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 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.

Tips for TV buyers: How to decide on a screen size

Many buyers don’t know how big an LCD or plasma TV they should get, especially if they've been watching a small screen for years.

In general, bigger is better—up to a point, of course. A big screen enables you to fully appreciate the fine, sharp detail of HD content, which can make viewing more compelling and create more of a theater experience. Here are some guidelines to help you settle on the right TV screen size:

If this is your first flat-panel TV, don’t base your decision on the size of your old picture-tube set. Back in the day, most of us were happy with 27-inch or 32-inch sets—and some lucky ducks had 36-inchers—but you don’t have to settle for that anymore. There are now much larger screens available, and high-definition picture quality is good enough to be viewed in a much larger size.

We believe that most consumers would be happiest with at least a 40- to 42-inch LCD or plasma TV for a main TV viewed regularly, and many would prefer a 46- to 50-inch set. Those sizes might sound large compared to what you had before, but consider a few points. First, the slim size of flat-panel TVs means they’re not as overwhelming in a room as a bulky picture-tube set.

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.

New Ratings of LCD and plasma TVs

Just in time for holiday shoppers heading out on Black Friday: our new Ratings of LCD TVs and plasma TVs, with reviews and test results for more than 100 TVs.

Our testers found TVs offering great performance at bargain prices, including 55-inch LCD TVs selling for $1,500 to $2,000, 46-inch LCDs for about $1,000, and 42-inchers for less than $700. There are also TV deals on the plasma side. We recommend a number of 54-inch to 60-inch TVs selling in the $1,500 to $2,000 range, several 50-inch models for less than $1,000, and 42-inchers for $700 or less. (Ratings and full reviews available to subscribers. Any visitor, subscriber or not, can get TV specs and other information by using our Price & Shop tool.)

Among the recommended TVs are models from bigger names such as JVC, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba, as well as brands such as Insignia, Sanyo, and Vizio.

Many of the LCD sets have 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rates, which we have found to reduce motion blur in many instances. There are also a growing number of Internet-enabled LCD and plasma TVs that can directly access online content, including streaming movies services from providers such as Amazon Video On Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Netflix and Vudu. More than a third of the sets 37 inches and larger in our Ratings are Internet-capable models.

Survey shows more consumers to buy bigger TVs

Source: Consumer Reports National Research Center Holiday Poll 2009

It may sound trite, but it’s true: TV buyers are embracing the concept that bigger really is better. About 57% of the consumers planning to buy a TV intend to get one with a 40-inch or larger screen, and many of those buyers (22%) have their sights set on a 50-inch or larger TV.

That’s what we discovered in our latest holiday survey, in which 21% of the 1,000 consumers surveyed said they’d be buying a TV during or after the holidays. Last year, shoppers had more modest aspirations—only 47% were looking at 40-inch and bigger TVs. The steady drop in big-screen prices over the past year could well be the reason more viewers aspire to live larger.

Screen size isn’t the only thing driving purchases, though. Better picture quality with high-def resolution was the biggest reason buyers are willing to spring for a new TV, cited by 77% of those planning to buy a TV. The appearance of the TV also comes into play: 71% want a set that takes up less space than the one they have now or that can be wall-mounted, and just over half said they were looking for a more attractive design.

Where will these new TVs fit into the household? About 70% of buyers are replacing an older TV that is not a flat panel, 36% are buying an additional flat screen for another room, and 20% are upgrading an older flat-panel set.

In some cases, envy is the motivating factor: 37% of the respondents said they want a new TV because their family or friends have one. (The men surveyed were more likely than the women to keep up with the Joneses, 42% vs. 32%. Gee, that’s a surprise.) There was even more of a gender gap in another case: 38% of men polled want a new TV for a sporting event such as the SuperBowl, while only 24% of women voiced the same sentiment.

The scary side of "free" TV

The ability to watch TV programs on the Web for free, to download cheap or free programming to your iPod, and to stream video as part of your Netflix subscription is great news—or is it?

That’s the question raised by a thought-provoking article in the New York Times this week. The author, Nicholas Carr, says: “The more I play movies and TV shows from the Web, the less I use my cable TV service.” He’s cut down on pay-per-view movies, canceled Showtime because he can stream movies and programs like Dexter through Nextflix, download programs from Apple’s iTunes store, and watch full TV episodes on sites like Hulu, CNN.com, PBS.org and more.

What’s not to like? Carr and viewers like him can obviously save a bundle while still enjoying lots of TV shows and movies.

The problem, says Carr, is that this is eating into revenues for the companies that produce the programs we love to watch (especially when they’re free). He observes: “If the changes in our viewing habits stanch the flow of money back to studios, producing [the smartest, most creative] programs may no longer be possible. In their place, we’ll get more junk: dopey reality shows, cookie-cutter police dramas, inane gab fests. The vast wasteland will become even vaster. Even ‘free’ has a price.”

I love free as much as anyone and have taken some of these steps to trim my own entertainment costs. We’ve also talked here at Consumer Reports about the notion that consumers might want to ditch their pay-TV service, get free off-air HD, and use these other venues to get premium programming for much less than they’re paying now.

Still, I see Carr’s point, and friends of mine in the TV business are very worried about the future. Which worries me.

What’s your take? —Eileen McCooey

Some surprises as California adopts new TV power standards

The controversial regulations by the California Energy Commission (CEC), requiring all TVs sold in the state to meet new energy-efficiency standards, have mostly drawn the expected reactions, with energy-conservation advocates generally lining up behind the proposal and manufacturers opposing it. But the measure has also drawn some reactions that aren't necessarily predictable, and may point to an interesting and nuanced debate to come as the impact of the regulations, for California and the country, are assessed.

The CEC estimates the new energy-consumption threshold, set to go in effect in 2011, will save $8.1 million over 10 years.“The real winners of these new TV energy efficiencies are California consumers who will be saving billions of dollars and conserving energy while preserving their choice to buy any size or type of TV. Californians buy four million televisions each year and they deserve the most energy efficient models available," said Energy Commission Chairman Karen Douglas.”

On the whole, as expected, the Consumer Electronics Association, one of several industry groups which opposed the regulatory proposals, criticized the CEC’s actions: