Is now a good time to get an HDTV?

I

ItsTrueItsTrue92

CAGiversary!
Feedback
3 (100%)
I can pop it on my credit card and easily pay it off over time as I have done with things in the past. I'm not a tech guy so I don't know if there is something that will make HDTVs drop in price dramatically in the near future or if there is some special cheap brand that will make my world go round. I'm very tempted to get one though as a 22nd birthday present to myself.
 
Black Friday sales are hit or miss. Seems like most of the time the super sales are for garbage bargain brands like Vizio, Westinghouse etc. Not to mention having to fight the crowds etc.

Best bet is to just research and find out what TV you want and just price watch it for a while--as well as checking the deal site forums and searching to see what the lowest price has been on it in recent months.

Pick a price you're willing to pay for it and jump when it gets below that.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Black Friday sales are hit or miss. Seems like most of the time the super sales are for garbage bargain brands like Vizio, Westinghouse etc. Not to mention having to fight the crowds etc.

Best bet is to just research and find out what TV you want and just price watch it for a while--as well as checking the deal site forums and searching to see what the lowest price has been on it in recent months.

Pick a price you're willing to pay for it and jump when it gets below that.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I hate my garbage Westinghouse...wait no I don't.
 
[quote name='specialk']Yeah I hate my garbage Westinghouse...wait no I don't.[/QUOTE]

Garbage is harsh, but the budget brands can't compare with the more expensive brands. You get what you pay for.

But budget brands are ok for college students etc. without money, but if you have a full time job you're better saving longer and going with higher quality TV IMHO.

I'm no videophile, but I took a chance on a Vizio last summer and hated it and took it back and paid more for a Sony (granted it wasn't alot more and was a bigger set --50" vs. 42 as there was a great deal on it at the time).

But I should have remember I was on CAG when I posted that. :) I'm not a cheap ass anymore and just come here for the gaming discussion etc.
 
Hmm, just wait for black friday deals to come out (usually around early october) and see where you go from there. Like the others have said, you'd probably have to line up and wait in the cold for the TVs as they're the most popular ones.

I really suggest getting a high end brand. I personally recommend Samsung, try looking around for that if you can.
 
[quote name='DarkSageRK']If you're getting it just for games, you might as well just get an LCD monitor instead.[/QUOTE]

Size kills that option for me, I don't think I could go back to gaming on anything under 50".
 
[quote name='Rocko']Personally, I'm going to be waiting for Black Friday to get an HDTV.[/quote]

I am most likely doing this as well.
 
As others have said, if you're ok with a budget tv wait until Black Friday.

However, my suggestion is to check out CostCo. You can usually find previous models of TVs for good prices. Plus (unless this has changed) they give you a 2 yr warranty on top of the manufacturers coverage.
 
I'm catching the vibe that you don't want to deal with Black Friday. If that's the case, take the much calmer route. Just do a little research, find out what you need in a TV, then find a nice well known brand with a good price that's right for you.

I understand that we're all cheap-asses here, but seriously, there are some purchases for which you should not, under any circumstances, take the cheap way out. An HDtv purchase is one of them. It might hurt your wallet a bit, but if you think you can afford it, just take the plunge. I promise, as soon as you hookup your 360, you'll forget you even spent the money.
 
Prices are always headed down and the technology is just going to get better over time.

The longer you feel you can hold out, the better its going to be.

Do be wary about the state of displaying legacy content though. If you're going to be purchasing from a retail outlet like a Best Buy/Circuit City, bring some of your consoles down and see about giving them a spin, especially if you are into games that require extreme accuracy/timing (fighting, shmups).

If you're no longer playing non-HD systems, dont worry about it.
 
I'd reccomend just keeping an old SDTV around for old consoles if you have the room. They all look pretty crappy on HDTVs. Lag can be an issue, but only with certain games like fighers etc.; that are very dependent on timing as DMK says. You won't really notice it in most games, just ones that require precise timing.

And light gun games only work on CRT tvs, so those won't work on plasmas, LCDs etc.

But if you're 360/PS3 only then it's moot. I'm 360 only now both because the PS2/Wii looked like ass on my HDTV when I got it and there was just nothing I wanted to play on the PS2 anymore and the Wii just wasn't my cup of tea.
 
black friday and pre-superbowl are usually when the best deals are.
order online. you can get them cheaper than what you would from circuit city/best buy and most places. alot even offer free shipping. crutchfield.com is a good place, good prices, free shipping, good customer service. just stay away from some of the "too good to be true price" places, check them out on resellerratings.com.
if you do buy from a B&M store, try to haggle. alot of places will drop the price some. take ads from other places, or print outs from online places. they may not match them, but they most likely will cut you a deal if it means you buy from them and not someone else.
and use your credit card, most credit cards have a thing where they will double the manufacturer's warranty. call your credit card company to find out more.

as for make, i'd recommend toshiba, it's what i got. and i love it. nice balance of price and features/pic quality. the main reason i went with toshiba though is i visited a few hdtv forums and did searches of the major name brands, sony, samsung, sharp, toshiba, and toshiba had the least amount of topics of people having problems with them.

gl with whatever you choose and have fun with it.
 
[quote name='DarkSageRK']If you're getting it just for games, you might as well just get an LCD monitor instead.[/quote]


Is it that up to a certain size monitors are the better deal? I think I read somewhere that after 26-inches it's more cost-effective to just buy a HDTV. I think. :whistle2:k
 
Also, waiting until Black Friday gives you two months to put aside cash instead of "pop it on my credit card and easily pay it off over time" which will also save you money.
 
I got a 37 inch LCD olevia last year for $400. As for the garbage quality comment, this TV is better than all the HD TVs I see at other peoples houses, which include samsungs AND sonys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top