Archive for category Bargains

Wal-Mart’s Pre-Black Friday Sale: Sanyo 46-inch LCD $798, $100 Gift Card With PS3 Purchase

Nov 6

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargains, Black Friday, PlayStation 3, Sanyo, Sony, Wal-Mart | No Comments

Sanyo DP46848 46 inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Wal-Mart is getting their Black Friday bargains started a little early with a sale on November 8. They will have a Sanyo DP46848 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $798. The Sanyo has not been professionally reviewed, but there is a small discussion thread about it over at AVS Forums (link).

Wal-Mart is also are bringing back a previous bargain: a free $100 Wal-Mart gift card with purchase of a Sony Playstation 3 ($399). If you’re know you’re going to spend $100 on something (e.g., groceries), and it’s available at Wal-Mart, the gift card essentially knocks a $100 off the price of the PS3.

PlayStation 3 at Wal-Mart

There are a few important details:

  • The deals are only good at 8:00am at a Wal-Mart store. (Online store will have its own specials.)
  • There is a limit of 1 per customer, but they are stocking at least 10 of each item at each store.

Via BlackFriday.info.

Sears HDTV Deals for Black Friday 2008

Oct 27

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargain HDTVs, Bargains, Black Friday, Hot Deals | No Comments

Black Friday 2008

Here’s an early look at a list of HDTVs and other interesting items of note that will be on sale for Sears on Black Friday 2008.

HDTVs:

Element 37″ LCD HDTV – $599.99
Panasonic 37″ Full HD LCD TV – $749.99
Panasonic 42″ 720P Plasma HDTV – $699.99 *
Proscan 32″ LCD HDTV – $499.99 *
Samsung 19″ LCD HDTV – $299.99 *
Samsung 32″ LN32A300 LCD HDTV – $499.99
Samsung 40″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $799.99 *
Samsung 46″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $1099.99 *
small starSamsung 46″ 1080p LN46A530 LCD HDTV – $1199.99 Ed. Great TV.
Samsung 50″ 720p PN50A400 Plasma HDTV – $899.99
Samsung 52″ 1080p 120Hz LN52A650 LCD HDTV – $2099.99
Sharp 26″ LCD HDTV – $399.99 *
small starSharp 46″ Class Full HD 1080P LCD HDTV – $899.99 * Ed. A lot of screen for a low price.
Sony Bravia S-Series 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $999.99
Sony Bravia S-Series 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1299.99
Sony Bravia V-Series 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1099.99
Sony Bravia V-Series 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1799.99
Sony Bravia W Series 52″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $1999.99 *
Sylvania 42″ Class 1080P LCD HDTV – $699.99 *
Toshiba 40″ 1080p 40RV525U LCD HDTV – $849.99
Vizio 26″ LCD HDTV – $379.99
Vizio 37″ 1080p Full HD LCD TV – $699.99

Other items of note:

Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Disc Player – $199.99
Samsung DVD-1080P Upconvert DVD Player – $49.99
Sony DVP-NS700 1080p Upconverting DVD Player – $69.99
Belkin HDMI Kit – $34.99
Logitech Harmony Remote – $59.99 w/32″ TV Purchase
Samsung 1000 Watt Home Theater System – $159.99 *
Samsung HT-BD2E Blu-ray Home Theater System – $599.99
small starSony Blu-Ray Disc Player – $179.99 * (Ed. Model unknown, probably the BDP-S300)
Sony DAV-HDX275 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System w/1080p Upscaling HDMI
Sony DAV-HDX576WF 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System w/Wireless Rear Speaker – $349.99
Tech Craft 48″ TV Stand – $149.99
Tech Craft 58″ TV Stand – 50% Off
300 BluRay – $19.99 *
National Treasure 2 Blu-Ray – $18.99 *
Sleeping Beauty Blu-Ray – $18.99 *

*Doorbuster item.

(Via BlackFriday.info)

Sylvania NB500SL9 Blu-ray Player Falls to $199.00

Oct 22

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargains, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players, CNET, Hot Deals | No Comments

Sylvania NB500SL9 Blu-ray Player

The Sylvania NB500SL9 Blu-ray player had its priced chopped to $199.00 at Amazon.com.

