This is a sponsored post, but I'm not here to advertise anything, just to "talk about technology" in general. As the title would suggest, I'm buying an HDTV and since I'm doing the research and Black Friday is coming up, I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy.
First of all, why did it take me so long to buy an HDTV? I have seen what a difference they make and it is pretty jaw dropping I must admit. But, ...well, to be blunt, I'm cheap.
You've got your bleeding edge tech geeks, your early adopters, your mainstream buyers, your "wait for it to come down in price" buyers, and the occasional "you mean they make TVs in color now?" folks. Put me in the "wait for it to come down in price" category.
The good news is that we're finally seeing the prices on these things fall. Overstock and low demand is dropping prices and the theory is that they will drop further on Black Friday. That doesn't mean you should pass up on any deep discounts you see. Some of the "early bird" sales are pretty good and the longer you wait the more you risk seeing the selection dwindle (at any particular store).
Below are some bullet point pointers that I've gleaned over the last few weeks of research. Please feel free to add your own.
LCD vs. Plasma:
- LCD uses less power than Plasma but has a smaller viewing angle - better for light color rooms
- Plasma uses more power but has a larger viewing angle - shows blacks better and is better in darker rooms
- Plasma typically 25% cheaper
- More from CNET: Plasma vs. LCD: Which is right for you? - TVs
Specs:
- Resolution: 720 vs. 1080 - I haven't got this fully figured out yet but I can give you this link for further research
- Refresh Rate: probably important for sports viewers. Lower rates create blur so go higher if your budget allows.
- Contrast Ratio - probably ignore this unless you are really into that sort of thing - there's no standard measure so the numbers may or may not mean anything
- don't pay extra for HDMI cables - there's no difference between cheap and expensive ones they are trying to earn commission on
- skip the extended warranty - usually a 90 day warranty and most models hold up well
- every TV has Energy Star certification - not a big deal to have that now
- make sure you have enough ports to input all the different systems you want it to access
- try it out - ease of use is important
- don't forget to use a surge protector