A complete guide to Black Friday deals, advice, and Ratings

We’ve been busy here getting ready for the holiday shopping season, which—despite its early start this year—traditionally starts on Black Friday. In addition to following deals and offering shopping tips here on the Electronics Blog, our reporters and testers have been updating the buying advice for a host of products at ConsumerReports.org. They’ve also been hard at work in our labs, as the flood of new product Ratings within the last week and a half can attest.

If you’re among the brave ones venturing out in search of deals this Black Friday weekend, we hope this buying guide will help prepare you. For buying tips and deals throughout this holiday season, be sure to check back with the Electronics Blog periodically. Check in also with Tightwad Tod, who is following deals for a number of products and offering useful shopping advice.

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
Our reporters have combed through a number of Black Friday deal sites and retailer circulars. Below are the fruits of their labor. Many deals carry through the weekend. Even if they’re only valid on Black Friday itself, you might be surprised at what a little haggling can accomplish. And be careful of tempting bundled or package deals—sometimes they aren’t as great a value as they appear.

• LCD TV deals
• Plasma TV deals

Buzzword: Is it worth paying more for 240Hz?

One of the big decisions you’ll have to make if you’re shopping for a new LCD TV over Black Friday (or any time soon) is whether to pay more for a TV with 240Hz technology or 120Hz. These technologies are often advertised as reducing the blur in fast motion that has been an inherent problem for LCD TVs with the standard 60Hz refresh rate. It won’t cost you too much more for 120Hz, which has become fairly common over the past two years, but 240Hz is still available mainly on larger and pricier sets. My colleague, Jim Willcox, blogged on this a few months ago, and I think the eve of Black Friday is the perfect time to remind you of his advice, while adding a few findings from our latest tests.

Is 240Hz worth it? That depends. Our tests have shown that LCD TVs that quadruple the frame rate to true 240Hz can reduce motion blur in fast action scenes to the point that it’s barely noticeable, comparable to the rock-solid images on plasma TVs, which don’t suffer from motion blur. LCD TVs that double the frame rate to 120Hz, and those that use a 120Hz frame rate along with a scanning backlight to simulate 240Hz, don’t do as well, but they’re typically better than 60Hz TVs. Notice I said “typically.” That’s because the implementation of these technologies really determines how effective they are. We’ve found some models that show very little reduction in blur despite faster refresh rates. For our TV Ratings and reviews (available to subscribers), we test TVs on a model-by-model basis to show you which sets do a good job at reducing blur.

Black Friday: Last-minute shopping tips

Even though electronics goods are often at their lowest prices of the year on Black Friday, there are still a few tips to help insure you get not only the best deal, but also some peace of mind once you bring the item home. Happy shopping!

Shop the ads before Black Friday
By now, most of the major retailers have released their Black Friday specials, so check one of the comprehensive Black Friday-focused websites, such as bfads.net, blackfriday.info, theblackfriday.com, and gottadeal.com, to see if you’re getting the best deal. Some sites allow you to filter your searches by product categories, such as TVs.

Shop online
Also, before you brave the crowds at the stores, check to see if the retailer is offering the same—or even better—deals on its Web site. Amazon has a number of Black Friday-week TV deals, and Walmart’s online sale, for example, includes many of the same TVs it’s advertising as Black Friday deals in its stores (plus shipping for 97 cents on many models). Also, some retailers will have online exclusives you couldn’t get walking into one of its retail locations.

Shop close to home
If you find the best deals are in stores, you don’t necessarily need to drive all over town to get them. Our research shows that in many cases, the prices for highly promoted sets from major brands such as Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony vary by only a few dollars from chain to chain. So you can safely shop at the closest retailer without feeling that you’re missing out on a bargain.

Black Friday computer deals not so hot

Where are all the computer deals? We started flipping through the Black Friday sites and circulars in search of tempting laptops, desktops, and netbooks. The results? It’s a mixed bag.

