len_mullen

Actually, the 1080 and 720 refer to the number of horizontal lines of resolution and, FWIW, most 720p sets have 768 lines. There are more factors than distance -- especially the size of the screen, but also what you are looking at. 720p content may actually look better on a 720p set than a 1080p set as the 1080p has to scale the image. I usually point people to this chart, but, as you say, it's a rule of thumb. Best to go to a brick and mortar and see how things look when you sit as far back as you would in your living room. Circuit City has a chair and tape measure to help you out. Excellent points. I'd add that glossy screens (i.e., plasmas) are problematic in bright rooms. I noticed that this year the merchants are mounting the tvs at a slight downward angle to reduce this effect. I'd do this at home if I couldn't dim the room with shades and curtains (which I have). I agree. If you can manage the light, get a plasma. I got a 50" 720p Samsung with a 1200w htib for $930 after cashback. I'm breaking it in now. I've watched blu-ray, hd cable, and sd on it. It's beautiful. Even SD DVDs look great when played on the upconverting player. The Samsung bundle is nice since the devices are aware of each other (htib turns on and off with tv). My PS3 looks awesome.

I just made my choice and it was a PS3. For me, it represented the best entertainment value. Let me explain. 1) This console is going in my living room. I wanted an internet appliance, a video game, and a hd dvd player. I waited for the hd dvd war to end before making my choice. The PS3 is a blu-ray player which plays video games and comes with wireless internet access. 2) We have computers that play video games, so I was looking for a different experience. I wanted to improve upon the LAN parties and online gaming that my kids already enjoy. I found the WII intriguing, but thinking about the way my kids play, I decided that adding multi-multi capability to the kinds of games they prefer would provide more enjoyment. (By multi-multi I mean multiple people at the console playing with multiple people on the internet.) I found a lot of excellent games for the PS3 that fit the bill. 3) Out of pocket spend heavily favors the PS3 -- for my configuration, anyway. Video consoles do not respect the free market. The prices are fixed, so you have to be creative to avoid sticker. I bought my PS3 via an ongoing $150 off your first $300 purchase when you open a credit card account promotion at sonystyle.com. So, my PS3 cost $250 (free shipping). That's competitive with the others even before adding a blu-ray player. My wife opened a sonystyle account too (no trickery -- we called and they said that was fine) and we used it to get $310 worth of games for $160. PS3/80g LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (for PSP) Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (for PSP) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Game of the Year Edition Army of Two Uncharted: Drake's Fortune all for $410. I think that qualifies as a good price. All shipped to my door free. Moonlighting as a blu-ray player adds value for me. Then there's the rest. Sony does not charge for its network services (vs $50 per year, I believe for xbox live). Once you get that working, there are dozens of demos and free games to play. I am a huge fan of demos as these reduce the risk of shelling out $60 for shelfware. I have to say that I eliminated the WII early. I know LOTS of people who have them and most love them, but I played with them and didn't like them very much at all. Of my friends and family who own a WII, few have more than one or two games beyond the sports pack and most play infrequently. Had HDDVD won the format war, I may have gone with an XBox. Already, the two systems are pretty similar and, if history tells us anything, PS3 games will get better going forward. So, there you have it. $400 for the newest console plus a blue-ray player and a handful of amazing games. How can you go wrong?

No one knows, of course, that's why we are all hanging around here But I'll go out on a limb and speculate that there won't be one. It'd be too big, expensive, and limited to serve as a door buster. 58" plasmas are still fetching $2-4k and weigh in at close to 150#. I guess that most would struggle getting a six foot box home. I expect to see mostly LCDs at 42" and smaller on BF. If I were going to plunk down that much money on a TV, price would be a screen criteria, but so would brand and image quality. To wit, start shopping. Make up a list of all the TVs that look good to you and are in the size range you want then watch here to see if any shows up as a BF deal. While you're waiting, keep an eye on the 'deal' sites for your choices -- never know when a deal is going to bite you in the butt!

That's right -- they have another version coming out. New version improves the screen, so no impact on installed base. As far as content goes, get your PSP working wirelessly and download media (games, movies) from your PC or sources on the internet. I don't think movie discs will be wildly popular. Walmart has a good selection of games at good prices.

same here. we fade the speakers to the back and have quiet up front (until the missus dozes; then i turn up the radio to drown her out).

get an fm transmitter instead and play audio through the car's stereo. Kids can hurt their hearing. I like this.

Apples to Oranges, Promom. My youngest has a PSP and loves it. He plays games on it and that is what it does best. We could put movies and music on it, but it's kind of big for that. My oldest has a Sansa View. No games, but it plays movies and music with grace and style. If he wants a video game, consider the PSP (get $150 off your first $300 purchase using a sony card available from sonystyle.com). If he is wanting to watch movies, get something bigger than a nano. If he wants music, the nano is fine. Take a look at the sansa if you are not already committed to itunes.

The thing I HATE about Kohls is that they move their BF items. Even if you get in line early, you have to locate merchandise in the store. The associates did not know where specific items were. So you skoot over to the digital frames only to find an empty shelf then dash over to jewelry where they are stacked on a table.