Sylvania Blu-ray Player at Amazon

The unit has not been professionally reviewed, but it shares the same internal hardware of three other bargain Blu-ray players manufactured by the Chinese company Funai, two of which were rebranded:

Of these brands, only the Insigna NS-BRDVD was reviewed by CNET. It received a 6.0 out of 10 rating. CNET liked the unit’s 1080/24p video quality and its DVD upconversion. They also liked its ability to output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bit stream format. They didn’t like the subpar video quality Blu-ray discs in standard 1080/60p mode, and the fact that it’s forever stuck as a Profile 1.1 player. Check out CNET’s video review below:

Links:

Sylvania NB500SL9 at Amazon.com

CNET’s review of the Insignia NS-BRDVD

Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player $209

Oct 13

Posted by alan in 1080p, Amazon.com, Bargains, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players | No Comments

Samsung Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player

Rounding out the recent Blu-ray player price drops is the Samsung BD-P1500, which is now $209 at Amazon.com. The BD-P1500 is a Profile 2.0 player (after a firmware update) with 1080p output, DVD upconversion (1080p), in-player decoding for Dolby TrueHD, and bit stream audio output.

Price 2

CNET rated the player a 6.8 out of 10 (or 3 stars). They liked the image quality for Blu-ray discs, but disliked the DVD upconversion quality and the lack of analog multichannel outputs. For a second opinion about the unit’s DVD upconversion, Ultimate AV Mag also reviewed the unit and had this to say:

The PS3 had a slight edge over the BD-P1500—and I do mean slight. Playback of The Incredibles on the Samsung appeared a little flatter, while the PS3 exhibited a bit more detail and vibrancy in darker scenes.

The Samsung BD-P1500 should continue to be aggressively priced as we head into the holidays and may be an ideal choice for bargain hunters to keep a watch on.

Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player

Helpful Links:

CNET review.

UltimateAVmag.com review.

Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray Player Now $259

Oct 11

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargains, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players, CNET | No Comments

Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray player with Remote

The cost of Blu-ray players continues to fall before the 2008 Holidays. Buy.com has cut the price of the Panasonic DMP-BD30K from $399 to $259 with free shipping. The DMP-BD30K is a profile 1.1 player with 1080p/24fps output and 1080p DVD upconversion.

Price of the Panasonic DM-BP30

CNET rated the player a 6.6 out of 10. They loved the picture quality, but didn’t like the lack of in-player decoding for high-resolution audio and that it has no ethernet jack for firmware upgrades. See CNET’s video review below.

We still like the Sony BDP-S350, a Profile 2.0 player (with firmware update) that can be found for around $275 on Amazon, but the Panasonic is likely to see its price fall even lower in the near future.

Other Helpful Links:

Buy.com link.
CNET review.
Ultimate AV Magazine review.
High-Def Digest review.
Home Theater HiFi review.
AVS Forum thread for the Panasonic DMP-BD30.

Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray Player Price Cut to $258

Sep 23

Posted by alan in 1080p, Amazon.com, Bargains, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players, HDTV | 1 Comment

Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray Player Price at Amazon

Amazon.com has cut the price of the Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player to $258 with free shipping (from $399). The player received a 7.0 out of 10 from CNET, who liked the unit’s “excellent Blu-ray image quality and very good DVD upscaling” and its “compact size.” The BDP-S350 didn’t originally ship as a Profile 2.0 player, but subsequent firmware updates have added the ability. Check out CNET’s video review below:

Other specs for the BD-S350:

  • 1080p DVD upscaling
  • Sony’s XMB graphical interface
  • Dolby TrueHD decoding
  • Bit stream output for all high-res audio
  • Ethernet port for firmware updates
  • USB port

Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray Player
The Sony BDP-S350 is a step up in quality from the BDP-S300, which we just mentioned had its price lowered to $199. It’s thinner and faster (less load time for Blu-ray discs) than its slightly cheaper brother, the BDP-S300. EngadgetHD also reviewed this unit and also noted the quicker loading times and that the player had no problems with every Blu-ray disc they threw at it. Their biggest complaint:

Our favorite feature of the BDP-S300 (source direct) is missing and the 24p “auto” feature didn’t work on our favorite 1080p30 title, Planet Earth (BBC). So to watch it at its native resolution, we had to stop the movie to change the frame rate to the native 30.

Link

Sony BDP-S350 at Amazon.com

2008 Black Friday Blu-ray and HDTV Predictions

Sep 22

Posted by alan in Bargains, Black Friday, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players | No Comments

 Black Friday Blu-ray Player Prices

The good folks over at DealNews.com have some predictions for Black Friday, and among them are:

  • Blu-ray player for the low, low price of $149
  • Blu-ray player and movies bundle for $199
  • Blu-ray movies for $9.99
  • 46 inch to 47 inch 1080p LCD for $799
  • 52 inch 1080p LCD for $1,199
  • 50 inch 720p plasma for $699

Of course, most Black Friday deals are clearance junk you probably shouldn’t buy in the first place, but sometimes there are solid deals. We’ll be keeping our eye on the enticing Memorex MVDB-2510 ($269) Blu-ray player.

