Even before this holiday shopping season officially kicks off on Black Friday, prices for Blu-ray players have begun to drop like Autumn leaves.

I think that by the new year, we'll witness many models from a variety of manufacturers selling for under $200, which is considered the first icebreaker point. I'm already finding a handful of brand name units cracking the $150 barrier. There's even been chatter about players tearing down the all important $100 wall - sooner than later.

So I figured it was high definition time that we came out with this Blu-ray Player Buying Guide.

To ensure that we are all on the same page, let's cover some of the basics. If you are already familiar with the history and classifications of Blu-ray players, skip on ahead.

To begin, let me state the obvious, but it's a fact that should help guide you through your whole selection process. Blu-ray players are DVD players.

Yes, they are high definition and often come with extra features, but at their core, Blu-ray players are similar in function to the DVD players that we have been using for over a decade.

With that said, what sets the two types of DVD players apart is the Blu-ray player's ability to playback Blu-ray discs.

Back in the days, all our TVs were fat, not flat, and had a resolution of 480, which we now label, standard definition or SD. To match our SD TVs, movie studios recorded their films on to DVDs in the similar 480 resolution. This format served us just fine until HDTVs began to take over the marketplace.

As an economical stop gap solution, manufacturers retooled traditional DVD players so that they could upscale the standard definition, 480p, discs and output a 1080p signal to your HDTV.

This upscaling ability of traditional DVD players is often cited as one of the reasons that many people have not switched to Blu-ray players. (Though I assume the main obstacle is cost.)

I admire how well players can upscale 480p content, which will allow you to enjoy your legacy collection of DVDs for years to come. But to upscale, a player is taking a limited amount of video information and filling in the gaps to try to recreate a good looking higher resolution image.

Blu-ray players also can upscale SD DVDS. But even the newest most powerful video processors in the best high end players can only perform so much magic with standard definition DVDs.

The resolution on SD DVDs cannot supply enough data to create a high class, high resolution image. To optimize the picture quality on higher definition TVs requires higher resolution DVDs, which meant inventing a technique to store more data on a DVD.

Single sided SD DVDs can contain up to 4.7GB of data which is adequate to hold a movie recorded in standard definition, but not a full length movie in 1080p high definition.

To increase storage capacity, a blue laser diode recording process was developed over ten years ago. The resulting technology can stuff 25GB on a single layer Blu-ray disc. Movie studios now have gone back and rerecorded their movies on to Blu-ray discs at the superior 1080p resolution.

Higher resolution translates to more detail, sharper images, and better color rendition that really allows your HDTV to show its full potential. Simply, the picture quality provided by a Blu-ray disc in a Blu-ray player is noticeably better than what can be achieved by upscaling an SD DVD.

Blu-ray disc players were introduced in 2006. Their manufacturers fought a sometimes brutal, but thankfully short, war with Toshiba and others who supported HD DVD, the competing and incompatible high definition DVD standard. (Neither Blu-ray nor traditional DVD players can handle the HD DVD discs.)

Toshiba surrendered in early 2008 and stopped developing HD DVD players.

This Fall, Toshiba's capitulation was finalized when they announced their first Blu-ray player, the BDX2000.

Over the last three years, the Blu-ray player specifications have evolved through three classifications, (Profile 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0).

Profile 1.0 provided playback and basic interactive features. Profile 1.1, (also called BonusView), players added the capability for displaying Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and playing secondary audio tracks available on BonusView discs.

After October 31, 2007, all new Blu-ray players had to offer all the features in Profile 1.1. If you find a Profile 1.0 player for sale, please realize that it is out dated and out of production. On the other hand, a few Profile 1.1 models are still being produced at this time.

BD-Live (Profile 2.0) players must have an Ethernet port for connecting to the Internet, where it can download online content associated with BD-Live Blu-ray titles.

Let me be clear on how BD-Live players work. They have the software and hardware integrated into them that allows a direct connection to the Internet without needing a computer.

If you have Internet service in your house, then you can connect the BD-Live player to the Web by attaching an Ethernet cable directly to your router. (Some players also offer a wireless connection.)

