Walmart has a rollback deal on the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray player for only $98–the cheapest price we’ve seen yet on a Blu-ray player. The deal can only be found in-store, so you might want to call ahead to check for availability.

There’s a new entrant into the bargain Blu-ray player field. Meijer has introduced the Curtis Mathes Blu-ray player for $99 (that’s base price, not sale price). It has 1080p output, DVD upconverting, Dolby Digital audio, and an Ethernet port for service (which makes it a Profile 1.1 player since it can’t connect to the Internet).

No professional reviews yet, but the reviews at Meijer.com give it an average of 4.5 stars.

Link:

Meijer.com: Curtis Mathes Blu-ray Player for $99

Not to outdone by Walmart, Best Buy is offering their entry-level Blu-ray player, the Insignia NS-2BRDVD, for $129. However, unlike Walmart’s $128 Magnavox, this is advertised as a sale price.

Link:

Insignia NS-2BRDVD Blu-ray player for $129 at Best Buy

CNET review of the Insignia BS-2BRDVD Blu-ray player

Bargain Blu-ray players just received a new record low price with Walmart selling the Magnavox NB530MGX Profile 1.1 player at $128 as the base “non-sale” price. The online store is showing it as sold out, but it’s widely available in Walmart brick and mortar stores as well. Enter your zip code into the Find a Store search box to find the nearest to you.

This new low pricing leads me to think that Blu-ray players are going to go for $99 on Black Friday for 2009.

Links:

Magnavox NB530MGX $128 at Walmart.com

Save on Rollback Electronics at Walmart.com!

CNET recently took a look at the Insignia NS-2BRDVD Blu-ray player and gave it a rating of 5.8 out of 10 (2.5 out of 4 stars). The Insignia is a bargain Profile 1.1 player with a starting price under $200. A firmware upgrade coming in March 2009 will make it a Profile 2.0 player.

Although the CNET review summary states that the NS-2BRDVD delivered a solid 1080p HD picture, in fact, it failed most of their image-quality testing. For instance, the player could not depict all the resolution of a text pattern provided by Silicon Optix’s HQV Blu-ray test suite. It also performed poorly in two other picture-quality tests.

Some other characteristics CNET did not like were poor DVD playback quality, slow Blu-ray disc loading, and lack of onboard decodng for Dolby TrueHD DTS-HD.

Links

CNET review of the Insignia NS-2BRDVD

Many Blu-ray players come with the ability to connect to the Internet to access online features like firmware updates and BD-Live content. Current generation Blu-ray players (with the exception of the Playstation 3) use an Ethernet port to connect to the Internet. The problem is getting the Internet connection to the Ethernet port. Here are three methods:

Ethernet Cable to Modem/Router

You’ll need a long Ethernet cable that connects directly to your router or modem. For many people, this is not a viable solution because their modem or router is not close to the television, and running a long cable through the house/apartment is not practical.

Wireless LAN (WiFi Network and Ethernet Bridge)

For a wireless solution, you’ll need two things: a wireless (WiFi) router, which broadcasts your Internet connection wirelessly throughout your house, and a device that turns the WiFi signal back into an Ethernet-accessible connection. This device is most commonly called an Ethernet bridge, but is also known as a gaming adapter, access point, AP client, or media converter. The bridge then connects to the Blu-ray player via an Ethernet cable. Ethernet bridges usually cost between $50 to $120.

Examples:

Belkin F5D7330 802.11g Wireless Ethernet/Gaming Adapter (Amazon.com Link)

Linksys WET54G Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge (Amazon.com Link)

Powerline Ethernet Adapter

Powerline Ethernet adapters turn a home’s electrical outlets and wiring into a home network. You’ll need two adapters to start, the first adapter is connected to your router (or modem). A second plugs into a wall socket near your Blu-ray player. Your Internet connection runs through the electric wiring in your home, and the powerline adapters serve as Ethernet ports to access it. Please note that you can’t plug a powerline adapter into a surge protector, so it’ll need its own wall outlet. You can also buy subsequent adapters for other rooms in your house to further share the connection.

Examples:

Netgear XE102G Wall-Plugged Ethernet Extender Kit (Amazon.com Link)

Netgear XETB1001 85 MBPS Powerline Network Adapter Kit (Amazon.com Link)

Costco has the Panasonic DMP-BD35AK Blu-ray player for $199 ($279.99 – $80 instant rebate = $199.99) at their brick and mortar stores. CNET called the DMP-BD35 the “best player for the money” and noted it was the first standalone Blu-ray player to match the essential features of the gold standard Playstation 3. See their video review below.

This is a solid price for a great player, especially with the inclusion of the HDMI cable. Not a bad deal if you missed out on the Sears’ pricing mistake that had it at $149 a couple weeks ago.

Links:

Panasonic DMP-BD35AK at Costco deal discussion at FatWallet.com

CNET’s review of the Panasonic DMP-BD35

Starting Sunday, November 23, Sears.com has the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player on sale for $150. The player won the coveted Editor’s Choice award from CNET as one of the best Blu-ray players for the money. Unfortunately, it looks like the site quickly sold out of them. No word on if they’re getting more in stock.

*Update* Looks like they removed it entirely from their online store. Bummer.

Link

Panasonic DMP-BD35 $150 at Sears.com

The entire list of Wal-Mart Black Friday deals has finally been released. It looks like Walmart may have some of the best deals for Black Friday. The standouts are what we listed previously: a Samsung 50-inch 720p Plasma for $798, Magnavox Blu-ray player for $128, and an Xbox 360 with Guitar Hero 3 and guitar for $199. An asterisk (*) means it’s a doorbuster deal, good only for the early hours.

HDTVs

• Emerson 32″ LCD HDTV $388.00*
• Polaroid 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV $598.00*
• Samsung 32″ LCD HDTV $498.00
• Samsung 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV $798.00
• Samsung 42″ Plasma HDTV $698.00
• Samsung 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV $1,098.00
• Samsung 50″ 720p Plasma HDTV w/ 2 HDMI Inputs $798.00*
• Sansui 19″ LCD HDTV $178.00*

Blu-ray Movies

• Blu-ray disc: American Gangster $15.00*
• Blu-ray disc: Indiana Jones Crystal Skull 2-Disc Special Edition $15.00 *
• Blu-ray disc: Iron Man Ultimate 2-Disc Edition $15.00*
• Blu-ray disc: Kung Fu Panda $15.00*
• Blu-ray disc: Shooter $15.00*
• Blu-ray disc: Transformers 2-Disc Special Edition $15.00*

Miscellaneous

• Magnavox Blu-ray Disc Player $128.00
• Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player $198
• Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle w/ Guitar Hero 3 Game & Guitar $199.00*

A PDF of Walmart’s official Black Friday ad can be found here.

Sears has the Sharp Aquos BD-HP21U Blu-ray player on sale for $179.99. The BD-HP21U is a Profile 1.1 player whose standout feature is a very quick start-up time (discs load in about 10 seconds). It can also decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio.

The player hasn’t been professionally reviewed, but CNET did check out its immediate predecessor, the BD-HP20U, which they rated a 5.4 out of 10. They liked the excellent 1080p/24p video quality, but didn’t like that the player’s Quick Start feature uses lots of power even when the player is on off.

Link: Sharp Aquos BD-HP21U for $179.99 at Sears.com