An analyst from NPD Group believes that basic devices can be obtained for as little as $49 on Black Friday.

“It’s conceivable we could see a $49 Blu-ray player on Black Friday, but I think we’ll see more $99 deals. Anything is possible,” said Ross Rubin, NPD Group’s director of industry analysis, in an interview with Video Business web-site.

At present many Blu-ray profile 2.0 players with BDLive, BonusView and video streaming support already cost $199, substantially less than back in 2008. Moreover, since large manufacturers would like to sell off their previous-generation BD profile 1.1 players, it is highly likely that on Black Friday those players will be available for $99, whereas first-generation BD profile 1.0 devices may cost just about $49.

According to Consumer Electronics Association, Blu-ray disc playback devices sold 3.3 million units through the first three quarters of 2009, an increase of 13% over same period last year. Through the first three quarters of 2009, Blu-ray Disc set-top player sales grew 112% over same period last year. Blu-ray playback device households are nearly 11.7 million and include PlayStation 3 consoles. Approximately 80% of Blu-ray devices are BD-Live capable.

“We’ve seen very strong growth in Blu-ray players this year. It has been a bright spot in a very gloomy industry landscape. Nearly all other electronics device categories have been down, such as digital cameras and MP3 players,” said Mr. Rubin.