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Television manufacturers discount their products by as much as $200 at the end of the month, says Brian Gaulding, owner of Shawels TV & Appliances in Newport News.
"And they absolutely drop their prices before an event," he says. "The week before the Super Bowl, the week before March Madness, those are the times to buy."
The annual Consumer Electronics Show in January also gives consumers a peek at new technology and an inkling about which technology will be replaced — and discounted — in the near future.
Now, more than ever, it's not uncommon to see a 40- or 42-inch LCD high-definition television priced right at $300. Limited-quantity Black Friday deals hit as low as $189 on those TVs, but shoppers can feel savvy paying anything below $350, say the editors at dealnews.com.
According to the deals tracked at that website, prices on 42-inch HDTVs dropped by 53 percent in 2011. Larger TVs in the 55- and 60-inch categories fell in price by about 30 percent, though this is the size category manufacturers are heavily marketing. For brand-name sets, shoppers should try to stay within the $800 to $1,000 range if they want to score a deal.
"3D-capable TVs have held surprisingly high in my opinion," says Jerry Tietjens, a Newport News-based bargain hunter for the website crazytowndeals.com. "Given all the other extras you have to buy like glasses and a 3D-capableblu-rayplayer, they don't seem like a great bargain, yet. Right now, the best bargains are on the bundle deals, where they throw in a blu-ray player or glasses.
"I expect 3D TVs to drop a fair amount this year to get people to fall in love with the technology," he adds. "This technology isn't selling the way the manufacturers thought it would."
Gaulding stocks several 3D HDTVs in his store, and he has been surprised with the customer response.
"We sold about 10 last year," he said. "But that is a pretty high percentage for the size of the market we represent. We just added TVs back into our store in 2009, and we're still growing that portion of our business."
So how do you pick the right television at the right price? Here is the information you need before you choose a new high-definition set.
Pick the right size
Though a 60-inch HDTV may be tempting if you're a Giants or a Patriots fan, viewers should sit at least 7.5 feet away from the screen. A 10-foot distance between yourself and the screen is likely to feel more comfortable.
In general, shoppers should plan for 1.5 to 2 times the size of the screen in inches between the TV and the viewer. In other words, a viewer should sit no closer than 63 inches (or 5.25 feet) from a 42-inch TV.
Decipher the acronyms
Historically, the debate has centered on LCD versus Plasma televisions. Now, LED and 3D HDTVs are in focus, with the up-and-coming OLED (organic LED) on the horizon.
The chief difference between the displays is in how they are lit. Plasma, which offers deep blacks and rich color, is often cited as a good choice for a dark room. The oft-mentioned "burn-in" concern — a reference to the possibility of a channel's logo or news ticker leaving a permanent mark on the screen — is no longer an issue for consumers.
LCD panels offer a brighter color and are better suited to a well-lit room, but most video trend trackers are opting for the increasingly popular LED sets, which are thinner, more energy efficient and offer a better contrast ratio — a reference to how dark the black colors appear and how white the white colors appear.
"LED sets really stand apart because they have auto dimming technology," Gaulding says. "The set auto adjusts to the light in the room. It really is a very good feature for the LEDs. They are really rich in picture."
And though more consumers seem skeptical about 3D technology, Consumer Reports rated two Panasonic Plasma 3D models (VT20 and VT25) as the best overall high-definition TVs available.
"Those looking for the absolute best HD performance should also consider a 3D model, even if they don't plan to use 3D immediately," the report noted.
