Black Friday 2010 is almost with us (Please post your bargain finds-for all to see)

Multiple url's ^ | 02November2010 | self

[Las Vegas Dave]

HDTV PING LIST and all, just in time for your 2010 Black Friday bargain hunting, a leading consumer orientated monthly publication has the LCD and Plasma TV ratings in their December 2010 issue, (which should be currently available on your newsstands, book stores, or libraries).

In order of most and least reliable brands are the following;

LCDs

Panasonic *2
Sanyo *2
Sylvania *2
SONY *3
JVC *3
Vizio *3
Sharp *3
Emerson *3
LG *3
Insignia *4
Toshiba *4
Magnavox *4
Phillips *4
View sonic *4
Samsung *4
Westinghouse *8
Polaroid *10
Mitsubishi *12

PLASMAs

Panasonic *3
Samsung *5
LG *6

Consider a set from one of the above brands that have the most consistently high scores or the past three years.

(*Numbers shown are the percentages of of TVs that were repaired or had a serious problem.)

[KoRn]

Wow.... I would have thought Samsung would have placed better than that. They tend to have a great reputation. We’ve had ours for going on 3 years, and it has been great.

(now that I’ve said that, it will probably die in the middle of the Thanksgiving Day football game)

[Las Vegas Dave]

Our JVC had one factory repair, that was not needed.

When the repair man came, he thought the tuner was defective based upon my complaint, when replaced, there was no difference in it.., and he said it wasn’t needed!

The JVC’s QAM tuner was not near as good as our 34SONY XBR’s tuner, digital stations to the fifth place decimal on that (209 pound CRT) SONY.

BTW: if your TV goes on Thanksgiving, SEARS is open that day..

[KoRn]

"BTW: if your TV goes on Thanksgiving, SEARS is open that day.."

Thanks for the heads up! I would hate to declare an "emergency" and have to run out and buy a new 52inch LED. ;p

[EDINVA]

Wonder how all those souvenir shops in DC are doing with their Obama t-shirts and gear? Read by mid-summer 2010, their inventories weren’t moving at all. Where I live in Northern VA, by February 2009 they were marking that stuff down. But I DO like the countdown clock.

[tarheelswamprat]

I would have thought Samsung would have placed better than that. They tend to have a great reputation.

They did, but I'm not so sure they deserve it anymore. I have a seven year old Samung CRT TV that's been fine, but I've had lousy luck with some of their other components.

I had a lot of family videos on VCR that I wanted to dub to DVD so I bought one of their VCR/DVD combo decks (about $300.00). The laser died in just under a year. I figured I was still under warranty so no big deal.

Wrong! The new warranties are 1 year parts-90 days labor (lots of manufacturers are going to this scam). The estimate to repair it was $175-$200, so I just bought a new one (prices had dropped to $200 by then). That one lasted about 6 months before the laser died. In addition, even while they were working both units were extremely finicky and wouldn't read about half the disks I tried.

I finally bought a JVC model which has lasted 18 months, reads and writes everything I throw at it, and is still going strong. I know this is anecdotal, but I don't trust Samsung anymore.

Moreover, these 1 year parts-90 days labor warranties are an outrageous scam. Usually first year problems are such things as a busted $0.75 capacitor or a failed solder joint or contact switch, but you get reamed on the labor and shipping.

rant off... /g

[The Comedian]

I still want to get one of these:

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[KoRn]

1 Year parts/90 days labor..... What a ripoff!

It seems the goal of modern companies isn’t customer satisfaction and value. Their goal is to get the one time wealth extraction from you, then to hell with ya, and move onto the next potential customer(victim). They benefit greatly from the general stupidity of the average person out there these days(the younger people that probably wouldn’t know how to change a tire).

[Las Vegas Dave]

I just called our local COSTCO, they have a very good return policy for the televisions, 90 days for return, two years for repair.

[Las Vegas Dave]

Target’s Black Friday Deals — Revealed!
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (November 10, 2010) — How would you like a 46-inch LCD HDTV for just $449? Or a 40-inch Westinghouse LCD HDTV for just $298?

That’s just a few of the “Black Friday” deals that you can expect at Target, 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 (Nov. 26), better known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

Last July, Target held an early ‘Black Friday’ sale with such deals as a 47-inch Philips 1080p LCD HDTV for $699 and a Sylvania 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV for $349. But on the real Black Friday, the retailer is offering even deeper discounts.

Here are the likely deals on Black Friday at Target, according to BlackFriday,info:

Apex 46-inch 60HZ 1080P LCD HDTV - $449.00
Samsung 32-inch LN32C350 60Hz 720p LCD HDTV — $327
Westinghouse 40” 60Hz 1080p LCD HDTV - $298
Sony Wireless Ready Blu-ray Player - $99.00
Xbox 360 4GB Game System w/ Internal WiFi And Free $50 Target Gift Card - $199.99

PS3 160GB Holiday Bundle - $299.99
Western Digital 1TB Portable Hard Drive - $69.00
Zombieland (Blu-Ray) - $12.99
Wanted (Blu-Ray) - $7.99
The Hangover (Blu-Ray) - $12.99
Taken (Blu-Ray) - $7.99

Lord Of The Rings (Blu-Ray) - $7.99
Bloom Swivel TV Stand - $99.00
Polaroid V720 USB Digital Camcorder - $49.00
Nikon S205 Digital Camera with 12 megapixels and 4X optical zoom - $79.00
Canon SX120 Digital Camera with 10X Optical Zoom, 10 Megapixels and 3”LDC Screen - $129.00

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Radio Shack’s Black Friday Deals — Revealed!
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (November 10, 2010) — How would you like a 32-inch LCD HDTV for just $279? Or a 19-inch Hitachi LCD HDTV for just $149?

