Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Lana said 9:31PM on 9-04-2008
What the hell is he talking about? Blu-Ray is the actual DVD (if you will) media, while OLED has to do with the TV display. They are two completely different things. A Blu-Ray movie will play on any TV screen and has high resolution modes not even available on most TVs on the market right now which makes room to keep it in business for quite some time as new TVs come out that can display the blu-ray quality better and better. This guy's a moron, unless Samsung has plans up their sleeve they are trying to keep mum about.
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Twolf said 12:04AM on 9-05-2008
That's kinda what I was thinking as I was reading it.
joel said 1:14AM on 9-05-2008
well wax recording was supposed to be the best ever then came vinyl,they varied in speed from 16 to 78 and anything in between at the same time wire recording came along it was considered the best thing next to cheese , actual tape wether audio or visual countless style size and format were offered all claiming to be the very best 90% gone today, then we had the "dvd player" the original were the size of a large lp 1980, the newer one a couples of inches also in different format, different reader were experimented all the very best at this time it is blue ray, considering the evolution will it last very long ? I seriousely doubt it we have the digital card no moving part less labor even less maintenance than dvd and as reliable....what will be next ?????
joel said 1:16AM on 9-05-2008
and yes I forgot these monster computer disk used in the 70's pure aluminium over 3/16 thick and gols in color nobody has a device to read them anymore.........
John C said 9:46PM on 9-04-2008
I doubt Samsung knows, what Sony is doing. Consider there are hundreds of millions PS3's with Blu-ray players in them, and the amount continues to grow. even the newest Xbox 360's are going to have Blu-ray in them. This is even counting all the normal Blu-ray players. Five years,
I bet 15.
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Techno Wiz said 9:51PM on 9-04-2008
The buzz in the electronics world is that an un-named company is currently testing a player that will make the blu-ray obsolete!
As with all techno stuff it's time is running out!!
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Vismortis said 10:15PM on 9-04-2008
uh no the 360's wont have blu-ray MS confirmed that was a Internet rumor long ago ( MS MAY MAKE A XBOX FORMAT for their system )Why would Microsoft Pay to use their direct competitors technology in every system they build? Blu-Ray will pry last 15 years like DVD is still kicking now ( even though it isnt the best tech it is the most common and most prefered by most consumers due to price and people not having 10 BR players and having tuns of DVD players ). in 5 years it is most probable that there will be something to replace Blu-ray as top dog it will take time to kill it but they will die. in 2000 we thought nothing would top the DVD and look they are dyeing!
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JohnStewart said 9:29AM on 9-07-2008
BluRay and OLED are two completely different things. The references though are valid. BluRay will be on its way out. A newer format with ntimes more resolution is being worked on. It won't be long and BluRay will be shelved. 5 years may be a little soon, will probably be 7-8. OLED is the best new display to ocme along in a long time. Much higher brightness capabilities on a paper is what it promises. I've seen early examples as of a year ago on larger screens than are out now and it will be a revolution in the resolution and the savings in power.
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jesse said 10:58PM on 9-04-2008
I agree with lana. Right now OLED tvs are looking pretty good on the tiny 10 some odd inch model i saw at the store, but i think we will be playing blu ray disks on them and every other kind of tv for at least 10 years. im sure there will be a 1440p or higher system some day but right now a lot of hdtvs are running 720p and most people cant tell theyre not displaying 1080. right now dvd is only 13 years old and slowly being phased out by blu ray. itll take at least a few more years before dvds go away, so if a replacement for blu ray came out tomorrow it would take at least a year to get enough titles in print for it to be worth buying, then another 2 to 3 to get the players cheap enough for anyone to afford. then another 5 to phase blu ray out and i dont think anythings going to start that cycle tomorrow
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cameronoho said 11:18PM on 9-04-2008
I can see the side that the technology will get better, BUT, how much better can your eyes get??? You can only view with your own eyes to a certain clarity- so even if technology goes crazy, your eyes won't be able to notice the difference. I have a 55" tv, even close up it's incredibly clear with Blu-ray, and I don't need to watch tv under a microscope!
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Mike said 10:52AM on 9-05-2008
I would like to clearly state to the guy that said some underground company is working on a new format that'll beat blu-ray.... you're an idiot. Why do you think sony wont the formt war for bluray? Because good tech or not people need movies to watch and sony owns their own studio which means any sony, miramax etc. movies will always and only be on bluray instead of a different next-gen format. Also throw in that their gaming system has bluray built in and is gaining rapid success and you have a winning combo. Not to mention all of the possibilities with bluray for computers, 50gig is alot for a disc to hold. Sony may have lost the beta-vhs war years ago but they remembered all of those lessons.
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Greg said 12:52AM on 9-05-2008
Thanks Lana (and everyone) for stating that the column was confusing. I thought that I was the only one who didn't understand the "Blue-Ray/OLED" comparison. I guess the old saying from the early 80's is still true (BETA vs. VHS), "...wait a few years before buying a new tech format...."
