schwoozer

Any possibility of seeing the date for Target last year? It doesn't seem to appear in the list currently. Thanks.

Already bought it While wearing my pajamas Just here for the laughs

Before we all get worked up into a frenzy over these dates, please also remember BF is almost a full week later this year. So I would anticipate the dates for the ads leaking will also be later, on average.

I did go to a store. Unless of course, your comment was to the previous poster. I do agree that online purchases for large plasmas and LCDs is more risk than I'm willing to take. There have been a couple rumors about a 37" LCD at Office Depot. It's just a rumor now though, and like we saw with Sears several weeks ago, rumors can turn into nothing. But then again, maybe not :)

I'm relieved I'm out of the BF TV rat race. I got my 50" Samsung plasma for less than $900AR from Sears F&F night, and all indications are that nothing on sale on BF is going to touch that. Every BF ad thus far has been very disappointing to me (except CC's DVDs). Best of luck to everyone still looking. Maybe that Office Depot rumor will be true :)

D'oh! I phrased things poorly. OTA HD is actually my first choice of medium too (I agree it is the least compressed). In fact, it is what I use exclusively for now. I just receive it using an HTPC so I can get the DVR functionality I need. When I said an ATSC receiver was my last choice, I meant a standalone ATSC receiver.

search....use the search. Sears Friends and Family/VIP sale

There are players that will upconvert DVD over component with a hack, perhaps this link will help. $169 seems high for just a receiver, although I know that is the typical price. I have seen them as low as 90 (clearance with a coupon at Sears), but that was some time ago. Personally, since I can't live without a DVR, an ATSC receiver would be just about my last choice for HDTV, after HTPC, satellite DVR, and cable DVR. But if none of those are options, I guess it should be at least considered.

Well, if you're looking for the best deal, be careful not to limit yourself to just BF. In fact, Sears Friends and Family Sale is, according to Sears itself, going to be better than BF for them (this is what a Sears associate told me, and the evidence is there).

Well, if I'm doing this comparison in a store (which is where I think most if not all comparisons would take place), "what I think" is that the 1080p set was calibrated WAY better to make the difference (which I'm not denying exists) even more obvious....but that's just the conspiracy theorist in me :) For example, as I posted earlier in the thread, contrast can bring out detail too, so if the 720p set has its contrast settings all out of whack, it would be even easier to say, "Wow, look at the amount of extra detail I'm getting from 1080p." Well, SOME is due to the 1080p, but some is due to the intentionally poor calibration of the cheaper set. And stores pull these sorts of stunts all the time because their only objective is to sell expensive stuff. What bothers me (possibly more than warranted) is a) (always dangerous) blanket statements like "you will be disappointed" and the flat out false information about networks broadcasting 1080p. I just hate to see the spread of misinformation, and that is exactly what the latter is, pure and simple. Anyway, I think people in general need to be aware of a few things about 1080p when purchasing HDTVs. -1080p really only matters if sitting sufficiently close to the screen. Use this link to help you determine if 1080p would even help you. -HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, XBOX 360, and PS3 are the ONLY 1080p sources right now. If you don't have one of those four, 1080p will not help you until you do (or something else comes along). -The price difference for 1080p is often more than just a couple hundred bucks for sets of comparable quality. For example, I'm in the market for a 50" plasma right now. I would have to approximately double my budget (from about $1K to about $2K) to get a 1080p set. This is more than $200-300. And the sizes where the difference in prices might be that small are the sizes that do not benefit from 1080p that much anyway. -Resolution is NOT the most important aspect of picture quality. Don't believe me? Then refer to ISF (Image Science Foundation), who provide the true "golden standard" for picture quality. To them it's the FOURTH most important thing (contrast, color saturation, and color accuracy are all ahead). If you would like more info about 1080p, this article at Cnet might be helpful, even if it is a bit outdated. As for me, I'd rather buy a very affordable 720p set now, and when 1080p comes down to about the same level (which probably will not be terribly long), buy one of those too. This would cost me about the same as a 1080p would cost me today. But I get to keep half of that money in my pocket for a while, plus I end up with TWO sets. Whew, that was longer than I intended

This is exactly the "advice" I would expect from someone who works part time at a retailer. Even if you did somehow know for a fact (and you don't) that everyone looking for a new set will be disappointed if they don't get 1080p, your statement about the networks could not be more false.

I posted this in the F&F deal thread, but thought it would be relevant here too, especially since some may not be checking that thread. I just copied and pasted for convenience.

FWIW, I gave a mini-review of the 42" sibling of the 50" plasma in the other thread found here. I also mentioned over there that I suspect there will be deals at least this good on BF, or at least the same price for better brands. Now that's just speculation, but I do have reasons. Just last week (or the week before), CompUSA was clearing out two different models of plasma for 999. Granted, they weren't readily available (esp. with all the recent store closings), but the price is certainly not unprecedented. Then there's the Sears F&F sale which I THINK will provide a better brand at a lower price (I'm still trying to confirm this). Of course, I know from experience that this Sanyo, while a good price, will not work well for me, and so that obviously affects my enthusiasm for the deal too.