For Black Friday 2008, we here at My HDTV Choice are a little more conservative, predicting Blu-ray players going for $199 and 47-inch 1080p LCDs going for $899. But do expect crazy deals on 720p sets, which are a solid choice for anyone looking at 42 inches or lower.

Link

DealNews.com Black Friday 2008 predictions.

Tags:

Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player Now $199.98

Sep 22

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargains, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players, Deinterlacing, Home Theater Systems | No Comments

 

Sony BDP S300 Blu-ray Player 1080p

Amazon.com has dropped the price of the 1080p Sony BDP-S300 to $199.98 (while supplies last). The initial list price is $399.99.

CNET rated this player 6.5 out of 10. They liked the player’s “excellent picture quality” for Blu-ray discs and upconverted DVDs. Their cons included the extremely slow load times for newer Blu-ray java discs like Pirates of the Carribean, and the fact that there is no Ethernet port for firmware upgrades.

Some more drawbacks are that the Sony BDP -S300 lacks some advanced surround sound decoding abilities like the Dolby TrueHD and it doesn’t handle 1080i deinterlacing as well as other Blu-ray players.

Still, for those just looking for a solid 1080p picture to pump into their HDTV, the Sony BDP-S300 seems like a good choice. Check out CNET’s video review below:

Sony BDP-S300 specifications:

  •  1080p upscaling
  • 1 HDMI output
  • 1 S-video output
  • 1 composite video out out
  • 1 TOS Link
  • 5.1 surround sound analog audio out
  • Standard stereo audio out
  • 1-year warranty

Remote for Sony BDP-S300

Link:

CNET’s review of the Sony BDP-S300.

Sony BDP-S300 at Amazon.com.

Godfather Trilogy Goes Blu-ray, Gets Restored and Enhanced

Sep 21

Posted by alan in 1080p, Amazon.com, Bargains, Blu-ray, HDTV, High Definition | No Comments

Godfather trilogy Coppola Restoration Blu-ray release

The Godfather trilogy is being released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, September 23, as a four-disc gift set. The suggested retail price is $124.99, but Amazon currently has it on sale for $61.95.

This version of the trilogy is known as the Coppola Restoration. Godfather parts I and II have been restored under the watchful eye of original cinematographer Gordon Willis to ensure they match the original color schemes. Technical enhancements were made to all three of the films as well.

The new set introduces some extras that weren’t on the previous DVD releases of the films.  One covers the restoration process. Another, titled  “Godfather World,” shows the films’ effect on American culture.

Link:

The Godfather Collection: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray Disc

From Crackle: The Godfather – Sound Comparison

Tags: ,

$229 Insignia Blu-Ray Player Currently the Cheapest on the Market

Sep 9

Posted by alan in 1080p, Bargains, Best Buy, Blu-ray, Blu-ray players, HDTV | No Comments

Insignia Blu-ray Player with Remote Control

If you’re waiting for a Blu-ray player to drop below $200, the Insignia NS-BRDVD is currently the closest to the mark at $230 at Best Buy. This is the base price without coupons or rebates.

The Insignia BS-BRDVD outputs a 1080p signal and is a profile 1.1 player (no BD Live). It also upconverts DVDs.

According to CNET, if your television accepts 1080p/24fps signals, the Insignia will deliver a decent 1080p picture. However, if your HDTV is relegated to 1080p/60fps, you may experience strange lines called moire that appear due to down conversion to 1080i and a reconversion back to 1080p/60fps. If your set has a decent deinterlacing chip, you can set the Insignia to output a 1080i signal and let your HDTV handle the deinterlacing, which may solve the problem.

Load times are also slow. CNET noted it took 49 seconds to load Mission Impossible: III starting with the player at off. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest took 2 minutes and 16 seconds. CNET also noted that other “better” Blu-ray players also have slow load times, just a little quicker than the Insignia (with the PS3 having the fastest load times).

Still, you can’t argue much with the price if you are currently looking for a cheap Blu-ray player that outputs 1080p. Check out CNET’s video review below:

Links:

Insignia NS-BRDVD $229 at Best Buy.

CNET’s review of the Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray Player.

Insigna NS-BRDVD Blu-ray Player Remote