Posted on 11/16/2009 1:33:01 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If you're in the market for a new flatscreen TV this holiday season, you're in luck.
As nervous merchants prepare to draw reluctant shoppers with juicy sales, retail experts say some of the sweetest deals in the coming weeks will be on high-definition televisions.
As they compete for customers, TV sellers are going to wage a price war, and the biggest bargains will likely be on smaller models.
"The difference from prior holiday discounts on TVs is that consumers will find really, really good prices on 32-inch to 37-inch HDTVs and not necessarily the 65-inch models," said Phillip Swann, a consumer electronics expert and publisher of TVpredictions.com.
"We're already seeing 32-inch LCD models under $400. Typically they are $500, or more," he said. "And we're also seeing prices drop from about a $1,000 for 40-inch screens to $800."
One example, Target (TGT, Fortune 500) is reportedly featuring a 32-inch Westinghouse LCD HDTV for $246 as a "doorbuster special" on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when holiday shopping kicks off in earnest.
"The $246 HDTV is the lowest price that we've ever seen for that model," said Brad Olson, founder of Gottadeal.com, a Web site that markets itself as one of many "official" Black Friday deal sites.
Ross Rubin, a consumer electronics analyst with market research firm NPD Group, agreed. "A 32-inch [TV] under $400 is going to be a key price point for merchants," Ross said.
"The smaller TV models also appeal to consumers who already have a 47 or 50-inch HDTV in the living room and they want to add another flatscreen in the bedroom or elsewhere," Rubin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
I just bought a 42" Vizio for $648.... Let the games begin! :)
I saw an LED backlit screen yesterday, and the picture was amazing. If I go through the effort to replace my primary TV, I'm going to spend the money for it.
Samsung is also offering (or about to offer) an LED-backlit screen in which the brightness of individual LEDs is controlled to increase contrast. Unfortunately, it's about 50% more than a LED-backlit screen without the technology.
“There’s talk in California of outlawing retail sales of big screen TVs.”
And I will be a criminal on several counts.
Health Care Resister
Big Screen abuser
I have no front license plates
I had to go look....in October of ‘06 we got our first LCD; a 32 inch Sony Bravia - $1350.00 at Circuit City.
>> best viewing possible for the large screen TVs (55 inch or thereabouts) could be obtained... [in] a double-wide trailer
For some reason that really tickled my funny bone.
I'll be sure to fire that puppy up before Pacific premieres on HBO in spring.
Unless you have a source for 1080p, it's not worth it. Most broadcasts are 720p or 1080i. And on a 32" it probably wouldn't be noticeable anyway.
Most folks have “other stuff” along the wall in back of them ~ cabinets, tables, bookcases, computer command center, and so forth. Unless I put the TV in front of a window, it just wouldn’t work here ~ and it doesn’t work in a lot of other places either. The double-wides get by because they usually don’t have bookcases.
That's $100 less than I paid for the same TV 14 months ago. Got mine at Sam's Club.
Vizio is a great product for the money.
I paid 1000 for the same vizio! Best TV for sale IMO.
Well.....That cabinet may have to go....Decisions...decisions...>
any opinions?
I saw the LED with Blue Ray and was blown away. The depth was amazing!
Can a flat TV screen be used for a computer? I don’t want a TV and a computer screen if I don’t need it.
A high-def flatscreen is tempting, but my 36” Sony XBR tube weighs 234 pounds and I *really* don’t feel like moving it downstairs and out. Ten years ago it was torture enough getting it upstairs.
I’m very pleased with Vizio and held out til the price was right. You got a deal at Sam’s.....because Mom paid $200 more for hers last year... at Walmart.
I've heard that before. I was looking at a 37" at Wal-Mart this afternoon. I have to measure, though, because it is a little to wide for my TV cabinet. It's at 36 1/4" and the TV was 36 19/32". A 36" model would fit, I suspect.
What I'd really like to see is a battery operated HDTV for use after a hurricane. The digital conversion turned all battery operated analog sets into junk.
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