That tickled my fancy! Probably a Walmart commercial in there someplace. Lay away should be a winner for the retailer. They just need rules to minimize abuse. Would you use layaway if...1) your merchandise could only be picked up at a certain time (i.e., two weeks before xmas) 2) you had to make a significant down payment (20%) 3) failure to make a payment resulted in forfeiture of accrued payments 4) layaway items were not eligible for price match (no return/rebuy) 5) cancellation resulted in restocking fee (i.e., 20%) I worked in a department store when I was in school. We had layaway and half the stock room was filled with layaway merchandise. The merchandise continuously lost value as each time an item went on sale, it lost value. Much of the merchandise ended up back on the shelves as Christmas approached because shoppers abandoned their claims.

Walmart was a great addition to our community. They brought in large selection of merchandise at very competitive prices. Their stores open early and stay open late -- some 24hours. Their instore pickup is excellent, and Walmart offers inexpensive prescriptions. They even let campers park their RVs in the lot overnight. If I need something and don't have time to shop, I'm starting at Walmart -- they probably have it at a reasonable price. If I need food, a prescription, a money order, and some stuff, I'll stop at Walmart -- one stop/checkout shopping at fair prices. That's just how it is. Walmart is a great retailer and we are lucky to have them impacting prices at retail. That said, I never go there on BF. BF is the opposite of everything I like about Walmart. Their prices are not the best, their selection is not the best, and the likelihood of me getting a good deal on what I want is nil as hundreds line up for limited merchandise. Big deal. Walmart is not good at BF.

15w is a CF bulb But you're right, it's the impact of consuming more electricity that is most important -- more electricity consumed, the more heat produced. Heat kills. Oh, and the $300 you save by buying the new PS3 with a Sony card (compared to the premium people are paying for the 60g bc units)...and the warranty. We have a PS2 and half our games are PS2, but we manage to play them on the PS2. In fact, we take the PS2 camping and in the car and have it on a 'lesser' tv -- which means the kids can play something else while we watch a blu-ray movie.

If you have a Discover Card, get your 'cash back' in Staples gift cards to get an additional 20% off (you redeem $20 to get a $25 card). So you pay $240 OTD then get $30 in rewards for a final price of $210. Add a $40 8600gt and a $40 PS for a great <$300 gaming PC. On BF add a big lcd and the perennial $20 altec lansing 2.1 speakers. You'll be very happy for a long time.

Think hard about this. The newer PS3s use chips that use less electricity and generate heat. This will save you money every month and prolong the life of your console (heat kills). You will also forgo a warranty. If you buy your new PS3 via the sony card promotion, your premium for backwards compatability will be ~$300 -- you should be able to find a PS2 for that price Also, all PS3s play PSOne games, so there is some BC. Good luck!

For those looking for a deal on a PS3 or a PSP, if you are willing to apply for a credit card, Sony is offering $150 off your first $300 purchase. My wife and I each got one. We used the first to get a PS3 for $250 and the second to get $309 worth of accessories for $159. For the PSP, you could get the system, a big memory card, and a couple games for less than you would pay for a bundle at a retail outlet. Free shipping too ;-)

Sign, this week Staples has a $300 computer that is a great deal. If you have an old computer to recycle, you get a $30 reward as well. I don't think you will do better on BF... Compaq Presario (desktop) - AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core Processor 4800 - 3GB RAM - 320 GB Hard Drive - 128mb graphics card - Supermulti DVD drive with LightScribe - Windows Vista Home Premium

I did not expect to get one on BF. I shop commodities on BF for the most part. I am particular about a TV so I wanted to shop then bite on the first good deal. It's late enough that you can return whatever good deal you find now if a better one comes along on BF. I wanted my tv (50" plasma) shipped, too.

Well, there was the year my wife called me from an emergency room while I was shopping. Maybe that doesn't count -- I was going through the checkout.

Let's start with the DLP -- because I hate DLP. Unless you have a TV viewing room with a seat dead center at precisely the right height and distance with excellent lighting, you will probably be disappointed. Go to one of the big boxers to see what I mean. $1k for a 720p plasma does not sound great to me (I've seem on sale for that price quite a bit; if you had jumped on the BB deal and charged on a discover card, you have gotten free shipping and another 5% off), but it sounds like a good deal. I think you can do better if you wait. If you disagree, jump on it.

