Memorex MVBD2510 Blu-ray Disc Player

At an estimated street price of $175, the Memorex MVBD2510 is the least expensive Blu-ray player we've seen thus far. But a poorly designed remote, uncommunicative menus and acceptable but unexceptional image quality are the prices you pay for saving money.

Like the Insignia NS-2BRDVD, the Memorex did a better job displaying images from Blu-ray Discs than from standard-definition DVDs; but while the Memorex outperformed the Insignia on standard-def DVD, its results with Blu-ray Discs were more mixed.

The remote's flat shape looks cool -- in use it's anything but. The tiny buttons are all poorly placed, with some important ones (Popup Menu, for instance) far from the midpoint, where your thumb is most likely to rest. Buttons like Play and Pause are identified by spelled-out names (in a small font), rather than by the common symbols everyone is used to seeing.

You expect a no-frills player for $175, and that's what you get with the Memorex MVBD2510. You'll need to spend more money if you want better image quality or a more full-featured player.