Pnambic

Ok, please excuse my ignorance on this. I've never done the wait in line thing at Walmart for BF, but considering all the Walmarts around here are 24 hours anymore, the logistics of this have intrigued me. So for the doorbusters that start at 10pm on Thursday, when will Walmart allow the line to start forming? Where will they start the line, in the isle blocking other shoppers or outside? Assuming there will be multiple doorbuster items, would they form multiple lines outside and escort them in? Or will there be multiple queues in the store near the items? Camping out in the electronics section of a Walmart doesn't sound too bad - you've got a buncha TVs to watch, even a couple game systems set up, no worries about rain or snow or cold weather, etc. Might be tough to cook something up on the grill though... I read stories every year of people camping out for days for certain doorbusters, where does a 24 hour Walmart accommodate these people? Sorry if these questions sound naive, but the pictures in my mind make Pamplona look like a springtime stroll through the park...

Love this ad. I know I bought that Hexen game and Links LS. I find it interesting that all of these electronics have changed SO much, but the appliances pretty much do the same thing for the same prices... - a washer/dryer pair for $600....bet we'll see something almost identical at Best Buy again this year for about the same price. - dishwashers for between $300 and $400 mostly. - full size fridges for about a grand - microwaves for a little over a hundred

Yeah, I may be inclined to pay for front of line tickets... Otherwise, as was mentioned, they probably plan on using existing valet parking infrastructure and/or cordoning off large sections of the parking lot for this. Maybe I should dress as a valet on Black Friday and see how much I can make in tips...?

See the chart on the first page of this thread to determine if you'll even be able to see the difference between 720p and 1080p in your actual viewing environment. Don't waste your money on 1080p if you're not going to be able to actually tell the difference. As to the life of these TV's, that's more dependent on the manufacturer than the type of screen. You can buy a cheap set from a no-name brand and hope to get 2 or 3 years out of it or you can buy a quality set from one of the big boys (Panasonic with Plasma's, Sony and Samsung with LCD's) and the set will most likely outlast its relevance. Panasonic's plasma panels are now good for 100,000 hours before their brightness falls to half of what it was originally. 100,000 hours is roughly 45 YEARS of watching TV 6 hours a day, or more than 11 YEARS of watching TV 24 hours a day. The way I figure, in 11 years, we'll have 4D smellovision and I'll be looking to replace the TV long before the screen is ready to die. IMHO, 3D TV isn't worth spending money on right now. Its still in transition with several different competing methods in the market. The smart money is in waiting for the market to settle on a non-glasses or at least the non-active polarized glasses version in the theaters. Smart TV options are nice, but as mentioned, most Blu-Ray players will do this for you anyway. Plus, keep in mind that you still have to pay monthly access fees for much of what's available as "Smart" media. From personal experience, I won't buy a large HDTV unless its a Panasonic Plasma. I know it will be a quality TV and if there's trouble, they'll take care of it. I've been there. They've done it. They've earned my loyalty.

Getting closer... Target has the Panasonic TC-P502C online for $549 right now.

Yeah, according to the chart, you'd need to be closer than about 6 ft to be able to see any difference between 720p and 1080p on a 37 inch screen. The distance would be about 5 ft for a 32 inch screen.

Looks like BJ's Black Friday ad has a 51 inch Samsung Plasma PN51D440 (I'm guessing on the model but its the only one on their website that fits the description and regular price) for $499. Its the Sam's club/BJ's version of the PN51D450 which generally means it has all the same specs, except maybe one less HDMI port or something. It was getting good reviews from AVS forums earlier this year. It's definitely on my short list.

I haven't been able to get my wife into a Walmart since I showed her that "People of Walmart" video....

Ha! Andy Reid: Hey, you guys ready? You really ready? OK, here we go! One...Two......Time Out!