If you load a BD-Live compatible DVD, then the menu will contain a BD-Live option. If you select it, the player will connect to the movie studio's Internet site and present you an offering of material. For example, with the first Transformers Blu-ray, BD-Live programming includes downloadable video clips of interviews with the cast and crew and stunt training footage tied in with robofeatures.

Not all Blu-ray movies include BD-Live features and those that do, offer a wide range of content. Many titles, especially from Disney offer social networking links so you can chat with friends as you are watching the movie.

From what I have sampled, not all BD-Live material is exactly must see TV. If you just want to watch the movie without the frills, like you did with your old DVD players, you can simply ignore all this Internet hullabaloo by not networking your Profile 2.0 player. Or search for a Profile 1.1 (BonusView) model. Generally, they are less expensive than the 2.0 (BD-Live) units.

If you don't plan to connect your Blu-ray player to the Internet or you simply are not interested in BD-Live material, then you may be able to save a little money with a BonusView player.

When you are looking at different models, you may also see this term, "BD-Live Ready." Usually what that means is that the player is Profile 1.1 but it includes an Ethernet port and with a firmware upgrade it will be BD-Live compatible.

You should also be aware that to download BD-Live content, your BD-Live Blu-ray player requires at least 1GB of storage. Some models have the storage memory integrated into the system. Others like the Sharp BD-HP22U include an external 2GB drive as part of the package. Many other players don't supply either the internal or external memory and simply leave you to fend for yourself.

A lot of you might have flash drives idling away in a drawer and those can be reformatted to work. But with the price of 1G and even 2G flash drives dropping below $10, I'm not sure why companies just don't include one in the box. Anyway, if you are planning to sample BD-Live features, check to see if the player has the needed memory. If not, then make sure to buy a USB flash drive along with your purchase.

As I am writing this guide, I am realizing that most of the features that manufacturers tout to differentiate their model over their competition are almost exclusively on the Profile 2.0 BD-Live players. But let's start with a couple that you might also find on a Profile 1.1 player.

The first is a basic, compatibility. Almost all Blu-ray players not only can playback SD DVDs but also audio CDs. And then there are all the various formats like BD-R/RE, CD (CD-DA), CD-R/RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW.

If you have no idea what those acronyms stand for, then you probably don't need to worry about it because they are not the typical commercial movie or music formats. If you do have some of these discs, then I suggest you go online and dig through the player's specifications to see if it's compatible.

Many manufacturers add a USB port or an SD card slot on to their units, allowing you to plug in a USB flash drive or an SD card and access the content on them.

One common usage is to download photos stored on your computer on to a flash drive. Pop it into your Blu-ray player and the images are displayed on your HDTV. Some players will only read JPEG photos from the drive. Others will also playback music and videos.

If you are a fan of the DIVX video format, I have seen players that are DIVX friendly. (Once again, you will need to pore through specs to see what a player provides.)

I can see the value of watching photos or videos stored on a flash drive, but I'm not a big proponent of listening to music on your TV, for two reasons. First, most TVs don't have an audio only feature where you can power down the screen. Without it, your TV is unnecessarily sucking electricity. And perhaps more importantly, the audio quality of most TVs is just not that great.

Now if you are routing your Blu-ray player through an A/V receiver and a dedicated speaker system, then that's a much sounder solution. Which brings me to another feature that is near and dear to many audiophiles that love their analog A/V receivers.

Most lower priced Blu-ray players only provide a stereo set of analog audio outputs. That's because most people will route the player's audio digitally, either through the HDMI cable or the SPDIF digital output. And either is a perfectly dandy solution.

But there is a dedicated cadre of analog audio aficionados - you know who you are - that seek a Blu-ray with 7.1 analog audio outs, which are available on a few of the higher end players, like the Pioneer BDP-320.

Normally you will pay a premium for this feature. If you don't need it, many manufacturers will offer a similar, less expensive model with only the stereo outs.

If you buy a Profile 2.0 player and wish to take advantage of its BD-Live functions, you will need to plug it into your home network, which can be a logistical as well as a technical consideration.

If you are like me, my router is two rooms away from my TV and neither I nor my significant other savors the idea of snaking a Cat 5 cable down the hallway and into the back of a Blu-ray player.

