Add a Blu-ray drive to your PC for $89.99

Finally, Blu-ray for under $100! Sony's internal drive comes with the software you need to watch movies on your PC.

Rick Broida Senior Editor

Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").

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Rick Broida

Feb. 18, 2009 6:21 a.m. PT

Here's your chance to get an internal Blu-ray drive under $100. Sony

Regular Cheapskate readers know that I'm a big fan of media-center PCs, which is why I frequently spotlight TV tuners.

Now let's round out the movie side of the equation: Buy.com has the Sony BDU-X10S internal Blu-ray drive for $89.99 shipped.

This is a refurbished drive, meaning it has just a 90-day warranty. If you'd rather go new and can scrape up a few extra bucks, Newegg has the Lite-On DH-401S-58 Blu-ray drive for $99.99 (plus shipping).

Either way, you're looking at a serial drive, meaning you'll need a system with a SATA interface. You'll also need a video card that supports HDCP, otherwise Blu-ray's copy protection will prevent movies from playing.

Speaking of movies, the Sony drive comes with Cyberlink's PowerDVD BD Edition software so you can watch Blu-ray flicks on your PC.

I am so, so tempted to grab one of these for my media center, as standalone Blu-ray players are still selling for $150 and up. What about you? Is $89.99 a good enough deal for you to hop aboard the Blu-ray bandwagon?

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