1.)Mooo.... 2.) My momma always said I made a better door than a window. Finally I get paid to do what I'm great at! Whoo Hoo! 3.) Finally!!! OK, here we go. Now, where's my wallet? Did someone steal my wallet!? Wait, where was the last place I remember seeing my wallet...? On the bedside table....oh you've got to be kidding me. I left my wallet at home? Who does that!?!? <moan> I can't believe I left my wallet at home...again...

Cool, my grandparents lived on Ariebill St. off of Clyde Pkwy for a long time, 40 yrs or more I think. Lots of great memories growing up of visiting Grand Rapids.

My uncle taught me this trick a few years ago when he was buying his kids an air hockey table. When you're buying things for Christmas that are going to be hard to hide, use a storage facility. Many of them have deals like $1 for the first month with no contract. You just need to bring your own lock. And since Black Friday is on the 25th this year, you could do your shopping, stop there on the way home and get the storage space, and then empty it Christmas Eve all in one month's time (barely). There's a place around the corner from me that will charge $1 for the first month and $36 each month after for a 5ft x 5ft inside climate controlled storage space. If I bought something before BF, worst case is I'd be on the hook for $36 extra. http://www.publicstorage.com/personal-storage.aspx

I believe the general consensus is that with regular 2D material, 120Hz is plenty good. But with 3D material, you need 240Hz or better.

Ack! I'd fix it, but it would disqualify my guess... I promise to spell riven3d right. I promise to spell riven3d right. I promise to spell riven3d right. I promise to spell riven3d right. I promise to spell riven3d right. . . .

Well, if you're not going to have a high def signal, there's no reason to have a high def TV. Aside from that, 60hz is where some people were complaining about blurred motion. Plasma's are at 600hz I think. Most decent LCD's have 120 - 240hz refresh rates. Also, don't even worry about contrast ratio's. It's not a standardized measurement. What that means is a Vizio contrast ratio of 100,000:1 might be the same as a Toshiba 10,000:1. Check with Dish. They may set you up with a free HD receiver if you sign up for HD service - I think its $10/mo for them, right?