Your other choice is to go wireless. Some units like the Sony BDP-S560 have wireless integrated in the player. Others like the Samsung BD-P3600 come with a wireless adapter in the box. For the rest, you will have to find and purchase a compatible wireless adapter.

Once you have solved your wired or wireless decision, you still need to connect into your home network. If you set the original system up, you should be able to work through the procedure to add on your Blu-ray player.

It may be a minor ordeal, but plugging your Blu-ray player into your home network can be worth the effort for the wealth of content that you can access.

One of the hidden benefits is the possibility of playing files directly from your computer or media server through your home network. Not all players have this ability and I won't vouch for Mac systems. In the player's literature, look for a reference to streaming content from a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) enabled device.

As much as I disdain most of the BD-Live material that I have witnessed, I can appreciate how many movie fans would love to see more behind the scenes clips and play with interactive features.

For me, I'm more excited about the Internet content providers that have partnered with Blu-ray player manufacturers. For example, the LG BD370 Profile 2.0 player supplies links to Netflix, CinemaNow and YouTube directly from its Home Menu. When the player is connected to the Internet, you can stream movies and videos to your HDTV directly through the player.

I love movies and I'm intoxicated with the notion of 17,000 movie and TV titles that I can instantly stream from Netflix. If you are a monthly subscriber to Netflix, this streaming service is free.

Other manufacturers have teamed up with Internet content providers like Amazon Video on Demand, which differs from Netflix. With Amazon, you either buy or rent programs. For the extra cost, Amazon offers a selection of over 40,000 titles.

Basically, with one of these providers, you would never have to leave your den again.

In the last six months, the floodgates have opened on content streaming from the Internet and devices offering this service are proliferating. Beyond the ever increasing number of TVs that can connect directly to the Internet, I am seeing stand-alone solutions like the Vudu XL and the Roku player. Even set top HD DVRs from Tivo and Moxi provide streaming.

If you are planning on streaming video from the Internet, I will repeat this caveat. If you are serious about obtaining good picture quality, you will need fairly fast and robust bandwidth from your Internet provider, ideally around 10Mbps.

I know some sites suggest as low as 2.5Mbps, but if anyone else in your house is accessing the network, the video playback will deteriorate. At least try to have around 5Mbps. And judging from what I am seeing on the horizon, you will be glad that you have what you now might consider "extra bandwidth."

Externally, the size and design of Blu-ray players are fairly homogeneous across models. Almost all of them are around 17" wide. The shortest are about 2" high and the tallest range up to about 3". Depth is commonly around 10 to 13". If you need to store it on a tight shelf, be sure to check the dimensions.

As for color, you can find them in matte black, glossy black or dark, dark gray - occasionally with a silver accent. I know the designers who slaved over every curve and detailing can't believe I'm saying this, but most of the Blu-ray players look the same. Since they are often hidden away in a cabinet, their appearance probably shouldn't be a major factor in your purchasing decision.

If you are like most DVD users, you have never even tried to find the audio or video adjustment menus on a DVD player. And in reality, if you did go searching, you would find that most players have an extremely limited set of tools.

I usually suggest that if you feel the itch to tweak, that you first deal directly with the TV rather than the DVD player. If you are adamant about tuning the player, then the OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray unit offers the most extensive toolbox that I have encountered.

You might think that you don't need to worry about the power consumption of a little box like a Blu-ray player. And you shouldn't, but many units have a habit of unnecessarily sucking electricity.

For example, I recently reviewed the Sony BDP-S560. Our power meter readings during playback of a Blu-ray DVD ranged between 17.3 and 17.5W, which is right in the middle of the players that I have measured. 17W is not a lot, especially since you probably don't use the player more than three or four times a week.

Here's the catch. The BDP-S560 has a Quick Start mode, which shortens the startup time when turning on the player. It also uses more power. With Quick Start mode enabled, when I turned the power off, the meter drops to around 7.8 to 8W and no lower.

If I go into the Systems Settings menu and turn Quick Start off and then turn the player off, the meter drops to 0 and stays there. Do you really want your player to be Hoovering power for the other 160 hours in the week that it's idle?

