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 1)
tloughead said 4:43PM on 12-17-2008
While I found the reviewers comments generally helpful, I think he is off the mark when he commented that some of the sets were "only 720P." Actually 720P gives a sharper image than 1080I because the progressive scan (hence "P") gives a faster response than the one ending in "I" for "Interlaced." The sets with an interlaced image actually produce half of the image, and then the other half which is interlaced -- like the old TV sets. I have a 54" plasma that is 720P, and the images are breathtaking - actually the only limit is in the quality of the recieved signal.
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Charles said 5:28PM on 12-17-2008
720P can be more fluid when reproducing motion (sports, etc.) but on static scenes (talking heads, etc) 1080I has more static resolution. 720P can look 'soft' compared to 1080I. 720P and 1080I have differences in temporal and spatial resolution with some things looking better on one and not the other. Either is satisfactory but given a choice, go for the largest 1080P native display you can afford. And not all 1080P displays accept external 1080P sources but upconvert with their internal circuitry.
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Fred said 8:55PM on 12-17-2008
above aritcle on tv flat screens seems has a negtive on each about 720p. and they on bigger screens says 720p ok. Where does one find actrate info on what 32 flat screen has the best price and picture sound over all. what to look for? The above article was not much hel with conflicting info.
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Dave said 2:48PM on 12-21-2008
I had a 32" LG 1080 and had speaker problems. After three times buy LG to fix it I was told I had abused the set by having the sound too high as the set was too small for my den. According to LG one must not sit more than 11.5 feet from a 32" LG. I was sitting 13 feet away. Because of this LG said they would do nothing further even thou the set was less than 4 months old...6 weeks old when I first contacted LG. I called Best Buy to get their advice and they gave me a store credit for full price even though I did not get their extended warranty. I called the VP of LG customer service five weeks ago and she has not returned my call except a recording to say she was reviewing my case to see what, if anything, she could do. That's when I called Best Buy.
Best Buy kept a customer...LG lost me and many others I've told this too as customers.
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