You’ll have to work hard to find the best deals. Our favorite so far? The Sony VGN-NW235F/W that will be on sale Friday at Best Buy. Normally priced at $999, on Friday limited quantities will be available for $399. But you’ll need a ticket to be eligible to make this purchase.

Best Buy will also have a $197 HP laptop with a 15.6-inch display. It uses a Celeron processor, which is a lesser performer than the processors used in most laptops. If you're interested in this one, think of it as a netbook-like performer in a larger laptop package. Actually, at that price it’s a pretty good deal for the kids or the grandparents.

Here are Best Buy’s instructions for getting a ticket:

Each store will decide when to hand out tickets in the two hours before store opening. Stores base their decisions on multiple factors, including the length of the line, the weather, and store personnel levels. Tickets will be handed out until they are gone. Lines tend to form early, and Best Buy is unable to guarantee that all customers will receive a ticket.

My local Best Buy opens at 5 a.m. You do the math—don’t bother going to bed.

Black Friday LCD TVs: Where to get the best deals

Those in the market for an LCD TV will have more choices, since plasma TVs are only available in 42-inch and larger screen sizes. Here are some of the deals we found in researching the Black Friday specials.

Best deals on 32-inch LCDs
If you’re looking for a 32-inch set, Sears offers Vizio’s 32-inch ECO-series set (model VO320E) for $350—$50 better than Costco's price with a coupon—and a 1080p AOC model for $380. RadioShack has Samsung’s LN32B360 for $400, while Sears, Walmart and Kmart have Sony’s KDL-32L504, a derivative 720p model, for about $380. Kmart will also have a Funai-made Sylvania-brand 32-inch 720p LCD TV with a built-in DVD player for $350. But Target may have the lowest price we’ve seen: an unnamed 32-inch Westinghouse LCD for just $246.

Best Buy has several 32-inch sets on sale, including a 720p Dynex (DX-L321-10A) for $300, a 720p Insignia (NS-L32Q-10A) for $340, and Samsung’s LN32B360C5D 720p model for $398. Toshiba’s 32AV502R/U is $400. Walmart has a Viore-brand 32-inch 720p set (LC32VX60HDT) for $298.

Best deals on 37-inch LCDs
We didn’t come across as many deals on 37-inch LCDs, but Sears has Sylvania’s LC37OSS9 for $400 as a doorbuster special. Amazon is pricing an LG step-up 1080p model (37LH55) with the company’s TruMotion 240Hz technology at $650. The set was $900 when we tested it last month.

For Black Friday, Blu-ray players dip below $100

If you’ve been holding out for Blu-ray player prices to drop, then this year’s Black Friday weekend shopping event could bring welcome news, as you’ll be able to get a decent player for $100 or even less.

Last year around this time, we saw prices fall to as little as $150 on older models that lacked newer features. The real news this year is that while some of the heavily discounted Blu-ray players being promoted in fliers and on websites are older so-called BonusView (Profile 1.1) models that lack Blu-ray’s BD-Live Internet feature, there are also some fully featured BD-Live models at new low prices.

For example, Best Buy is offering the Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray player, a BD-Live model that can also stream instant movies from Netflix, for $100. Given its price and features, it’s one of the best deals we’ve seen.

Black Friday TV sales: Where are the best plasma TV deals?

For those of us thinking about heading out to buy a TV on Black Friday, where to get the best deals can be a bit confusing. One thing we found is that often pricing on highly promoted sets from major brands such as Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, vary by only a few dollars from chain to chain. That will allow you to shop at the closest retailer without feeling that you’re missing out on a bargain.

Looking over the various announced and leaked Black Friday ads, there are a number of great deals for TV buyers. From what we’ve seen so far, the deals break down into two scenarios: price drops on current models from major brands, and promotional pricing on derivative major-brand sets, and special deals on items from secondary or tertiary brands.

Also, before you head out to a store, check and see if the retailer is offering the same—or even better—deals online. Amazon has a number of Black Friday-week TV deals, and Walmart’s online sale, for example, includes many of the same TVs its advertising as Black Friday deals in its stores (plus shipping for 97 cents on many models). Also, some retailers will have online exclusives you couldn’t get walking into one of its retail locations.

