Is now a good time to buy a big screen LCD

[smuddan]

I'm contemplating on buying a new Sony big screen HD LCD TV but I'm not sure if there is any chance of price drop in the foreseeable future ? (like next month or so.)

I know I can't outwait new technologies but I just hate to spend 2 or 3 grand then find out next month the price drops significantly and newer/better models become available.

Any helpful imput would be greatly appreciate.

 

[feelthejoy]

I am also looking at a big screen. I am waiting a bit longer to see if the prices will drop as gas and food goes up.

 

[tboy]

I don't know what you mean by "big screen"....you guys talking over 42"???

All models went through a huge price adjustment around Christmas and are all reasonably priced right now.

If you're spending 2 or 3 grand, you're spending WAY too much. You can get 46" for less than 1800 these days.

 

[Diesel Jockey]

Costco

Has 42" Panasonics starting at around $1000.00. Like anything, they will alwasy get cheaper as the new stuff comes out. If you want it and can afford it, why wait?
Even 40" starting around $800.00 I'm no expert but I don't see the prices dropping by any drastic margin soon.

Hope this helps..

Do I get commission?

 

[tboy]

ummm there's no panasonics on that link dude.......

 

[Diesel Jockey]

True. There aren't but they are on the showroom floor of the Yorkdale location. There's a ton of electronics on the floor that for some reason aren't listed.
Regardless, the price range is there. Samsung Plasma 42" for under $1300. I simply used panasonic as an example of what I saw on the floor last week. The stock and mfg changes over pdq. It's pretty much all the same crap. Just don't buy Candle.

When shopping around remember that Best Buy and Future Shop offer to beat any other retailers prices by 10% of the difference. I've frequently saved a few bucks by looking around but Costco is def a good startiong point. Good luck.

 

[The Bandit]

Apparently some of the electronics at Costco are year-old models. I prefer Sharp over the other brands.

 

[i_am_good]

Avoid the Plasmas - get LCD instead. Pioneer no longer makes plasma because the product line was losing money.

Take a look at the new LEDs.

 

[basketcase]

In the near future OLED monitors will be out there, even thinner, less power, and allegedly better colour.
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...roductId=1004843&navigationPath=n32050n100404
(only 11" though)

When they hit the market big time, I am sure regular LCD prices will see big cuts.

 

[sailorsix]

And you will need to assess your needs before getting suckered into paying for quality that you don't really need. How will you use the TV/ watching blueray movies? watching sports, watching Oprah? Figure that out first and then tell your story to 2-3 sales thingies at electronic stores and ask them for their opinion. You may find that one of the 720 is perfect for your needs. Also dont forget to ask the questions about whether or not you can still use your old DVD player with your new tv or do you need to upgrade that as well.

 

[blackmoon69]

im thinking of buying one too just waiting for the price to drop a liitle bit.

 

[Garden of Eden Ladies]

Has 42" Panasonics starting at around $1000.00. Like anything, they will alwasy get cheaper as the new stuff comes out. If you want it and can afford it, why wait?
Even 40" starting around $800.00 I'm no expert but I don't see the prices dropping by any drastic margin soon.

Hope this helps..

Do I get commission?

I am at Costco almost every other day. The link posted is for the items on sale on the website only. Each Costco locations has different product than their website.


Thanks


Nicole

 

[bogo]

I too think Panasonic is worth a second look.

 

[tboy]

I recently purchased a 42" Panasonic Plasma and here's some things I learned along the way:
1) Prices are slightly higher than they were during boxing week
2) Yes, currently the HD signals we receive via sattelite or cable is only 720P
3) yes, Blu Ray is the only true 1080 signal out there currently.
4) I found that while LCDs seemed to be brighter than Plasma, the mid priced ones ($1200 - 1600 for a 42") have a noticeable "blur" during high speed scenes like hockey games. This isn't present on the plasma.
5) even though currently the signals we receive at only 720, I noticed a very grainy appearance on screens producing only 720 signals. I found all 1080 sets to be much crisper and cleaner. It was explained to me that the set upconverts the signal which is why it is smoother. Kind of like a vehicle that is able to do 200 mph, at 120 it purrs where a vehicle that can only do 120 is maxed out.
6) Just because we currently only have 720 signals, doesn't mean it will always be that way. Unless you are the type to always upgrade to the latest and greatest buying a set now, that will still be good if 1080 signals start to be available, is kind of like hedging your bets.

