent off annual subscription plans (with coupon code CUST50). You can get one year for $27.47, two years for $49.97, or three years for $64.97. This awesome offer's good until the end of December.

Thanks to Best Buy and Shopper.com for putting together today's enticing prize, an Insignia NS-WBRDVD Blu-ray player that features Wi-Fi connectivity along with Netflix-streaming capabilities (yes, this is a BD-live ready player).

In case you didn't know it, Shopper.com powers CNET's price-comparison engine and is a great site for finding the best prices on products. (See all of Shopper's deals, coupon codes, and rebates).

Normally, the Insignia NS-WBRDVD would cost you about $179, but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this Insignia Blu-ray player? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Insignia NS-WBRDVD Blu-ray player. Retail value is $179.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, December 10, at 6:59:59 a.m. EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 6:59:59 AM ET on December 10, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

Come back tomorrow for our next holiday giveaway. Tomorrow's prize will be a $500 Crutchfield gift card!

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!

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).

(Credit: LG)

Add the LG BD390 to the growing list of products that will soon offer built-in Vudu support.

The flagship LG Blu-ray player will become the first disc player to include Vudu functionality via a free firmware upgrade due later this month. The upgrade will effectively offer the same basic functions as Vudu's standalone BX100 set-top box. That gives users access to Vudu's streaming library of movies, which can be purchased or rented on a per-title basis (there's no monthly fee). Vudu has set itself apart from other Internet-on-demand providers like Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, and Apple by stressing audio and video fidelity: it offers over 2,000 titles in 1080p high-def, many with full 5.1 surround soundtracks.

The Vudu upgrade makes the already excellent LG BD390 an even better deal. Currently, the player is CNET's top-rated standalone Wi-Fi Blu-ray player. Vudu will join Netflix, YouTube, and CinemaNow streaming services on the LG; the player can also stream many digital media files from PCs on a home network. The BD390 lists for $400, but it currently can be found online for less than $300.

Vudu recently announced the integration of its service on some LG and Mitsubishi televisions.

No, the Goldmund Eidos Reference Blu-ray player is not made of gold.

(Credit: Goldmund)

It sure looks expensive, and at $135,000, the Goldmund Eidos Reference Blu-ray player is definitely in the upper crust of Blu-ray players in terms of cost.

Hand-built in Geneva, the Eidos Reference Blue is a truly rarefied design. Limited in production to 50 units, dawdlers will be left having to make do with a plain vanilla Denon or Sony Blu-ray player.

Will the Goldmund outperform the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player we raved about a few days ago? I have no idea, but I do know that a $20 Casio watch keeps time just as well as a Patek Philippe Ref. 5102G that costs, gasp, $181,650!

My point: buying decisions for ultraexotic products aren't based solely on performance; they're more about a company's long heritage of building luxury designs and backing them up with extraordinary service.

The rich and famous still buy Ferraris that are no faster than a Corvette that sells for a fraction of the Ferrari's price. But Ferrari buyers want more than just speed--they want to be, well, special. They buy it for its looks and how it's made. It's the same deal with uber hi-fis.

(Source: Ultimate AV Web site)

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.

OK, I'm kidding. Still, the fact that we're at $98 is meaningful, and I expect we'll see more of these types of deals as we head into the holiday season (and the recession continues), with better models showing up at less than $150.

But more importantly, when will the discs come down in price? That's holding people back from buying Blu-ray players more than the cost of the machine itself, is it not?

As always, feel free to comment.

Additional reading: Top 25 must-have Blu-ray discs, CNET's Best Blu-ray players

(Source: EngadgetHD via Format War Central)

Amazon is set to ship the Oppo BDP-83 on July 6 for $500.

(Credit: Oppo)

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 for BD-Live content, and 7.1 analog audio. However, it lacks any sort of streaming video service, such as Netflix.

Anybody excited the BDP-83 is finally here?

Additional reading: Oppo BDP-83 early look