Sorry, but I disagree that the Sharp Aquos at 999 is "an awesome deal." Granted, I am definitely not pro-LCD (I'd consider myself neutral with perhaps a slight preference for plasma, which I'll explain the reasoning for in a bit). If you're interested in why the Sharp specifically does not excite me, you can see my posts in the BF ad thread and the F&F sale thread (where the price is actually somewhat better). Some quick points: -avsforum IS an excellent place for information. I've been an active member there for a couple years now (under a different username), and have learned TONS -Playing games or using a computer is really not very problematic on a modern plasma. As long as certain precautions are taken early in a plasma's life, any burn in that does occur is almost always correctable. I have seen this first hand many times. -Power consumption for plasma is higher, though my understanding is that the difference is shrinking. Heat is also definitely more of an issue (my wife and I noticed temperature differences in the room with it on). -Life span difference is also of debatable worth. If we're talking about a lifespan of at least 15 years, is, say, 20 years really that much of a factor? Especially since by that time, "TV" will consist of holographic images being directly transmitted into our brains :) -Contrast as a general rule is MUCH more important than resolution. This is a fact that is lost on many people. The reason is simple: to see a difference in resolution, one must sit within a certain distance of the screen (dependent on the screen size). A difference in contrast is easy to spot at any distance. Secondly, "detail" can take different forms. Yes, an increase in resolution definitely brings out more detail all other things being equal. However, an increase in contrast also brings out more detail. On a set with high contrast, a black cape (for example, say Batman's) would appear to have lots of detail, with waves and ripples in the fabric pretty clearly visible. On a low contrast set, it appears as a single black "blob." Obviously detail is lost, and increasing resolution in this situation wouldn't help at all. -These are certainly not the only differences, but just the main ones either addressed already or that I can think of off the top of my head. Basically, contrast is the reason I currently prefer plasma, especially in the budget realm. While good LCD contrast ratios exist, they are not typically in budget sets because buzzwords like the size or "1080p" are more important to most consumers right now. Budget sets usually require sacrifices, and in this case, contrast is the easy one to make. For BF at Sears, I think the highest contrast LCD was 3000:1 (the Sharp). The LOWEST plasma resolution you will see is about 10,000:1, and the Samsung plasma at Sears is 15,000:1. Now these numbers are often fudged to some degree, but they still give an accurate picture of how, in the area of contrast, the BF LCDs are not even in the same league as plasma. Will that change eventually? Almost undoubtedly, possibly even next year. LCD is really making a lot more progress in advancing their technology than plasma is. In fact, some LCD projectors already claim contrast ratios of 50,000:1, I think. But for direct view, we're not there yet. Obviously, much of this is just my opinion, but it is an opinion that has been formed from hours and hours of reading at avsforum, combined with my own experience. Hopefully it helps clear things up a little, and at the very least help people realize that there are LOTS of things to consider when debating LCD or plasma.

I agree these prices seem about right for a good and not unrealistic deal. Unfortunately, Sears didn't deliver the goods.

Fry's did have a 32" for $399 around Memorial Day. I have a feeling 32" could very well hit $300 on BF. As for 1080p at $800, I seriously doubt it. I hope I'm wrong, but $800 for a 50" 720p would be VERY ambitious as prices stand right now. 1080p is just too new to see it that low, I think.

I think this is very likely for two reasons. You can get a 42" HD plasma most days for $765 at Circuit City (if you can get a 10% coupon). Additionally, I got a 42" Sanyo HD plasma on clearance at WalMart for $700 back in July (at other locations, they were even cheaper at $550). Unfortunately, it's needing to be returned (I'm not happy with the warranty policy on it). What I'm curious about is whether there will be a 50" that cracks the $1000 barrier. I'm becoming more and more convinced one will.

I placed 3 orders for 7 total things on 11/23 and 11/24. All items were listed as "in stock usually ships in 1 to 2 business days." 5 out of 7 items shipped within a couple days and I got them a while ago. One didn't ship until 12/6 (still haven't gotten it). They still have not shipped the final item (which, ironically, is the one we wanted the most). I have sent 2 emails in the last week with no response. I'm getting really...

Wow. You guys rock. Plain and simple.

Blank media (though this year I MIGHT not since I haven't even touched last year's yet). DVDs Hard drives (though this year is looking weak for that)

Called 2 WMs and 1 BB yesterday. Both WM managers acted like they barely knew what I was talking about and of course they would price match on Friday...why wouldn't they? The BB said definitely not, even on low ticket stuff like DVDs (which was really all I cared about).

Lady and the Tramp is on sale this week at Best Buy for 13.99. Better yet, when I bought online for in-store pickup, it rang up 12.59 (as did Narnia). Little Mermaid is also part of that sale, but it's cheaper BF.

Then don't shop there. Some of us do prefer having bigger discounts at the expense of having to wait for them. I'm of the opinion the "no rebates" policy several stores have adopted is playing a significant role in making this year's BF so poor overall (BB included). Besides, CompUSA's (and Staples) e-rebates are a piece of cake to deal with. In moderation, rebates are not the evil monster many make them out to be. Unfortunately retailers do sometimes take it to an extreme (like CC this year).

That sure seems to be the case to me. It's toward the back of the ad and listed with other multifunction printers. It's specifically described as being such. However, the ML-2510 is NOT a multifunction...and the pricing information seems to be pretty consistent with the ML-2510.

Anyone else notice the printer weirdness. The description: "Laser printer, scanner, copier, and fax" The product: Samsung ML-2510 SKU #341048 So apparently CompUSA amazingly found a way to make their ad even worse than what it already was.