I have one Oppo already and will gladly buy a BD version if and when it is available.

And I am more than content to wait until it is available.

For those looking for a cheap alternative, news reports today indicated that BB has reduced the price of the Insignia player. It's now down to $230.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1204332499513

The AVS guys turned up the manual for the LG BD300. Apparently:

Some think this is due to the holdover of the chip they used in their BD200 BR/HDDVD player.

is this worthwhile for someone new to the whole BD and HT as a whole? A friend of mine is interested in getting BD since they just bought a very large 1080p LCD. I was steering them more in the direction of the PS3 because of its a bit cheaper, still decent and they did want a game system eventually

Maybe? I wouldn't spend money on it personally.

I bought it and although the PS3 is a better BD player; the Insignia BD player (NS-BRDVD) works fine. Blu-ray Discs load a lot slower than the PS3 loads them, but DVDs and CDs only take about 11 seconds to load. It's a simple player and if your friend doesn't care about BD-Live then I say go for it. Get an HDMI cable for video and coaxial cable for audio.

If they do want a game system then the PS3 is the way to go for them possibly. I personally like playing my BDs, DVDs and CDs on a standalone BD player and have the new 80GB PS3 I just bought just for games (I only play sports games really). Remember the PS3 takes up a lot of power compared to a standalone BD player.

Either 1) buy a PS3. 2) Buy the Insignia player or 3) wait for better standalones.

$270 Memorex player coming.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/18/m...lu-ray-player/

Samsung BD-P1500 available from Radio Shack for $199.99 (put in cart for a $100.00 instant rebate off a $299.99 sale price). Free shipping, you'll probably have to pay sales tax. Offer good through 9/27.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

Is that a good basic player? I'm looking for something cheap and simple for my parents, they don't watch many movies (maybe one a month), and usually just those I lend them, but I'd like to get them a BRD player. Think we'll see something cheaper in the coming months?

Its decent, probably one of Samsungs finest...

I'd choose that over any of the Insignia, Magnavox etc. ones.

Otherwise, grab a Sony S350

At this point I don't think I'll be buying another BD player until the Oppo is ready.

The BD30 has been great and I have the PS3 as a backup. Probably should have unloaded my BDP-S1 when I had the chance. It'll probably just go in a secondary viewing area now.

It's been removed from the site. My guess is that the sale price of $299.99 was not supposed to be combined with the $100.00 instant rebate. It was probably supposed to be $299.99 after the instant rebate.

Damn, I should have jumped on it but I have been happy with my Samsung BD-P1400 so I was hesitating.

Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player is $199 @ Amazon (while supplies last)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...nandscathed-20

Does the 1500 bitstream MA?
I was in Fry's Electronics yesterday and they had the 350 for $329, they are coming down . To bad I couldn't get that price on Sony's web site and use their CC deal for $100 off your 1st purchase, I would go BD then.

I'm pretty sure it does. With my Samsung 1400 and Onkyo 606, which decodes it, the receiver says I'm getting MA.

Sale is dead though.

Glad to see prices for standalone's dropping, as i'll be looking for one in November.

Andy Parsons of the BDA would disagree, though: he says player prices aren't dropping!

http://www.cepro.com/article/blu_ray...ont_drop_soon/

Quick question, does the Sony BDP-S350 blu-ray player come with a HDMI cable?

I don't think so. I don't know of any BD player that comes with a HDMI cable. I bet Oppo will when they release theirs.

No, it doesn't. But you can get one from Monoprice.com for about 8 bucks.

What cable is included with the player to hook up to a high def set?

I think one or two of the BD players at Costco might come bundled with an HDMI cable. Don't hold me to that though.

S350 just got a firmware update making it BD-Live.

It'll be $299 starting Sunday at Best Buy. That's a heckuva deal for a BD Live unit.

Agreed. Probably one of the best stand alones available.

And a small note, Costco will have this for $279 and will include an HDMI cable and a backlit remote. Better deal.