Hmmm.... I guess I'll take Harbor Freight for 10/20/2011 Alex. Store Date Name Ace Hardware 10/9/2011 jdrd90 Ace Hardware 10/10/2011 radritch Ace Hardware 10/10/2011 ebulldog95 Ace Hardware 10/10/2011 hkinwald Ace Hardware 10/11/2011 Princess7915 Ace Hardware 10/12/2011 smileyjj Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 mom2ant Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 mgmckny Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 bpr Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 jamss68 Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 perssee3 Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 stacyk9 Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 mcwalker Ace Hardware 10/13/2011 momlori Ace Hardware 10/14/2011 gatorburg Ace Hardware 10/14/2011 aps28436 Ace Hardware 10/14/2011 Iliveforblckfri Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 mamapenguin Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 mommy2twingles Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 hockeyfanamo Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 BDF Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 len_mullen Ace Hardware 10/15/2011 homedirt Ace Hardware 10/16/2011 heatherjk Ace Hardware 10/16/2011 StephanieD Ace Hardware 10/16/2011 lbass Ace Hardware 10/17/2011 rockpzazz Ace Hardware 10/17/2011 audrey06 Ace Hardware 10/17/2011 jenvargas Ace Hardware 10/18/2011 PerkynPunctual Ace Hardware 10/18/2011 codeblue Ace Hardware 10/20/2011 dylan22707 Ace Hardware 10/29/2011 cmcgilvery Ace Hardware unspecified jenni555 Amazon.com 10/11/2011 sfabiano Dollar General 10/14/2011 jaymacfla Half Price Books 10/10/2011 starbeck96 Half Price Books 10/10/2011 deanabrown Half Price Books 10/10/2011 mamat2011 Half Price Books 10/10/2011 momof3luvs1 Half Price Books 10/11/2011 gymstx Half Price Books 10/11/2011 totallyBF Half Price Books 10/11/2011 conleybunch Half Price Books 10/11/2011 TazErase Half Price Books 10/11/2011 laddhorn Half Price Books 10/11/2011 Buckeye Shopper Half Price Books 10/12/2011 smurfgirl Half Price Books 10/12/2011 Shannie29 Half Price Books 10/12/2011 jessifarr Half Price Books 10/12/2011 red_72_1999 Half Price Books 10/12/2011 kayray Half Price Books 10/12/2011 GabrKnight Half Price Books 10/12/2011 mtzard Half Price Books 10/12/2011 Kim3498 Half Price Books 10/12/2011 sassyME Half Price Books 10/12/2011 ChristmasShopping Half Price Books 10/12/2011 NTBoard Half Price Books 10/13/2011 canfleece Half Price Books 10/13/2011 jade2002 Half Price Books 10/13/2011 lilwywy Half Price Books 10/13/2011 jellybean051901 Half Price Books 10/13/2011 rivewn3d Half Price Books 10/13/2011 tdanette Half Price Books 10/13/2011 cdeuser Half Price Books 10/14/2011 Angelseyes28 Half Price Books 10/14/2011 emilyray2003 Half Price Books 10/14/2011 drod58 Half Price Books 10/15/2011 santaclaus Half Price Books 10/16/2011 Mikesgirl Half Price Books 10/17/2011 tinkrbel Half Price Books 10/17/2011 mommyofanangelb Half Price Books 10/17/2011 nicole20 Half Price Books 10/18/2011 sweetdiggity Half Price Books 10/20/2011 sigrist_2000 Half Price Books 10/22/2011 tbarry1974 Half Price Books 10/25/2011 tokanm Harbor Freight 10/10/2011 kklracing Harbor Freight 10/10/2011 joymm58 Harbor Freight 10/11/2011 arci122 Harbor Freight 10/11/2011 janjack44 Harbor Freight 10/12/2011 howpomp Harbor Freight 10/12/2011 avasmommy Harbor Freight 10/12/2011 kanaida03 Harbor Freight 10/12/2011 monster2369 Harbor Freight 10/14/2011 Elmck Harbor Freight 10/14/2011 tjredsox4 Harbor Freight 10/14/2011 mom8w Harbor Freight 10/14/2011 Flpenguin Harbor Freight 10/14/2011 Tarmax4 Harbor Freight 10/15/2011 bluebearyh Harbor Freight 10/15/2011 zoemariesmamma Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 gdulaney Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 Bopeep Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 lawyerbabe Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 speeddiva Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 oldandintheway Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 rothm1 Harbor Freight 10/17/2011 kerr1976 Harbor Freight 10/18/2011 merrywether Harbor Freight 10/18/2011 billcsho Harbor Freight 10/19/2011 maryann330 Harbor Freight 10/20/2011 Pnambic Harbor Freight 10/23/2011 pudd75 Harbor Freight unspecified no1bubby Kmart 10/11/2011 hack2222 Kmart 10/11/2011 Bfgrl79 Kmart 10/11/2011 julielovesKC Kmart 10/12/2011 BFQueenofNY Lowes 10/15/2011 sewblessed7 Lowes 10/19/2011 Chewbybell Sears 10/16/2011 lilac100 Sears 10/17/2011 allshoppedout True Value 10/12/2011 uniquelymeeee Walgreens 10/19/2011 jenrein ....sure wish I had noticed the part about not having to be the first person to guess a store and date in order to win before compiling this list....hahaha.

