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Official Black Friday TVs (HDTV & 4K) Discussion Thread

Brad

By Brad
in 2015

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Brad

Brad

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As always, we have several dedicated threads for the hotter items each Black Friday. Please try to keep all discussion related to these items in their official threads. Other threads posted will likely be merged into this main thread.

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starbeck96

starbeck96

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We are thinking about getting a bigger TV for the living room as a "family" gift this year.  Right now we have a 32" in there.  We would love to have a bigger TV in there and then my husband and I would take the 32" for our room since we don't have a TV in here.

 

We are also planning on buying a 32" TV for our boys' room.  We will probably just be looking for the cheapest models.

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vchristianman

vchristianman

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I am looking for a bigger tv as well. Last year I purchased a 32 samsung smart tv and have it in the living room, I plan to put in the bedroom and get a bigger tv for the living room. I am thinking that I want something 42" or bigger and I believe I want either a LG or Vizio.  I believe that LG makes better tvs than Vizio so I should probably go with an LG.  I wonder if there is a big difference between an LG and Vizio, picture and quality wise. I will probably want it to be a smart tv as well.   

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Pnambic

Pnambic

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Hey folks, you might remember my comments from last year about 4K media being pretty darn rare and there not really being any hard plans for it in the future.

I dare say so far I was right...  ;)

 

Even DirecTV, which proudly claims to be the, "the first multi-channel video provider in our industry to provide it." has little to offer in actual material.

At the bottom of their page here:, one of their FAQ's asks, "How many 4K movies does DirecTV have?"

 - Their answer, I KID YOU NOT, is, "The number of 4K movies varies from week to week, but there are always at least two 4K movies..."

 

TWO

 

Couple more things to be aware of:

1.) 4K is a completely different measurement from 1080P. 

 - 4K is NOT 4 times wider and 4 times taller than 1080P, so it is NOT 16 times better. 

 - 1080P measures out to 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. 

 - The current standard for Ultra HD (UHD) is actually 3840 x 2160, but could change... 

 

See the problem so far?  This is like when HD first came out and everyone jumped on 720P screens, only to realize a few months later that 1080i screens were going to be an HD standard.  And then a year after that, 1080P comes along...  And then BluRay and HDDVD began battling.  That took a couple years to be settled.  THE SAME THING IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW WITH HDR IMPLEMENTATION FOR 4K TV's.  Investing in a 4K TV right now may not actually make you as "future-proof" as you think it will.  Until media is being produced in overwhelming quantities in some new 4K derived format, its a crapshoot as to what UHD format will actually be adopted. 

 

2.) 4K is probably too many pixels for your existing setup. 

 - HDMI cables up through 1.4 (which is 99.999999% of HDMI cables out there) cannot transmit the volume of data that is 4K at 60fps. So you will need HDMI 2.0 cables.  (More money)

 - HDMI ports up through 1.4 (which are 99.999999% of HDMI ports out there) cannot receive or transmit the volume of data that is 4K at 60fps.  These ports are on the backs of TV's, and home theater receivers that you plug the HDMI cables in to.  That means if you have a home theater, chances are you won't be able to run a 4K 60fps peripheral through your receiver and then to your new 4K TV.  So you will likely need a new home theater receiver, or wire things in a strange way to hopefully get around this.  (More money)

 - If you have an 80hr DVR, that would be used up in less than 20 hours of 4K media.  You'll need to be better about keeping up with your shows, or buy bigger Hard Drive DVR's  (More money)

 

3.) 4K is probably too much bandwidth for you to stream.

 - Netflix recommends at least 5Mbits download speed to stream HD material.  And this is with NOTHING else going on in your network.  If you have kids browsing the Internet, watching YouTube, playing games online, etc, that's all on top of this.

 - Netflix recommends at least 25MBits download speed to stream UHD material.  That's TWENTY FIVE Megabits.  Plus all the other regular usage.  Two people streaming UHD all by itself is probably exceeding the capabilities of pretty much every wireless G home network right there.

 - What does this mean?  More bandwidth is more money.

 

4.) And then of course, there's this:

 

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.png

 

 

Do you really intend to be sitting between 3 and 5 feet away from your new 50 inch 4K TV so that you can notice the difference?

Be honest now.

 

 

 

 

Being future-proof is more than buying the TV, it's buying the infrastructure to get the media to the TV as well.  And I doubt many people have actually calculated what this cost will be for them specifically.

 

But hey, if you still want a 4K TV, don't let me stop you.  That means more 1080P deals available for me.