That’s just a few of the “Black Friday” deals that you can expect at Radio Shack, 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 (Nov. 26), better known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

Radio Shack says it will open its doors on Black Friday at 5:30 a.m. — and that quantities of discounted items are limited.

Here are the likely deals on Black Friday at Radio Shack, according to BlackFriday,info:

Hitachi 19-Inch LCD HDTV — $149
XBox 360 4GB System (w/Free $10 Gift Card) - $199
PS3 160GB Console - $299
Samsung Blu-ray Player w/Wireless Network Ready - $119
Samsung 32-Inch LCD HDTV - $349

AOC 32-Inch LCD HDTV - $279
Memorex Upconverting DVD Player — $29
DXG 720p HD Camcorder - $69

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Costco’s Black Friday Deals — Revealed!
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2010) — How would you like a 32-inch LCD HDTV for $269? Or a Vizio 55-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $180 off the regular price?

That’s just a few of the “Black Friday” deals that you can expect at Costco, according to the web site, Bfads.net, which annually tracks retailer discounts on the big shopping day.

Retailers traditionally offer deep discounts on the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), better known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

Costco is offering special Black Friday deals on 68 items, including several electronics products. The doors will open at 9 a.m. on Black Friday and the discounted prices will last until Sunday.

Here are the likely deals on Black Friday at Costco, according to Bfads.net. (Note: Some items do not list the final price, only the discounted amount.)

Hannspree 32-inch LCD HDTV — $269
Vizio 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV — $60 off regular price.
Vizio 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $50 off regular price.
Vizio 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $80 off regular price.
Vizio 55-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $190 off regular price.

Dell Studio 15 Laptop — $599
HP Desktop PC w/25-Inch HD LCD Monitor — $799
Flip Ultra HD Camcorder — $20 off regular price.
Kodak 3.0” LCD Digital Camera — $199.
AOC 24” HD LCD Monitor — $149

Sony Blu-ray Player — $45
Avatar Blu-ray Collector’s Edition - $6 off

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Best Buy’s Black Friday Deals — Revealed!
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2010) — How would you like a Toshiba Blu-ray player for $59? Or, a Panasonic 50-inch, 1080p Plasma HDTV for just $699?

That’s just a few of the “Black Friday” deals that you can expect at Best Buy, 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 (Nov. 26), better known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

Here are the likely deals on Black Friday at Best Buy, which will open its doors on the big day at 5 a.m., according to BlackFriday.info.

Coby 15-Inch LCD HDTV — $99.99
Dynex 24-inch 1080p LED HDTV — $189.99
Insignia 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV — $369.99
LG 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $379.99
Panasonic 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV — $499

Panasonic 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV — $699.99
Samsung 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV — $329.99
Samsung 55-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $1499.99
Sony 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $698.99
Toshiba 55-inch 1080p LCD HDTV — $969.99

Westinghouse 42-inch 1080p LED HDTV — $649.99
Samsung 46” 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV — $797.99
Samsung 46” 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV w/Blu-ray Disc Player - $999.98
XBox 360 4GB Console w/LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman & LEGO Indiana Jones - $199.99
Playstation 3 160GB Console w/2 Games & 1 Blu-ray Movie - $299.99

Sony 16GB High-Def Camcorder — $399.99
Samsung 1000 Watts Blu-ray Home Theater System — $297.99
Microsoft 16GB Zune HD — $169.99
Microsoft 32GB Zune HD — $209.99
Blu-ray Movies — starting at $7.99

Insignia Blu-ray Player — $89.99
Sony Blu-ray Player — $99.99
Sony ‘Internet TV’ Blu-ray Player — $299
Toshiba Blu-ray Player — $59
Flip Ultra HD Camcorder — $99.99

Rocketfish 8’ HDMI Cable, 7-Outlet Home Theater Surge Protector, LCD Cleaning Kit - $99.97

[DollyCali]

BTTT

thanks for this great list Dave

I have a LOT of wants (no real needs)

and I have a LOT OF NO MONEY

but if some should come this way, this comparison list will be helpful

I had briefly priced some LG screen TVS at Walmart the other day when I was there for something else.

[Las Vegas Dave]

Wal-Mart’s BF sale has not been leaked to my knowledge.

A year or two ago the BF websites posted letters from various corporations’ lawyers (including W-M) threatening law suits.

I have not seen any posted this year on the BF web sites.