I just bought the Samsung (TV + HTIB for $927 after Discover cash back) bundle from BB. I have the HTIB and the TV set up in a spare bedroom while I break it. It will be paired with a PS3 in a couple months. I've been on the prowl for hdtv for a couple years and have decided now is the time to buy because... 1) I have a blu-ray player (ps3) 2) I have a hd video game console (ps3) 3) There is lots of hd content on tv (dish) 4) Prices are plummeting 5) Quality is impressive What to buy? Plasma. It looks better and you tend to get more TV for the same money. The difference is most apparent watching sports. The motion is smoother. One caveat: a plasma with a reflective screen looks great in low light, but not so great in a bright room. If your room is very bright during your viewing time, you'd be better off with an LCD. I *really* wanted the plasma, so I put up shades and curtains -- where there's a will, there's a way. 720p or 1080p? Depends on the size of the set, how close you sit, and how discriminating you are. My set looks great at six feet. My couch is ten feet away. The PS3 comes with wireless controllers, so even the kids won't be close enough to discern. Also, there is not much 1080p (blu-ray) content out there, so you will likely be looking at scaled 720p or 480p. 720p content will probably look better on a 720p set. Full HDTV (1080p) is this year's must have, so 720p can get you a significant discount. I figure the money I save getting the 720p this year will probably get me a 1080p when 1440p is the rage. What's the difference? It's in the way the screen is drawn. With lcd, you have a square pixel being set to some color and sitting there at that color perfectly until it is set to another color. If you look real close, you will see these jaggies. The more pixels you have, the closer you have to look, but you can see the squareness. Plasma works more like a CRT. The gas is excited and gives off a glow. The glow begins to fade quickly and the softness around the edges is perceived as smoothness by the brain. That said, best thing to do is LOOK at TVs. If you can not get excited by one or another in the store, you won't notice a difference in your living room. I'm breaking the set in in a spare bedroom we refer to as Santa's Workshop. I've been looking at this set for maybe six hour altogether. It's amazing. I haven't even watched HD programming on it -- just upconverted standard DVDs. The thing is that you are going to get a very good deal on a very good set. Your investment will be low enough that you won't feel bad if something really amazing comes out next year. Do visit stores. Measure the distance between your sofa and your TV and walk/stand at that distance from the sets. Make a list of all the sets that look good to you. Price out the sets so you know what a bargain looks like and watch the deal forums for a good deal. If a good deal comes along before BF, jump on it. Have it delivered as late as possible and leave it crated until the BF fliers come out. If you see something worth waiting in line for, return your unopened bargain. Good luck!

We lost our BL this spring. I miss it. It was my first stop coming out of Staples on BF and they always had something for free and a couple things for cheap.

staples. i go there first most years and I have >$300 in gift cards.

dh=dear husband, ds=dear son, dd=dear daughter

The ideal economic situation for buyers who have money would be a sudden loss of demand AFTER merchandise is on the shelf. I think retailers have been managing expectations for awhile, so I don't expect that there is too much merchandise sitting in warehouses. I don't expect people to spend significantly less this year -- despite postings here. I don't know anyone who is unemployed, oil and gas prices are coming down, and there are some great deals (already) on terrific gifts. The bailout should have a positive impact as it provides money to subsidize conversion of ARMs to affordable fixed rate mortgages -- count on people to take money out of these. Also, the apparent impending recession has dampened interest rates. My expectation is that the good merchandise will go early at great prices and that the rest will go later at great prices, but that there will be no fire sale relative to where we are right now. Last year, just before Christmas, I was shopping for bargains. There were *very* few to be found. Made me think the retailers are doing a better job of managing inventory. Relative to where we are is the key. There are already plenty of deals out there. If you are shopping for Sony products that don't go on sale (i.e., PS3), Sony has been running $150 off $300 and $100 off $300 sony card promotions all year (I got a PS3 for the price of a WII). Bestbuy has had some great TV deals. Dell has put a lot of coupons out. Computers and computer components (especially disks and LCDs which are a staple of BF ads) are very cheap. GPS units are on sale every week. So make your list, check it twice, and watch for bargains as you prepare for BF. Grab what you see, but keep the receipts handy for price match/return opportunities (another reason why BF prices won't make current prices pale).

First, get your PS3 right now at sonystyle.com. $150 off $399.99 with sony card will not be beat on BF. Plus you can leverage free financing offer. Let me know when you're done with that and we'll move onto the others ;-)

I don't like LCDs. To me they look different up to about $4k. From there LCDs look good to me. I have always known this and learned why at a streaming media conference in a session about why HDTV hasn't caught on (it was a few years back). I'll try to summarize for those who are interested... Old CRTs were 60i. They painted a picture on a screen 30 times per second. They did this by moving a gun across the screen exciting phosphors to create colors. They excited every other line each time down the picture tube. As soon as a phosphor was excited, it began to dim. By the time the gun was making its second pass, the first lit 'pixels' were pretty dim. This resulted in a slightly blurred image our brains embrace as smooth. LCDs turn square pixels off and on. They stay fully lit and when looked at closely, appear squarish. Absent the blurring/smoothing, the images do not look right to our brains. Some people are more sensitive to this than others. Much has been made of 120hz. Supposedly, painting the image twice as often reduces the defects of the LCD. In reality, TV comes at 30fps or less and painting the same picture four times before changing it doesn't smooth anything. So, LCD makers load two frames and estimate/interpolate/approximate/fabricate additional frames in between. How well they do this determines how smooth an LCD looks. Plasma works more like a CRT with the gasses getting all excited and then dimming, so it tends to look better to our brains. I'm not an engineer, but that is how it was explained to me and the explanation matches my perception, so I got a plasma. Happy shopping.