Posted on 08/28/2009 2:02:29 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave
While HDTVs have been popular Black Friday items in the past few years, GottaDeal.com expects that this holiday season will be the a significant one for HDTV purchases by the average consumer. Prices have dropped this year more than any previous year, and with the digital TV transition now complete, a large part of the general public is looking to get a new HDTV, either as a primary or secondary television, and this Black Friday should provide an large number of deals. With HDTVs, quality can vary greatly from the cheaper to the more expensive units. In many cases, the lowest-priced models on Black Friday are stripped-down models made exclusively for that retailer's sale. In many cases they lack features and the quality components used to manufacture higher priced models. That doesn't necessarily mean that these deals aren't great - it's just a case of "buyer beware" as you should not expect $2,000 performance from a $500 HDTV.
The two primary types of flat panel HDTVs in the Black Friday ads will be LCD and Plasma. Plasma HDTVs tend to be cheaper going by cost per inch, but that is not always the case as there are some very high-end, highly rated plasma models out there. The maximum resolution of an HDTV is also something that you'll see in the ads. Most HDTVs will either be 1080p or 720p. These numbers represent the maximum lines of horizontal resolution that the TV can display at once. 1080p is the native resolution for things like Blu-ray, some video games and other sources, and being higher resolution means that these models will cost more.
LCD HDTVs can come with different refresh rates. As of a couple years ago, most models were 60Hz. Newer models are 120Hz or higher. Most consumers won't notice the difference between the different rates, although on some source materials such as movies shot on film, it can be somewhat noticeable. Newer technology such as LED-backlit HDTVs has hit the market, however it will likely be another year or two before these models get the full Black Friday discount treatment from retailers.
On to price predictions. Consumers should fully expect to see 42" plasma and HDTVs in the $399 to $499 range this year. During the last few months on GottaDeal.com, there have been posted deals for 42" HDTVs for under $600 in a few cases, so it's completely realistic to expect at least one retailer to have a deal under $400 on a lower-quality model. These cheaper HDTVs will likely be 720p and will lack features found in more expensive models. Prices on 50" plasma and LCD HDTVs should also fall this Black Friday, perhaps to somewhere around $599 to $699
Hey, I wasn’t in Poland in 1939 either.
It will happen when it happens. ;)
IMO, Phillip Swann could have chosen better words for his web site other than TV Predictions.(One can get the impression that Johnny Carson’s Carnac came up with the web site name.)
The better term to use would be “HD news from the web - Technology news and analysis”.
Speaking of Carnac, I just located on the net one of his funniest “SIS BOOM BAH” (Carson breaks up before reading the answer of the question about 4 1/2 minutes into the skit...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlLmS54qn-I
(Pinging the list with this Carson gem-enjoy!)
I searched the net to jog my memory of when this happened and saw that this was in 1981 for those of you (like me) that didn't remember.
(BTW: I saw the SIS BOOM BAH youtube skit the night it was broadcast in '81.)
Sony XBR9 52" (240hz) price at Amazon under $2100 last time I looked. I paid $1999.97 for my Sony XBR4 40" in Jan 2008.
When I bought my Mitsubishi 55 rear projection TV on Labor Day in 2000 it cost $4,000. They also had a fancier model for $25,000 at the time.
If you want BIG, Mitsubishi sells an 82 inch DLP TV for under $5,000. I would get DLP, but I don't want to replace the bulb every 1 - 3 years at $200 to $300 a pop.
If you wait, prices do drop a lot. I paid $840.00 for my first VCR and $13.00 per 4 1/2 hour beta tape.
I am waiting for the backlit LED's to drop in price AND the screens to get bigger.
I still have all three formats and they all work.
>>I still have all three formats and they all work.<<
Me too. ;)
I have three turntable systems as well. I spend some time on Audiokarma.org and have five “vintage” systems in my home. I use one in my rehearsal room as the main playback system for recording. I don’t much like the quality of sound from any of the 8 track or cassettes but they are fun to play. And the bad sound is part of the experience.
I only have one turntable. My oldest computer is a Commodore 64. I also have an Amiga. Still have a CB Radio out in the garage.