[DollyCali]

Dave or anyone else.

can you answer a question (sorry to really show my ignorance)

is there a difference from a PLASMA TV & a regular HD TV?

I see all these terms & have no idea what they really mean.

I have a very small TV that was my mom’s.. flat screen - a vizio. I put on the curb a few weeks ago a monster box TV.. it was large & great pix/ built in VHS & DVD but the controls didn’t work (like on /off) & the remote was not working & apparently not sold. finding anyone to work on small electronics is impossible. so on the curb it went. I put the projection TV on the curb about 5 years ago. It was very large but pix not that sharp.

Like I said , I am a real caveman

[DollyCali]

LED, LCD

[Las Vegas Dave]

http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/hdtv/led-vs-lcd.html
(More information at the above link. LED’s do offer some advantages.)

LED TV is a bit of a misnomer but as manufacturers and retailers continue to use the term, it makes it’s way into the public conscience and is worth deliberating on the differences. LED televisions are really just LCD televisions that use LED lights for back lighting instead of the flourescent CFL lighting traditionally used for LCDs. Both employ the liquid crystal diode (LCD) technology front panel containing the “twisting crystals” which define LCD technology.

LED TVs feature two main forms of back lighting, edge lighting and local dimming. Edge lighting has LEDs around the edge of the panel and this allows for extremely thin construction. Lately, through advancements in LED (light emitting diode) technology these lights can be manufactured in very small sizes so even local dimming back lighting LED TVs can have a very thin depth. Local dimming backlighting features banks of LED lights behind the panel and these banks can be controlled to lower the amount of back lighting in dark areas of the screen and raise it in bright areas for higher contrast and better blacks. This is accomplished through varying features options in the TV. One recent example had an option to turn the local dimming option on or off. We did notice an improvement in black levels with the feature on.

[Las Vegas Dave]

LCD or PLASMA?
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml

This is the #1 question for me at any dinner party: Which is better, LCD TV or Plasma? This is a much debated topic and a fun one. When choosing between plasma and LCD TVs, you're actually selecting between two competing technologies, both of which achieve similar features (i.e., ,bright crystal-clear images, super color-filled pictures) and come in similar packages (i.e., 1.5 to 4 inch depth flat screen casing). To complicate the decision-making process further, price and size are two previous considerations that are rapidly becoming non-issues as LCD TVs are now being made in larger sizes and at competing prices with plasma.

Despite their similarities, the two technologies are very different in the way they deliver the image to the viewer.

Plasma technology consists of hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells, which allow electric pulses (stemming from electrodes) to excite rare natural gases-usually xenon and neon-causing them to glow and produce light. This light illuminates the proper balance of red, green, or blue phosphors contained in each cell to display the proper color sequence from the light. Each pixel cell is essentially an individual microscopic florescent light bulb, receiving instruction from software contained on the rear electrostatic silicon board. Look very closely at a plasma TV and you can actually see the individual pixel cell coloration of red, green, and blue bars. You can also see the black ribs which separate each.

Whether spread across a flat-panel screen or placed in the heart of a projector, all LCD displays come from the same technological background. A matrix of thin-film transistors (TFTs) supplies voltage to liquid-crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. When hit with an electrical charge, the crystals untwist to an exact degree to filter white light generated by a lamp behind the screen (for flat-panel TVs) or one projecting through a small LCD chip (for projection TVs). LCD monitors reproduce colors through a process of subtraction: They block out particular color wavelengths from the spectrum of white light until they're left with just the right color. And, it's the intensity of light permitted to pass through this liquid-crystal matrix that enables LCD televisions to display images chock-full of colors-or gradations of them.

Dolly, you are now an official expert!

[DollyCali]

I now officially have EXPERT INFORMATION.. I dont understand it

Here is my question.. which would you buy if price etc was the same

[tarheelswamprat]

1 Year parts/90 days labor..... What a ripoff!

Yep! However, for accuracy's sake I should note that because of the heat and bad PR they encountered most manufacturers quickly went back to the standard one year parts and labor warranties on their televisions. They will still sucker you on their other A/V components if you're not careful, however. You still need to check before you buy. This doesn't mean you shouldn't buy. It just means that you may need to factor in the cost of the store's extended warranty as part of the true cost of the component.

Looked at from an industry-wide perspective this just means that the manufacturers' and retailers' business model is not simply based on a warranty scam policy, but also a pricing scam policy. The net result is that the true cost of ownership of their products is disguised and understated.

[tarheelswamprat]

Here is my question.. which would you buy if price etc was the same

There is another factor which for me would be the deciding one - plasmas generally require more power and generate more excess heat than LCDs. This can be especially important if you place the TV in a confined location or an enclosed cabinet setup.

[Varda]

You might want to check out AVS forum. I read several threads before I realized which set I wanted for my situation (plasma, I watch a lot of sports and am motion sensitive). I own a CRT, plasma, LCD & projector. Plasmas will last a long while and give excellent picture quality, color and are particularly good with motion. The new fast LCDs get good reviews and the ones that are non-LED are cheap. I would be wary of the LED ones because it's new tech and haven't shown they will hold up over time.