Holiday shopping guide: Blu-ray players

The latest Blu-ray decks are still pricey compared to DVD players, but prices have finally started falling—in some cases, below $200. Check out the Blu-ray playing field and find out how much bang you'll get for your HD buck.

A few quick notes before we begin: If you're still shaky on the Blu-ray basics, check out my beginners' guide here. The prices listed below are the ones I found online today, Dec. 4—they can (and will) fluctuate, so keep checking back in the coming weeks. Also, this list of players is by no means comprehensive; they're just the decks, brands and prices that I find most interesting. Looking for a high-end player, as in $400 and up? Check out Sound & Vision or other videophile sites; I'm not covering them here. Finally, bear in mind that I haven't tested all these decks, although I have added links to CNET reviews (where available).

All set? Then here we go ...

Below $200
They're not all names brands, none of them support BD-Live (which means you won't be able to play Net-enabled bonus features on the latest Blu-ray discs; more on BD-Live and BonusView features here), and you may have to deal with lengthy warm-up times (30 seconds or more) before you can start watching. That said, all these decks deliver crisp 1080p images and surround sound, for cheap.

Curtis Mathes Blu-ray player (CMMBX72)
Price: $199 (Amazon and Target)
Blu-ray features: BonusView (for picture-in-picture commentaries), no BD-Live

Insignia Blu-ray player (NS-BRDVD)
Price: $169 (Best Buy)
Blu-ray features: BonusView (for picture-in-picture commentaries), no BD-Live
CNET review: "Competent" if "barebones" player; 3/5 stars

Memorex Blu-ray player (MVBD2510)
Price: $169 (Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart)
Blu-ray features: BonusView (for picture-in-picture commentaries), no BD-Live

Sylvania Blu-ray player (NB-501SL9)
Price: $199 (Amazon, CompUSA), $238 (Wal-Mart)
Blu-ray features: BonusView (for picture-in-picture commentaries), no BD-Live

$200-300
We're back in the land of brand names now, and you'll find some of the best Blu-ray values right here. Also, keep in mind that a few of these decks were going for south of $200 on Black Friday, so keep an eye on the latest prices.

Panasonic DMP-BD35
Price: $243 (Amazon), $249 (Best Buy, Circuit City)
Blu-ray features: BonusView and BD-Live
Notes: On-board decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio sound formats, pretty rare for a Blu-ray player in this price range
CNET review (Editors' Choice): "Best value in standalone Blu-ray players" with "excellent image quality"; 4/5 stars

Samsung BD-P1500
Price: $211 (Amazon), $249 (Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart), $269 (Target)
Blu-ray features: BonusView, BD-Live via firmware update
Notes: On-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD, but not DTS-HD Master Audio
CNET review: Gets dinged for sub-par DVD playback and "annoying operational glitches"; 3/5 stars

Sony BDP-S350
Price: $249 (Amazon), $299 (Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, Wal-Mart)
Blu-ray features: BonusView and BD-Live
Notes: On-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD
My review: I recently gave this deck a spin and liked it; the user menus weren't as slick as those on the PlayStation 3, but you get speedy start-up times and sharp image quality; CNET gave it 3.5/5 stars

$300-$400
More money gets you more options, including Netflix "Watch Instantly" streaming and better high-resolution audio support. Don't expect dramatically better picture quality, however.

LG BD300
Price: $349 (Best Buy, Circuit City)
Blu-ray features: BonusView, BD-Live
Notes: Netflix streaming (but not in HD yet), Dolby TrueHD decoding [Update: HD streaming for Netflix videos is apparently coming soon.]
CNET review: "Good" image quality but "sub-par" DVD playback; 3.5/5 stars

Samsung BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 (Best Buy exclusive)
Price: $346 (Amazon), $349 (Circuit City), $399 (Best Buy)
Blu-ray features: BonusView, BD-Live
Notes: Netflix streaming (with some titles streamed in HD), Pandora music streaming (P2550 only), Dolby TrueHD decoding
CNET review: 3.5/5 stars, with the P2550 getting an extra half-star for its Pandora abilities.

Sony BDP-S550
Price: $318 (Amazon), $399 (Best Buy)
Blu-ray features: BonusView, BD-Live
Notes: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, but no Netflix
CNET review: Great pick for audiophiles, but if you're not into high-resolution audio formats, might not be the best value; 3.5/5 stars

Sony PlayStation 3 (80GB)
Price: $399 (everywhere)
Blu-ray features: BonusView, BD-Live
Notes: Dolby TrueHD decoding; doubles as a next-gen gaming console, complete with Sony's PlayStation Network video store
My review: The PS3 happens to be my Blu-ray player of choice, and all the fast and furious gaming never hurt; CNET calls it a "superb" Blu-ray deck (4/5 stars)

Related:
Hottest Blu-ray movies and TV shows
Must-know Blu-ray facts