Blu-ray players
Yes, there are less expensive BD-Live model Blu-ray players than the LG BD390, $300, but so far none that can stream Vudu’s high-definition HDX movies, the highest-quality movie streams I’ve seen. Throw in built-in Wi-Fi (so I don’t have to find yet another Ethernet jack to connect the player to the web), excellent HD and upconverted DVD picture quality, and internal decoding of the new lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats, and I’m sold. And if truth be told, I’m actually going to save about $200—before the BD380, I was leaning toward Oppo’s BDP-83 player, a top-rated player with excellent audio and video performance, plus the ability to play my SACD and DVD-Audio discs. But Vudu’s HDX-format streaming movies tipped the scales—they’re the only ones I’ve seen that looked like real HD, and after all, isn’t Blu-ray all about high-definition video? —James K. Willcox

E-book readers
One of these electronic reading devices are a worthy choice for a voracious reader on your list, especially if they tend to read a lot of books when on the go. The Amazon Kindle, $260, is a fine wireless e-book reader that's still readily available, where some other models have sold out. —Paul Reynolds

Home entertainment
For easy listening, how about a compact, all-in-one entertainment system that delivers great sound from a favorite radio station, an MP3 player, and a CD collection? Some models can even hook up to a TV, so you can use it as a DVD player, too. The best we've tested (including models from Altec Lansing, Bose, Cambridge Soundworks) produce surprisingly full, rich sound despite their relatively small footprint. You should certainly be able to find one for less than $300, and you might even get a sale price for less than $200. It's a great choice for a kitchen, office, dorm room, or anywhere you don't have space for a full-fledged audio system.  I have one of these, by the way, and I absolutely love it. —Eileen McCooey

Computers
This one breaks the price cap a bit, but netbooks make a nifty Christmas gift. The best have at least 7 hours of battery life and weigh less than 3 pounds, so they’re ultraportable and make for a handy secondary computer, especially for Web browsing on the fly. You can pick up a good one for about $340. We like the Asus Eee PC 1005HA-MU17-WT. It runs on Windows 7. (Netbooks use the Starter version of the operating system, which does not have the Aero interface you might be familiar with from other versions of Windows 7 and Vista.) It’s got a long battery life, and we particularly liked the relatively large keyboard and the display’s wide viewing angle. —Donna Tapellini

Stop back tomorrow and Thursday for gifts under $200 and under $100, respectively.