Got Me A Blu-ray from WALMART?

Ok, ok, I gave in. I got a Blu-ray player.

For those of you that know me personally, you will realized that I have been ranting about how Blu Ray is "crap' and that downloads are the way of the future. While I still think that is true, I went out and got the damn thing. Let's examine my motivation.

$98

I happened to be watching a recent episode of the wonderful "HD Nation" on the 'Net (play the segment for the full review) and watched a review of the new $99 Magnavox Blu Ray player. What startled me the most was that they LIKED it. I didn't think I would see a good review of a sub $200 player until at least the holidays. I have to admit that planted the seed in my mind. Thanks Robert and Patrick.

Netflix

I have a Netflix account that I LOVE. I have watched more movies and have spent less money for them. I already took advantage of their streaming service, so i thought I would go for the trifecta of the Blu Ray service as well. WARNING: you will be charged a few dollars more a month for the Blu-ray service.

HD TV without true HD.

It's big, it's black, and it's sitting in my movie room. I have a high def TV that is capable of 1080p input and all I feed it is 420p DVD's. Something surely must be done.

The Magnavox Blu-ray NB530MGX

This cheap bucket of low cost Walmart parts was worth it. True, it didn't come with a way to connect the player to the internet (something that is needed for most modern Blu-rays), but I was more interested in its ability of up-converting my existing DVD's.

The Magnavox is indeed basic, but if you really just want a to get your feet wet with Blu-ray, you certainly can't beat the cost. I purchased "Iron Man" to test it out. I can safely say that by the first half hour of viewing the movie, my eyes were tired of the excessive brightness. This isn't a bad thing, I guess it just might be something that I will have to get used to. The picture is indeed stellar and while not the best picture I've seen from a Blu-ray, more than does the job for now.

My goal is to not purchase a ton on Blu-ray movies. I really am going to rely on Netflix for the bulk of my movie watching. I just really don't want to amass another collection of useless discs that will get piled in a closet somewhere.

One exception to this rule is the BBC's "Planet Earth" which I will review as soon as I have finished watching it.

If you are a dedicated videophile, this probably isn't the player for you. I think many of the Samsung models are fantastic for around $250. If you are also a gamer, the PS3 is probably your best bet. If you are just curious about the world of high def video, than the Magnavox is a good start. For the price, it can't be beat.