Traditionally, Plasma's have offered better blacks and arguably better whites as well, which means richer color in general. LCD's are generally lighter in weight and use less energy. Early on, Plasma's had significantly faster refresh rates, which meant less blurring on fast moving scenes (especially evident when watching sports like soccer and hockey), and they still do, but LCD's have mostly gotten fast enough that the human eye won't be able to tell the difference. Again, these are generalizations and there are exceptions to any rule. I have had a 42 inch Panasonic Plasma for almost 5 years now - I love it. We moved into a new house about 18 mo ago with a MUCH larger master suite and I'm going to move it there and replace it in the living room with a 50 inch sometime between now and Black Friday. Personally, I think Panasonic makes the best Plasma's out there right now (since Pioneer stopped making the Kuro's) and definitely the best Plasma's for the money. Plus, they gave me some really incredible service when the TV needed service 6mo after buying it. They went WAY above and beyond. With your setup, I think you're right in that you don't need to waste your money on 1080p. I think the entry model 42" Panasonic right now is the TC-P42X3 and it looks like the going rate is about $500. Amazon has it for $501 w/ free shipping right now. Best Buy has it for $499 plus tax and no shipping if you pick it up in store. The key to ANY HDTV purchase is going to be in the calibration though. Get a calibration disk like the one reviewed here. Not only will it help you set your TV up properly, it will also educate you on why you're doing what you're doing. It's supposed to be superb.

This is a GREAT article on what the human eye is capable of discerning and from what distance regarding the different HDTV resolutions. You can use the charts or enter your own info in the little boxes further down for suggestions on what would work best in your specific environment. My setup will have the 50" plasma mounted above the fireplace approximately 11 feet from where my head is when I'm sitting on the couch. 1080p would make no discernible difference in my setup. So I'll happily keep that extra couple hundred dollars in my bank account. :) (Actually, I'm sure I'll spend it on something else, but I'll do it happily no doubt.) Here's the chart: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.png

Don't get me started on the 1080p stuff... :) 720p is just fine by me. Its certainly not worth paying extra for a format where the human eye can't tell the difference in most living rooms/family rooms in the nation, let alone the fact that pretty much nothing is broadcast in true 1080p...

Whatever's easy for you. Slap something together when you get the chance and I'll test it for you on 2010's data.

HAHA, yup.

It would be nice to be able to specify certain criteria. For instance, with HDTV's, this year I'm looking for a 50" or larger. But the list from last year has everything down to a 13". Probably only about 15% of the list is valuable to me. So perhaps a way to hide certain ones by checking a box next to them would be the easiest way. Then I could sort it by size, check all the ones that I'm not interested in and then refresh it with those gone. I could then proceed to sort it by whatever other thing across the top I wanted, like store (to eliminate stores not near me) or brand (if I'm dead set against a particular one or dead set on finding a specific one) and continue to whittle down the list as necessary.

Come on, Luck be a Lady. Daddy want a 50" (+) Panasonic Plasma for under $500!!!

I respectfully disagree...I think people who spent their money on an iPad might be disappointed when they see their friend's Fire does 90% of what the iPad does for several HUNDRED dollars less. They both surf the web and do email. They both play movies, music, games and read books. The Kindle doesn't have a camera or microphone and thus can't do video chat. But the Kindle reportedly has a much better interface with their customized version of Android. The Kindle is easier to carry around and hold with one hand. Oh, and did I mention IT COSTS A FRACTION OF WHAT AN IPAD DOES? :) Believe me, I'm the first person to say the iPad is an awesome little tool. But its WAY overpriced for what 95% of people use it for. I absolutely see this as a valid (perhaps smarter) alternative to the iPad for the vast majority of consumers. Is it better than the iPad? No. Does it do everything the iPad does? No. If I already had an iPad, would I replace it with a Fire? No - well....maybe....if I could get someone to buy my iPad off me for more than the cost of a new Fire I might. But does it do everything that 95% of iPad users do on their iPads? Absolutely. So to me, for 95% of people considering buying an iPad out there, they could buy this instead and be perfectly happy. In fact they'd most likely be more than perfectly happy since they saved themselves HUNDREDS of dollars. 90% of the functionality for 40% (or less) of the cost? Smells like a deal to me. Now, when Siri makes its way to the iPad....that might prove interesting...

I placed my order late on the 14th. Got my shipping confirmation this afternoon. Scheduled delivery for the 17th. Yay!