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ben said 12:54AM on 9-05-2008
Well, this could actually happen. I've been saying the same thing for some time now, but there is something he fails to mention. DOWNLOADS! Why do I need to have hundreds of bulky discs when I can just download at the click of a button. And once quality comes in to the download world, things will change. Right now blu-ray is not compressed and digitally bulky, but just wait, new formats, faster internets (Fios and the like), will bring about sweet sweet downloads. Imagine a digital OLED display as a "media tower" then just tap the movie and a synopsis pops up, tap again and bam... its playing on your tv/computer/art/parental substitute. This will happen, discs in general will become obsolete. Move over Gigabyte, hello Terabyte! .... what's that? ah screw it, come on in Petabyte.
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mike said 4:50AM on 9-05-2008
Blu-Ray will be "obsolete" sooner than you may think for several reasons.
What all of you except Ben have forgotten is the downloads and how the MPAA and the other owners of the 'intellectual property' (read that as movies, music, software, games and probably more...) want to eliminate copies of their property in the hands (physical posession) of anyone else.
The newer folks may not remember that MS tried to force users to buy another license for WIN XP after three changes to the hardware configuration of the computer it was loaded on. Before that, at least one spreadsheet program came on floppy discs that had to be in the diskette drive to use the software --- if they wore out, you were required to buy another copy. (That probably started the 'illegal' copying/backup business.) If memory serves me correctly, SONY deliberately put a version of copy protection on about two dozen music CD titles that loaded into a computer's hard drive when it played any of them, but the 'copy protection program' also created a security hole that hackers could exploit to take over those computers if connected online.
And more still!
There were/are DVD's that are 'disposable' (saw a rack of movies of that type in a STAPLES store this afternoon) --- the directions say that once they are opened they will only play for two days (chemical reactions due to air/light exposure?). (P.S. Don't buy a used 'red' DVD...)
This is not a new idea to have tight control over the product by somehow eliminating the media. This and normal technology innovations will obsolete Blu-Ray as previous media has been phased out.
There *were* some good justifications however... In the days of 35mm film for the movie theaters, prints had to be mass produced and shipped to the theaters. The film could break or get damaged, and some unscrupulous projector operators even cut frames from the prints. All of that caused worse and worse quality movie experiences for the ticket buyers. When 70mm film was introduced, the film reels were so heavy they could not be moved without lifts! Now some of the theaters have digital links to the source of the movies (satellite?) and have no film at all! Wax cylinders, wire recordings, tapes, vinyl LPs and film versions deteriorated with use and age.
As far as DVD's being universal, nothing has ever been universal...
The movie theaters had multiple lenses to use for the projection of PANAVISION, etc. film. I have encountered several DVD movies that do not play on my combination laserdisc/DVD player because the content is formatted in such a way that the 'old standard' was not used, (it also is older than DVD+R format). Incidently, that was a VERY expensive player in its day, but now a $20 player has no trouble with that same DVD, and pretty much all DVD/CD formats. Oh, and then there is the dual-layer DVD format. Something like that *might* be added to Blu-Ray obsoleting the older versions of the players.
Oh, but wait... there are at least two Blu-Ray player versions already! Some old ones have to have components changed, or updates at the shop to keep up with the new and evolving formats on the discs, but the newest ones can have their internal programs updated from "online sources". Hmmm, does anyone see a pattern here?
Well, then there is the downloadable media like FLASH drives.
16GB units are already commonly available (over 3x the storage on a dual layer DVD), and there have been more than a few articles about having those downloaded at a video store (or mall kiosk) with local digital copies on hand. Those downloads would only take a little longer than the time to wait in line and pay for the movie.
Technology is constantly improving, and the media as well. Think about that the next time you want to start a movie/CD collection...
The bad news is that some of the movies, shows, music, etc. are not brought to the newer version of players, and are "lost". Probably everyone has something they wish was available on DVD or CD, but it is not.
Unfortunately, not only the "bad" things get "lost" this way...
Milton Holecek said 2:16AM on 9-05-2008
Does this mean my Beta-max is going to someday be obsolete?
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Cate said 3:27AM on 9-05-2008
Guess it's gonna die before I even know what it is. hehe
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yowsa said 4:16AM on 9-05-2008
One problem with Blu-Ray, poor selection! Standard DVD's have three times the selection found on Blu-ray. Not to mention the cost involved. I disagree that standard DVD is dying out especially when HDTV's are being sold with up-converting 1080p DVD players.
Most consumers don't care about a little higher picture quality when it's more expensive. Oh, and where the Blu-ray recorders? Blu-ray is only popular with wealthy afficionados, but everyone else could care less about the format.
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tater said 5:37AM on 9-05-2008
i hate electronics, by the time i get the new stuff home , plug it in , its obsolete, bummer
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bill said 5:51AM on 9-05-2008
Who has money to buying this sh_it I thought every bodies is out of work, we are in a depression and bush Fu_cked up the ecomies of every country in the world.
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Scott said 6:45AM on 9-05-2008
Bill,
You are the biggest part of the problem. Nice language and even better grammar. Your savior "Obama" will "change" everything....Including Blue ray.
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