Not to brag but this is what I scored the other day:
Panasonic TH-42PZ77 1080P which is going for around $1500.00 at BB etc

I went to the sears outlet at Woodbine and Steeles and they had an open box unit for $1279.00.
They also have at no tax sale now on which equates to 13% off
They also have a 10% discount if you pay with your sears card.
They also have a 5% (I think) if the appliance is energy star rated.

All told I paid $1070.00 out the door (they gave me the 10% discount even though I didn't pay with my sears card).

The ONLY drawback I can see with this set is that it only has 2 HDMI inputs. As I've heard with HD: I was watching Star Trek: search for Spock last night and with the super high clarity, the special effects and movie sets looked REALLY bad lol. I mean, you could SO tell they were fake.

I have also heard that with plasma, it is like looking out a window at the scene. This is SO true it's actually eerie and I am finding it a little unnerving.

Another thing I'm finding a little irritating is when you're watching even non-HD stations, the screen format switches from widescreen to 4:3 from commercial to commercial. One will be 4:3, the next 16:9, then the station ID slide comes on 16:9 then the show comes on at 4:3....so it's like: wide/narrow/wide/wide/narrow/narrow lol....But man, even non HD programs look freaking amazing....

 

[scouser1]

this is the problem with HD once you have seen it you cant go back!! I have a 37 inch LCD and even on that you can notice a huge difference, absolutely refuse to watch sports now unless its in HD!!! unless its soccer for which one has no choice.

 

[beaverboy]

Tboy...... Did you by any chance run an analog cable signal through this set?

Or a non HD satellite signal? Just curious on your opinion of picture quality and how these signals compare on a CRT set?

Your opinion is appreciated

 

[tboy]

Well, for some reason the HDMI DVI adapter won't work on my DVD player so I'm using component cables which are analog and the picture is still amazing....

Compared to a CRT I'd say it's about 50 times better, that includes all the high end sony's etc. It just doesn't compare....IMO.

 

[spheroyds]

Oleh Oled Oleh Oled...hot Hot Hot!

When the first organic LEDs hit the market, then prices will plummet.

If you can wait that long do so. Another reason to wait about six months is that the next generation LCDs are coming out with much higher contract ratios.

The difference is dramatic - high contrast shows much greater clarity while lower contrast is SEVERELY WASHED OUT in comparison.

Go take a look at the newest LCDs with super high dynamic contrast ratio (some like 10000:1) and anything else around 3000:1. You'll be sold asap.

 

[tboy]

For the record: there are LCDs out now that have contrast ratios 10,000:1 and they are not high end $7K units......

The ones under $1100.00 are the ones with contrast ratios 8K and below.

But then again, you could just by plasma, then you don't have to worry about refresh rates, contrast ratios, backlighting, etc......

BTW: if you expect a price drop of epic proportions when OLED comes in, give your head a shake. Remember when plasmas first came in? Big screen rear projection still held a high price point for 10 yrs. Remember when LCDs hit? Plasmas STILL held their price point for years too.

If the price of OLEDs are anything like plasmas, they will be in the $15 - $20K price range. If you want to "hold out" for a $20K tv, lol, be my guest!

 

[jcm]

It's a good time to get a big screen TV. But the damn thing is the HD boxes are so expensive that it makes switching a bitch. I think satellite is cheaper than cable though. I got mine during Boxing Day for about $1100. It was a Toshiba and I think I got a pretty good deal.

With the recent advances in LCD and plasma, there really isn't much difference between the two. Plasma has better blacks, and LCD is lighter. Other than that the difference is negligible, at least to human eyes.

I sometimes connect my laptop to the big screen, so you could watch HD movies without actually buying an expensive blu ray player. You just have to download HD quality movies.

I agree with tboy that OLED is not going to drop the price of LCD and plasma soon. OLED is at least 5 years away from reaching the price of LCD and plasma today. So it is still a good time to get one of those. Enjoy the awesome pictures. I was once a skeptic, but scouser1 said, once you go HD you can't go back.