Finally, while many of the retailers' Black Friday ads are now out, search the Black Friday websites, such as bfads.net, blackfriday.info, theblackfriday.com, and gottadeal.com for comprehensive listings of deals. Some sites allow you to filter your searches by product categories, such as TVs.

Here are some of the best deals we've seen on plasma sets. We've also filed a separate blog outlining LCD bargains.

Pre-Black-Friday camera and camcorder deals

Whether you consider Black Friday the height or low-point of the holiday shopping season, many retailers, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores, are getting a head start on discounting items, particularly older, discontinued models. Some of these digital cameras, SLRs and camcorders may be a bit long in the tooth, but are still very capable. Here are some of the deals that are available right now, through Wednesday:

(Click on the model names to see specs, brand info, and how they did in our Ratings.)

Digital cameras

• Nikon Coolpix S1000pj—$370 at Newegg.com  Deal appears to have ended.
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48—$222 at Sixth Avenue Electronics
• Samsung HZ10W—$199 at Sixth Avenue Electronics
• Nikon Coolpix P90—$300 at Staples
• Kodak EasyShare M381—$100 at Best Buy
• Sony Cyber-shot H20—$230 at Best Buy
• Canon PowerShot SD1200 Digital Elph IS—$180 at Target
• Kodak EasyShare C180 with 2GB SD card—$100 at Office Depot

Big retailers announce Black Friday electronics deals

And they’re off! Some stores are now giving consumers an official sneak peek (if a sneak peek can be considered official) at their Black Friday deals, days ahead of the newspaper ads and circulars that will showcase their holiday specials.

Walmart, for example, e-mailed a list of specials to past customers, and its Web site lets you browse through the upcoming circular. You can even access a map of your local Walmart store so you can make a beeline to the items on your shopping list.

Best Buy, too, has already posted its official Black Friday circular online. You can leaf through it, virtually at least, though you can’t get these deals in stores until the doors open Friday at 5 a.m.. But you can hit BestBuy.com on Turkey Day, when Best Buy will start offering its Black Friday deals online.

If you’re revving up for a store run, it pays to be an early bird. In a move to control the expected crowds, Best Buy employees will hand out tickets to customers queued up outside stores starting at 3 a.m. Tickets grant the customer the ability to buy select front cover and other limited quantity items before a specified deadline. According to Best Buy, “Ticketing will help to ensure the safety of both Best Buy customers and employees when the stores open. Tickets also help to ensure that those customers who arrive first can purchase the products they want.”

Black Friday specials: Bundles of joy, or retail sales trick?

One way retailers can bump up their average sales ticket while still offering savings for their customers is through bundling, or offering savings when you buy several items—say, a TV bundled with a Blu-ray player or sound system—as an assembled package.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, this is a tactic Walmart and some other retailers, such as Best Buy, will be using as part of their Black Friday strategies. This week, for example, Walmart’s pre-Black Friday sales include several TV-based bundles. One $698 package combines a 40-inch 1080p LCD TV, a BD-Live Blu-ray player, and a 2.1-channel sound bar, all from a brand called Viore, which is sold primarily through Walmart (although we’ve also seen it at the company’s Sam’s Club warehouse outlets).

If you’re more comfortable with a better-known TV brand and can live with a standard upconverting DVD player, there are two Vizio bundles, each of which provides a choice of TVs in two screen sizes. One package combines either a 37- or 42-inch 1080p Eco-series (VO370M, VO420M) LCD TV, at a price of $677 or $767, with an RCA-brand DVD home theater system and an HDMI cable. These TVs are selling separately on the Walmart website for for $547 and $648, respectively.

A different bundle packages the RCA DVD home theater system with either a 42-inch 1080p LCD (model SV420M, $888) or 47-inch 1080p (model SV470M, $1,074) and an HDMI cable. Both of these TVs have 120Hz technology to help reduce motion blur, plus the HDMI cable. Vizio sells these TVs separately for $797 and $997, respectively.