How low must Blu-ray disc prices go before you buy in? How about $10 to $13?

Blu-ray deals come and go online. You can track them through sites such as High-Def Digest. But now they’re starting to pop up in brick-and-mortar stores, too — and not just in after-Thanksgiving sales. Best Buy (via Dealnews) has a bunch of catalog Blu-ray titles on sale for as little as $9.99. Some are clunkers, but there are some really fantastic titles in the lot — not just for the movies, but also for AV quality and extras. For example, for $9.99, you can get Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride or V for Vendetta.  For $12.99, you can get the new super-duper special edition of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the cult fave Road House, the classic The Graduate, the Oscar-worthy Eastern Promises and The Aviator, the comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the horror masterpieces 28 Days Later and The Descent, and the sonic spectacular U-571. There are more than 50 titles in all. Order online and specify in-store pickup to skirt shipping fees.

 And Blu-ray deals are coming on the rental front, too. Rental powerhouse Redbox recently announced that it plans to stock Blu-ray titles soon in its ubiquitous red vending machines. They probably won’t rent for the $1 that its DVDs do, but you can bet the price will be below what others are charging — without memberhip obligations.

iNetVideo is selling Tranformers on high-def disc for $1. There’s only one catch: It’s on HD-DVD, not Blu-ray. A few years ago, Transformers was the top-selling movie on HD-DVD. Now the format is obsolete, and you can get a fantastic presentation of the blockbuster in a two-disc set for a buck — 97 percent off (plus $2.95 shipping). How quickly things change.

By the way, iNetVideo is selling more than 140 new HD DVDs, many of them for less than $5 (plus the aforementioned shipping). If you’re one of the 17 people who still have and use an HD DVD player (I still have but don’t use mine, which I bought for $29), that’s quite a deal. And don’t stop browsing once you go past $5 on the list. There are deals to be had among multidisc  sets, such as the five-disc The Ultimate Matrix Collection for $29.99 and the three-disc musical documentary That’s Entertainment for $9.99.

After reading my writeup on cool and mostly free iPhone apps, reader Scott Andersen wondered, “Did you find any good database apps the I might be able to keep a DVD and Blu-ray movie list in?” Like me, he has an iPod Touch, which handles most of the apps in the iTunes App Store.

I suggested Pocketpedia. It’s tied in to the Amazon database, which has everything I’ve ever searched for. You just enter a CD, book, DVD or game and it shows you the Amazon listings. You then click on the title you want and then add it to your collection, of which you can have several going. You can also mark a title as wanted or borrowed. If you have a Mac, you can also use your computer to manage the collection and then update your iPod with the info. (If not, you’d just use the mobile device.) Don’t be put off by Pocketpedia’s “average” rating among user reviews at the App Store; it’s largely the result of PC users complaining that it’s not compatible with their computers for desktop syncing. But the app is free, so it won’t cost anything to try it out.

If you like a different app to track your media collection, please let me know so I can try it out.

TAKE THE MP3 CHALLENGE!
Can you tell the difference between MP3s and the original CD?

Following last week’s news of an $800 portable Blu-ray player, Best Buy is now selling a set-top model for only $119. Sound Advice columnist Don Lindich uncovered this great deal, the result of the retailer clearance-pricing an older model to make way for a new one. The sale model is the Insignia NS-2BRDVD, from Best Buy’s house brand. Don has the details about its features on his blog, so be sure to check it out, but the upshot is that it’s a good basic player with a Profile 1.1 setup at a killer price.

As Don points out, the NS-2BRDVD is still listed at its $200 MSRP on the Best Buy website, but actual stores are selling it for as low as $119. I called my local Best Buy (Maple Grove), and it had six of the players in stock at the $119 price. So be sure to call ahead. Also note Don’s reminder that the player doesn’t come with an HDMI cable, so bop on over to Monoprice to order one for about $6 shipped rather than paying $30 and up at Best Buy. 

TAKE THE MP3 CHALLENGE!
Can you tell the difference between MP3s and the original CD?

If you want to watch Blu-ray on the go, Panasonic is getting ready to release a portable player just for you. And it’s only $800.

Panasonic’s DMP-B15 has an array of cool features. The 16:9 LCD screen is 8.9 inches. The player uses Viera Cast internet connectivity for BD Live access and easy updating. There’s a slot for an SD memory card. It’s a pretty nifty toy for the well-heeled traveler.

“As a pioneer in the development of DVD and Blu-ray expertise, Panasonic has always been at the forefront in developing cutting-edge, consumer friendly technology,” said Panasonic exec Richard Simone. “… With the B15 we continue that tradition of being first to market with unique technology.”

I have no doubt that Panasonic is introducing a fine player, and it would be fun to play around with it. But who needs high-def playback on a screen that small? And at that price? The rechargeable battery is also said to be good for only 2 1/2 hours, which gets you little more than one movie and a few extras.

Panasonic points out that consumers can also use the B15 as their main Blu-ray player, thanks to an HDMI output that allows it to be hooked up to a home theater. But who would take their main player on the road? With all of their Blu-ray discs? And at that price?

Did I mention the high price?

Now, I know the reason why the B15 costs so much. It offers new technology, and prices for that always start high and then gradually fall. But as a heavy Blu-ray user, I question the need for a portable player, especially when so many Blu-ray releases include digital copies for iPods, PSPs and the like.

I requested a B15 loaner to see if I’m completely missing something here but was told that demand was very high. Like the price, I guess. 

TAKE THE MP3 CHALLENGE!
Can you tell the difference between MP3s and the original CD?

Are downloads the future of high-def movie-watching? Maybe, but they have a long way to go. High-Def Digest has a great review of VUDU, one of the systems vying to make in-roads in this area.

On the downside, VUDU ($149) uses compressed video files, takes about two hours to download an HD movie and costs $5.99 per title to watch. High-Def Digest’s conclusion is that the system isn’t great for people who want to buy and keep movies, but is a decent option for the rental crowd, if slow in delivery. I think it’s too expensive for rentals. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also offer high-def movie downloads for $4.50-$5 per title.

Actually, for high-def downloads, I like what I have with DirecTV. I can record and keep (hard-drive space allowing) any movies that come on the various movie channels, and dozens of other “rental” films are available via pay-per-view or download. I also have all of my TV programming available via DirecTV, or, with the video-game systems, a device that will play games and (with the PS3) play Blu-rays. I like those multipurpose devices. I’m not sure I see the point in having a box like VUDU that’s dedicated solely to movie downloads.