Magnavox Blu-ray for $128 at Walmart
Tech blog Gizmodo have kindly drawn our attention to a super-cheap Blu-ray player deal - Walmart are selling the Magnavox NB500MGX Blu-ray for just $128.99! At this price, anyone still not sure about high definition should feel better about testing the waters, without spending a fortune to do so, or for those wanting a cheap second player in the house.
Obviously, at this price one shouldn't be expected the world in terms of features, so don't be surprised when we tell you it's a Profile 1.1 machine, so no BD-Live fun for you, but aside from this, spec details online are scarce. However, it seems the player is a re-badged Funai NB500, which supports HD audio, HDMI v1.3 and DVD upscaling, so it's a good chance the Magnavox does too.
It's not the first time we've seen it either, as the same-in-all-but-name Magnavox NB530MGX was up for $198 back in January, proving those prices are falling nicely. The deal is listed as in-store only and we would be interested to hear if anyone picks the Magnavox up, and just what it's like.
Same machine as the Walmart Black Friday deal, I believe.
I bought this one at Sam's as a display clearance in December.
I love it! Perfect for my bedroom set up. No issues, fast load, and easy functions.
I use my HTPCs for BD Live, about twice a year!!!
Buy this unit.
Posted by: landoncube | June 11, 2009 at 01:38 PM
Good to know, it sounds like a decent buy, especially at this price.
As for BD-Live, you're using it twice as many times as I am!
Posted by: Andy Boxall | June 11, 2009 at 02:22 PM
I got this from Walmart for $128. I expected a very cheap player but it looks good. The remote layout is simple. It feels very sturdy and does not look cheap at all. It played the "When The earth stood Still" very well. The image quality is out of the world. Super clear picture. The sound is awesome. The blue-ray took time to load (30 to 40 sec) and when I pressed stop and pressed play again, it took again the same time. The remote is very responsive for general actions. If it last I would be really happy
Posted by: Thomas martin | June 18, 2009 at 06:39 AM
Will this thing play AVCHD discs? I am looking for a cheap player to play DVDs that I have recorded on my PC from my Sony HDR-SR5 high def camcorder. Don't really think I will rent or buy blu-ray too much. If this magnavox won't play AVCHD, do you know of any cheap players at this price point that are available? THANKS!
Posted by: Steven Selwin | June 24, 2009 at 01:44 AM
WILL THIS PLAYER ALSO HANDLE HI-DEF DIVX FILES?
Posted by: stmf65 | June 30, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Just purchased one for my father-in-law to get him started. Paid $98 at Walmart this morning - hope it works out.
Posted by: CountryP | July 11, 2009 at 11:36 AM
These are now $78 at some stores and $55 at others. Price on them still say 128 but ring up 78.
Posted by: Jimmy | December 24, 2009 at 07:10 PM
I purchased this player from Wal-Mart as a second player for the tv we use for Wii. The primary unit is a Samsung and I guess I was spoiled by that. Unit and remote felt cheap and plastic-y. Using an HDMI cable did produce good results. However start up was slow and there was a high pitched whine.
I took the unit back after watching two movies. I just couldn't stand the noise. I purchased the Sony BDP S360 for $20 more. Solid, fast, quiet and tons more features including BD live and AVCHD.
Posted by: Christina | January 09, 2010 at 10:53 PM