More BLACK FRIDAY predictions...(Special thanks to SunkenCiv for the link)
http://dealmac.com/features/The-dealnews-2009-Black-Friday-Predictions/317799.html
and
http://dealnews.com/black-friday.html
Summary: Black Friday Predictions for Laptop PCs
Netbook with 9” screen, SSD, Linux for $129
Netbook with 10” screen, 1GB RAM, hard drive, Windows for $199
Basic 15” Intel or AMD Dual Core laptop for $249
Well-equipped 15.4” Intel Core 2 Duo Laptop with 4GB RAM for $399
Summary: Black Friday Predictions for Blu-ray
Blu-ray player for $49
Blu-ray player / movie bundle for $99
Blu-ray movies you actually want from $5
Summary: Black Friday Predictions for LCD & Plasma TVs
40”-42” 1080p LCD HDTV for $449
46”-47” 1080p LCD HDTV for $599
46”-47” 1080p LCD HDTV, 120Hz or 240Hz for $899
52” 1080p LCD HDTV for $999
52” brand-name 1080p LCD HDTV, 120Hz or 240Hz for $1,049
50” 1080p plasma HDTV for $899
Summary: Black Friday Predictions for iPods, Macs, hard drives, and LCD monitors
Free shipping no min at Apple Store online
The newest Apple product for 10% off
iMac and MacBook computers for 5% to 10% off
1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $49
Name-brand 22” LCD Monitor for $99
Name-brand 24” LCD Monitor for $145
25% less than a new one. There’s a huge selection.
Summary: Black Friday Predictions for GPSs, Digital Photo Frames, and HD Camcorders
Nintendo Wii Game Console for $199
8”-9” digital picture frame for $30
Basic HD 720p camcorder for $60
1080p HD camcorder, 8GB or better for $349
entry-level GPS units for $49
entry-level Garmin or TomTom GPS units for $69
widescreen GPS with Bluetooth, TTS for $95
I was interested in these netbooks but know nothing about them. Are they essentially a small laptop or are they more akin to an Blackberry?
I mean will it run on a router or do you have to have internet phone plan?
What about software..... photos, media players?
I bought an ASUS netbook for Mrs. Toast last Christmas.
It runs Windows XP, has a 120GB hard drive, a wireless WiFi card, and video camera built in. There is no DVD.
I spent extra for the larger battery.
I set it up for the home router and she is able to connect to the wireless networks in the hotels she stays at.
The screen is small and I wouldn’t try to use it for movies or games, but for e-mail, surfing, music, and photos it works great.
My TV had stick people in back and white!!!!
Where can I go to learn about HDTV? All the numbers...etc...
HDTV ping list members, “Black Friday” sales are now being leaked.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/blacksears102809.htm
Sears: Black Friday Deals Revealed!
TVPredictions.com
Washington, D.C. (October 28, 2009) — How would you like a 40-inch 1080p Samsung LCD HDTV for just $599? Or, a 42-inch Zenith Plasma HDTV for just $499?
That’s just a few of the “Black Friday” deals that you can expect at Sears, according to the web site, BlackFriday.info, which annually tracks retailer discounts on the big shopping day.
Retailers traditionally offer deep discounts on the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.
Other deals likely on Black Friday at Sears, according to BlackFriday,info:
LG 55-inch LCD HDTV — $1,499
Panasonic 42-inch Plasma HDTV — $649
Panasonic 54-inch Plasma HDTV — $1,499
Proscan 40-Inch LCD HDTV — $539
Samsung 22-inch LCD HDTV — $249
Samsung 40-inch LED HDTV — $1399.99
Samsung 42-Inch Plasma HDTV — $549
Samsung 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $899
Samsung 46-inch LCD HDTV — $1,309
Samsung 50-Inch Plasma HDTV — $699
Samsung 55-Inch LED HDTV — $2,469
Sony 32-inch LCD HDTV — $379
Sony 40-Inch LCD HDTV — $664
Sony 46-Inch LCD HDTV — $854
Toshiba 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $589
There has been speculation that retailers this holiday season will offer Blu-ray players for as low as $49. However, Sears is posting just two standalone Blu-ray players in its Black Friday ad — both for $149.
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I have copy and pasted the following Black Friday web sites that may be of interest to some of you.
LVD
http://bfads.net/
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/
http://www.black-friday.net/
http://www.blackfridayads.com/
http://dealnews.com/black-friday.html?iref=dnhd
And this one is not a Black Friday web site but still interesting for the bargain hunters = http://www.hot-deals.org/
I still have not bought a ‘new’ HDTV, money was needed elsewhere. But I still take a look at them when I walk through walmart.
Thanks LVD. I enjoy these reports.
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