This is one of the reasons that I don't discuss how quickly a player starts up and loads a disc. For me the minor time savings gained with a feature like Quick Start is not worth the constant power drain.

If you are an ants-in-your-pants type, turn on the player, pop in a disc and pop some popcorn.

You should expect - yea, demand - that your Blu-ray player flawlessly handles any content on commercially produced Blu-ray DVDs. (I can't be as emphatic about my expectations of the smooth playback of a disc that Uncle Henry burned on his computer.)

You would assume that if you plunked down $25 for a new Blu-ray release of a movie, that it should playback without a hitch. But you know what they say about "assume?"

The reality is that I have seen many high end Blu-ray players hiccup on some Blu-ray content. To be fair to the players, usually the offending passages were extra features like the Maximum Movie Mode on the Watchmen Blu-ray. And to go farther, since this specific clip tripped up a number of different players, I have a tendency to place at least half the blame on the programmers of that particular DVD.

The Blu-ray format is still experiencing growing pains. Manufacturers are testing out new technologies and DVD programmers are pushing the envelope on ways to present content. Occasionally, a glitch occurs.

Luckily, most manufacturers are responsible in providing firmware upgrades to their players. And I always suggest that when you first setup your new unit that you check to see if you have the current firmware version.

I don't want to scare you away from buying a Blu-ray player and enjoying the superior picture and audio quality that it offers. I just want you to be aware of the issue.

I recommend that when you buy your Blu-ray player, whether it costs $500 or under $100, give it a good test with a number of your favorite movies, both SD and Blu-ray and see how it performs.

I almost left Performance out of this guide, but I figured it was too much of a hot topic to cavalierly omit. But it's also too big and varied to adequately cover in a few paragraphs.

Let me begin with this blanket statement. The audio and video output of a Blu-ray unit playing a Blu-ray disc will be superior to any playback of an SD DVD on a traditional or Blu-ray DVD player. Even if the machine is upscaling the image.

If you are a critically discerning videophile, I can't be more explicit here about the performance details of one player over another. And I believe we quickly reach the point where the quality of your HDTV and audio system are more important factors in how good a movie will look and sound.

I've reviewed eight Blu-ray players over the last six months. I gave one of them, the OPPO BDP-83, our Highly Recommended Rating. Then again, at $499, this feature filled player is also the most expensive unit in the group - and more machine than most of you need.

Let's end this guide by talking about price. I am writing this a week before Black Friday and I am already hearing the rumors about $80 Blu-ray player Doorbuster deals. The knee jerk reaction is "you get what you pay for," but I'm not ready to dismiss this bargain sight unseen.

I do know that the early adopter days when manufacturers could charge $300 to $400 for players are over. Blu-ray players are quickly becoming a commodity like the standard definition DVD models did about five years ago.

That doesn't mean that all models are alike. You definitely have choices in a range of features and prices. But I believe you should find plenty of quality Blu-ray players being offered for under $200 - even below $150 - this Christmas.

Considering the competition to garner your business this holiday season, if you do your homework now, you should be able to jump on an irresistible bargain when you find one.

As a recap, here is a checklist of questions to consider as you are shopping for your Blu-ray player.

Do you want to play DVDs or CDs in unusual formats like BD-R/RE, CD (CD-DA), CD-R/RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW. Check the player's specifications to see if the formats are compatible with it.

Do you want to play JPEG photos or music and video files on the player through a USB port or SD card slot? Many players offer this capability. Be aware that some players will only display photos and not music and video this way.

Do you need 7.1 analog audio outputs. You know if you do, most people don't, which is good because players with that feature usually cost more.

Do you plan on connecting the Blu-ray player to the Internet and your home network? If not, you might as well buy a Profile 1.1 player, if you can find one for an appealing price.

Do you plan on connecting your Profile 2.0 player to the Internet via a wire or wirelessly? Wireless is cooler and cleaner, but again wireless players are usually more expensive.

Do you want to tap into Internet content providers like Netflix or YouTube? Not all 2.0 players provide these links and the list of providers differs from model to model.

Your answers to those questions should give you a good foundation to make your Blu-ray player purchase. If you have other suggestions, add them in the comment section below.