B5Erik

It looks like my local Sears may have the Panasonic BD35 in stock.

It's 299.99 - should I go ahead and buy it (knowing that if Sears puts it on sale in the next 30 days I'll get the difference refunded), or should I wait to see what the new models will go for (or to see if the remaining BD35's are clearanced out)?

Or is the Samsung 2500 a better bet? (It looks like both are good models, but it seems like the Panasonic is generally - although not universally - considered a better model.)

Opinions??

Sdallnct

There is always something "better", something cheaper just about to come out.

There is no point in waiting. The only thing gained is not having anything for whatever time you waited. If you are ready, do your research and buy.

The Panny 35 is considered one of the best players out there. It is almost identicle to the 55 that is considered the best player out only without the analog outputs. See Spiky's excellent review.

Brian Shannon

The 35 is ~229 at Costco with a coupon if that is the one you want.

SoSpacey

I liek the 35, but at $299 you are paying way too much for it. Heck the 55 is a little more expensive.

Sears had the Samsung 2500 that streams Netflix for $250 last week. I dont know if it is still that price but I would rather the added value of Netflix streaming, analog outs and a $50 cheaper price tag.

dhmac

The Panasonic BD-35 is the Blu-ray player I have (and it's a very good player), but that price is too high. I recommend continue shopping around more until you can get it somewhere for below $250. It's electronics, so it's guaranteed to get cheaper (especially once newer models start to appear in the Spring).

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B5Erik

I don't have a membership to Costco (I've got a Sam's membership), but I did check the local store and they didn't have any in stock - and didn't even have a price tag for it anymore (the display model was there, but no price, and no stock).

I picked one up at Sears for $299, but it's still in the box so I can return it if I can find it for less in the next week or three (but I'm really itching to play a Blu Ray movie on my new TV, which will be here tomorrow).

The funny thing is that the prices I'm seeing online are ABOVE the list price for the BD35! Since so many retailers and e-tailers are out of stock I guess the people who have it are letting demand drive the price up.

I really wish I knew at the end of November that I'd have the money to buy the HDTV & Blu Ray player. The deals were there then, but not now.

Sdallnct

I think that is great. Sure you could wait a month or two or three and save $50 but then you would have lost three months of enjoyment. To me that can be worth $50 or more.

B5Erik

Well, I'm returning the one I bought from Sears - because I got the display model at Fry's for $229.95. It didn't look like it had even been used (the power cord was missing - they gave me a different power cord from another Panasonic unit - and the video cable wasn't hooked up). It's under factory warranty so I'm not worried about any issues there. The only downside is that the owner's manual is missing, so I'll need to find it online and print it out.

I've still got 30 days to return it if there are any issues. Hell, if they get any new models in stock I may just do that anyway (they dropped the price to $249.95 - but don't have any clue when or even IF they'll get any more in stock as they have ZERO units in their distribution center).

This saves me $70 over the Sears price so I'm happy about that.

And the whole deal gets a trial run tomorrow when the TV gets here and is hooked up!

Mr. Salty

For only $70 difference, I'd buy a factory-fresh player over a floor model any day.

B5Erik

Well, I've gone over budget on this whole thing, so $70 is a big deal for me right now. And like I said, if Fry's gets any fresh, in the box models back in stock (a big IF right now) I'll return this one and get one of those at $249.95 without hesitation.

But, again, it looks like this thing had never even been hooked up, so I'm not all that concerned.

B5Erik

So my Toshiba 42XV545U came today, and I had a chance to play with the new equipment and I love it.

I'm still dialing everything in (I may attempt a calibration myself, although the picture on the Toshiba looks stunning playing the Blu Rays with only some minor tweaking of the contrast, brightness, color, and tint), but so far I love both the TV and Blu Ray player.

One minor surprise - the Panasonic BD35 automatically fills the screen (to the sides) when playing a non-anamorphic DVD. I was not aware that this model did that (maybe all blu-ray players do, I don't know), but that was a nice little bonus.

Next up - getting HD programming.

JZ1276

i'd prefer for it to be pillarboxed

beebs

Panasonic already announced the BD60 to replace the 35. Same pricing.

-beebs