$142 for Blu-ray player and four movies

Sounds like a good deal but a bad time. It can turn around though.

"Sweater"? For shame, Tim.

Agreed. No tech that requires swapping out perectly good equipment, with oversized expensive replacements in order to "comply" with the DRM and to take advantage of the benefits of the tech is going to fly right now. Not to mention the requirement of an Internet connection to "enjoy added features" on a disc that is supposed to be able to hold the content.

Look for massive retail failures first quarter of '09. Many *retail* businesses are going to be stuck with inventories they cannot even pay the taxes on in the US. (Yep- you have to pay tax on whatever you don't sell. Ain't that smart?) It's going to kill 'em. You will be able to get a Bluray then for 99 dollars with 6 movies- if they still are around...OR you can get one free if you would buy a TV over 42" I bet.

September results show personal bankruptcies up 70% over same time last year, and this is with new laws making it difficult to file for chapter 7. It's gonna get ugly now. That law was supposed to stop the bleeding by making folks pay their bills even if they filed. Now, it is so bad, they are filing anyway! This means they are REALLY broke.

"NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's retailers are reporting what are expected to be the weakest October sales in decades as an intensifying financial meltdown and mounting layoffs leave Americans too scared to shop.
As merchants report their dismal figures Thursday, better-than-expected sales results from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) was one of the few bright spots. The world's largest retailer has benefited from shoppers' focus on basics. But most other stores, particularly mall-based apparel stores, are reporting steep sales drops.
The sales are based on same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year."

@Duke

No, no, Duke, a player, 4 movies, and a sweater is an awesome deal don't you think? I wonder if the sweater is Cashmere?

Sorry, Tim, just having a little fun at your expense.

Ha ha ha! No problem guys I wrote "sweater" right? Next time re-read before posting, I guess And yes Duke, a sweater for shame
Cheers

Would like a recorder

Its not $142 for the player AND movies. You have to buy the movies at regular price to get the discount on the player. It's still a good deal, if they have four titles you want.

The BDP-S300 isn't available anymore either, but with the discount you can get the BDP-S350 for $124.

Yes, it was $142 for the BDP-S300 player *and movies* after the $100 instant discount. Or $190 for the BDP-S350 player *and movies* after the $100 discount. This assumes you buy the least expensive movies on the list, but even if you buy the more expensive movie titles, it's still only a few bucks more.

Just looked it up and behold, now ther is a sony BDP-S550 is it better?

The BDP-S550 has been there the whole time the S350 has. The S550 is a better player (and more expensive) with multi-channel analog outputs in case you want to do DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD with an older receiver that lacks HDMI inputs. I think the S550 sells on Amazon for around $330 so it's probably around $300 with the 4 movies after the $100 off.

Holy, Blu-ray Batman! Now they've added the Panasonic BD55, Pioneer BD51, Samsung BD-P2500 to the list of eligible players.

Wow, all the manufacturers are doing it. This must be a good thing. Let's all buy one.

God, enough of the Blu-ray love fest already. Can't you see what they're doing? They're getting desperate and panicking. They're even having a fire sale on Profile 2.0 players. Nobody is buying and they are freaking out because the shopping season is upon us and, unfortunately for them, Joe Six-pack is losing his job at GM today. Or is it AMD? No wait, it's Motorola. Get my point?

If you must have Blu-ray, don't be a sucker. Wait until the middle of next month when the shit really hits the fan and prices get reduced even further.

To quote the great Ren Hoek, "Oh boy, mayhem".

Tune in next month when we'll play [booming voice] "Wheel of Desperation". That's when all the Blu-ray manufacturers vie for your hard-earned dollars. Those that succeed will continue on to the bonus round. Those that don't have to grovel for US government bailout packages.

Thank you. I'm here all week. Please try the fish and don't forget to have your pet spayed or neutered.