 

Actually, there is one thing that you may be able to get out of a 4K TV....if you can find one that has it.  That's Quantum Dot. 

But Quantum Dot has nothing to do with 4K and everything to do with improving color depth, so Quantum Dot on a 1080P would be the best option.

 

 

Now, 4K computer monitors are a different matter, as we are almost always much closer to these screens, so we actually CAN tell the difference.

Edited by Pnambic
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jewleyp

jewleyp

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We are thinking about getting a bigger TV for the living room as a "family" gift this year.  Right now we have a 32" in there.  We would love to have a bigger TV in there and then my husband and I would take the 32" for our room since we don't have a TV in here.

 

We are also planning on buying a 32" TV for our boys' room.  We will probably just be looking for the cheapest models.

We bought a 32" for our DD room 3 years ago at Best Buy- it was their brand.  We got a really great deal and it wasn't Black Friday.  Picture is great still - I never had to worry about the replacement cost in case of "accidents"  lol. 

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hoits2000

hoits2000

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I am super excited that this year I get to upgrade the tv this black friday. 

 

I have narrowed it down to the exact tv I want, the Samsung 65" UN65JU7100. I wanted 3D and 4K so this one is perfect.

 

I haven't been paying attention to the prices the last few years of TVs on black friday but I am hoping this gets to what I want to pay.

 

Right now the TV is $2300-2400. I am hoping to pay $1500 max. 

 

Come on Best Buy!

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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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Anyone think there will be soundbars with subwoofers on black Friday to go with these TV's?? My folks want one for my brother. He is going to get himself a 60" or larger  Smart TV.

Usually some deals out there for them, though I see far more of the full home theater sound systems than just the bars and subs. I watch Woot a lot and they seem to get a bunch as the season approaches and leaves.

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Pnambic

Pnambic

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Anyone think there will be soundbars with subwoofers on black Friday to go with these TV's?? My folks want one for my brother. He is going to get himself a 60" or larger  Smart TV.

 

Almost certainly.

I expect to see cheap ones for $50 - $100 without subs (that probably aren't much better than the TV speakers), mid-range ones from $200 - $250, and then some mild discounts on the nicer ones above $300.

 

There's a Walmart ad already floating around.  Don't know if its real or not yet...seems pretty early.

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laddhorn

laddhorn

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I've been seeing deals on Fry's electronics on LG 4k TVs.  Mostly 55-65" sets.  The 55" sets go "on sale" for about $900 and the 65" typically runs $1200.  I have seen both $200 lower once.  I am hoping to find a 55" 4k set for about the same price, but hopefully lower. 

Pnambic is correct about the viewing on a 4k set.  The TV will slightly upscale the video stream, but it will not be the same as watching true 4k content.  The reason I am looking for one is to use as a computer monitor when not in use as a TV.  I have blown up my computer fonts to 2x the typical size, so I can see them across the room.  Unfortunately, this has pixilated the words a bit, making it difficult to read on sites such as Facebook or Gottadeal.  In theory, the greater resolution will cut down on the pixelation, allowing me to read the sites much better.  For actually viewing TV, I don't expect much more than what I see on my 1080p set.

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Jen08

Jen08

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I am hoping to find a good sale on a tv this year.  I don't need a huge tv b/c its going on my screened in porch so I'm hoping to find something around 32in at Walmart.  I just hate to stand in that line.  The last time I bought a tv it was for a 20 some inch tv for my son and had to stand in line at Walmart for over 2 hours.  It sucked but luckily my mom was there and we would take turns shopping and bringing stuff back to our cart to buy. 

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Pnambic

Pnambic

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Posted (edited)

The Walmart add I saw has:

 - a 32" Samsung 1080P Smart TV for $248.

 - a 32" Unknown Brand 720P for $98

 

Also of note:

 - a 50" Unknown Brand 1080P for $218

 - a 50" Vizio UHD Smart TV for $698

 

Not a valid 2015 Walmart Black Friday ad.

Edited by Pnambic
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drod58

drod58

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I am hoping to find a good sale on a tv this year.  I don't need a huge tv b/c its going on my screened in porch so I'm hoping to find something around 32in at Walmart.  I just hate to stand in that line.  The last time I bought a tv it was for a 20 some inch tv for my son and had to stand in line at Walmart for over 2 hours.  It sucked but luckily my mom was there and we would take turns shopping and bringing stuff back to our cart to buy. 

