It has been kind of fun watching the predicted price plummets on the television sets, almost just as the “experts” predicted. If you are planning to upgrade your own home entertainment center with a larger (or additional) tv in the next few weeks, get ready to jump in when the price is right. You might recall that a couple of months ago on September 29 we relayed the information about the over-production of LCD flat screens putting a glut on the market. The tv manufacturers took advantage of the price drop and rushed their sets out to the retailers in time for the big shopping rush coming up.
We wrote, partially quoting from a CNN Money web posting: But a tailspin will start in October. In the last three months of the year, the firm forecasts that prices will keep falling until they bottom out at 12% below 2009 levels. On Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), 32-inch LCD TVs will drop to an average price of between $249 and $299, with the best deals as low as $199, according to a prediction from research firm iSuppli. The 32-inch LCD TVs currently sell for $349 to $399, on average, with the cheapest model (Emerson’s LC320EMX) selling for $300.
During the month of December though, the price chops coupled with the shopping season will generate a surge in demand and by the end of December the bottom-prices will climb rapidly back to more profitable levels. So the best time to add to, or upgrade your personal television receiver stock is sometime between November 26 and December 15.

Walmart has been making loud noises about insisting that they will have the lowest prices on tv’s over the Black Friday weekend and early peeks at their upcoming ads show an Emerson 42″ 1080p offered at $398 and a 52″ Samsung for $998. I am only quoting on 1080p sets because some cable companies won’t convert the Hi-Def signals to 720p.
Taking a look at yesterday’s Sunday ads for Best Buy and HHGregg (a new outfit in my area) I see a 50″ plasma for $800 and a 55″ LCD for $900 at Best Buy. The HHGregg stores are quoting similar prices plus $300 for a 32″ LCD that has a built-in DVD player. The prices for the 19″, 24″ and 32″ sets are low enough you could add one to your own home inventory.
The digital dunce that I am, the difference between LCD screens and LED screens constantly escapes me. I think that LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and LED refers to Light Emitting Diode. But I really don’t know if one or the other is supposed to give a better picture. Perhaps one of you will write in and advise us of any noticable differences between them. It appears that this overstock of LCD screens is also dragging down the prices of the LED and the Plasma tv’s. Are people still buying the Plasma’s? What is their advantage?
Well, this 20-day window of video opportunity is just about to open, so let’s see what happens next.
What is really going to happen next is getting this equipment checked out. I need to get some more coffee started, too. See you back in the day room.
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