Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

When to Buy an HDTV

Winter is prime hunting season if you want to bag a new HDTV. But considering how steadily prices on these TVs have fallen in the past couple of years, the more relevant question may be "When isn't a good time to buy an HDTV?"

Jeff Bertolucci

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

TV graphic image

Illustration: Harry Campbell
One of the two optimal times to buy a high-def TV is during the holiday shopping season that runs from late November through December. This includes "Black Friday"--the notorious day-after-Thanksgiving retail frenzy marked by incredible (and short-lived) bargains. Ask anyone who has braved a Black Friday queue at 5 a.m.: The loss-leader deals sell out fast.

"Shoppers have to realize what is a subsidized promotion versus a good deal that they can count on for more than 60 minutes," says HDTV analyst Richard Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group. If you miss a Black Friday sale, don't fret. You'll still have until Christmas to find "the longest sustained series of bargains," says Doherty.

Another good time to grab a television is in late January, as the Super Bowl approaches, Doherty says. That's when "retailers have specials and closeouts, and try to one-up each other."

According to Doherty, if prices have been falling for a while, it's probably a good time to buy. Over the past two years, HDTV prices have dropped an average of 2 percent per month. "That can't go on forever," says Doherty. "Sets are not going to go down to $32. There isn't a lot more room [to cut prices] as you get near the basement." Bottom line: Buy while prices are still heading down.

Other Parts of This Story

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

"When to Buy an HDTV " Comments

Print 65% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.

Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft

  • Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
  • High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?

People who read this also read:

  • 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Comparison This paper compares and contrasts four suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Standard 2007, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007. This paper is intended to help organizations understand the applications and capabilities offered, and to identify the suite that best fits their needs.
  • Windows Vista Migration: The Business Proposition It's not so much a matter of "if" but "when" for most organizations regarding migration to Windows Vista. Laying the groundwork now for this migration can yield higher ROI than waiting until later. This Computerworld Technology Briefing explains it all.

PC World's Marketplace