Last year I got the Emerson 32" at Walmart for $115.00 that was like a week or two before Black Friday.  So far so good, I am very happy with the TV.  I went the night before the sale and bought it at the regular price, then I went next day for price adjustment.  No hassle, no lines, smooth transaction. 

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riven3d

riven3d

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Last year I got the Emerson 32" at Walmart for $115.00 that was like a week or two before Black Friday. So far so good, I am very happy with the TV. I went the night before the sale and bought it at the regular price, then I went next day for price adjustment. No hassle, no lines, smooth transaction.

It was a 40" I got same one in my room

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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Last year I got the Emerson 32" at Walmart for $115.00 that was like a week or two before Black Friday.  So far so good, I am very happy with the TV.  I went the night before the sale and bought it at the regular price, then I went next day for price adjustment.  No hassle, no lines, smooth transaction. 

Are you talking about two seperate transactions? I would consider anyone who gets an adjustment against corporate policy extremely lucky, especially if the sku numbers are different. Walmart has always been particular about pricing during BF hours, especially if you are matching a competitor's product with the same sku. I am glad that you were able to get the deal. Walmarts in our area have rather draconian methods of denying adjustments and treat you like a criminal if you attempt to use something like an internet coupon.

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riven3d

riven3d

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Are you talking about two seperate transactions? I would consider anyone who gets an adjustment against corporate policy extremely lucky, especially if the sku numbers are different. Walmart has always been particular about pricing during BF hours, especially if you are matching a competitor's product with the same sku. I am glad that you were able to get the deal. Walmarts in our area have rather draconian methods of denying adjustments and treat you like a criminal if you attempt to use something like an internet coupon.

 

 

no this was the sale that happened 2 weeks before BF, that TV was a hot ticket but WM policy does allow you to buy it before hand and get a PA after, only on BF you wouldnt be able to do it because of the sku thing like you said, but for this, the sale was for whatever stock they have on hand during the sale

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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Most of the negative reviews seem to come from purists or those who do not know how to adjust a TV set. There are many more negative people these days. They take the fun right out of the event if you let them. The TVs we bought for our church in 2006 were Westinghouse 720p 42 and 32 inch sets and people did the poo-poo dance all over those back in the day. I remember some church members that lamented the idea and cost, but 9 years later they are still in service.

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Pnambic

Pnambic

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Most of the negative reviews seem to come from purists or those who do not know how to adjust a TV set. There are many more negative people these days. They take the fun right out of the event if you let them. The TVs we bought for our church in 2006 were Westinghouse 720p 42 and 32 inch sets and people did the poo-poo dance all over those back in the day. I remember some church members that lamented the idea and cost, but 9 years later they are still in service.

 

Amen preacher!  I hate it when people buy an item dirt cheap that never claimed to have a particular feature and then complain about it not having the feature...  Read the box.  Know what the acronyms mean.  Be an informed buyer.  You're just not likely to be able to go out and buy a Ferrari for Focus prices, even on Black Friday.  These companies aren't in the business of giving nice stuff away (Circuit City tried it and it didn't end well for them...), they're trying their darnedest to lure you into the store with some really good prices and hoping you'll buy some other things while you're there.

 

BTW, several of us geeks here love discussing all those crazy acronyms, so if you want to know more, please ask.

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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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I think a lot of people look at specs of something and go oh that's not the latest buzzword bingo spec I keep hearing about so it must be garbage. In 06 we bought a Toshiba 50" Plasma 720P (or 1080i) TV and the ONLY reason I don't have it right now is we moved 1300 miles away and I was worried about it getting broken so I gave it to my in-laws who still use it and it still has an awesome picture. I have a 70" and 42" Vizio in our house now and some of the first things I did was search the net for good picture settings. Got the TV setup and tuned right and they both have awesome pictures.

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Spotted1

Spotted1

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I stood in line for the $98 - 32" tv from Walmart on Black Friday two years ago & despite poor reviews, it's still going strong. This year I'm hoping to pick up something a little smaller for my parents.

We got the 32 inch Emerson for $98 from Walmart last year for our girls' room. Still a great little TV and going strong!

What is everyone thinking for a 48"-50" 4K tv this year? I'm not looking for top of the line but want to stay at least in the Vizio quality area.

Walmart has a 50 inch 4K Hisense for $598 that we are staring down pretty hard.  We're considering getting it as an upgrade for the living room (as a 'family' gift) and then putting the 42inch Hisense we currently have in here back in our bedroom. If its on sale for Black Friday, by any crazy chance (I'm not holding my breath!) then it could become a 'must grab'. 

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