Steadfast Finances
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Finally Time to Buy a Plasma HDTV?
Photo: Samsung 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV for $675
Being something of an anticonsumer and frugal living type of person, I’ve rejected the temptation of buying a large flat screen plasma HDTV since… well… they were introduced on the market.
I’ve wanted one for years, since the early 2000s when they cost several thousand dollars, but I’ve always feared buyer’s remorse since I really don’t watch that much TV (unless it’s college football) and that I would almost certainly begin kicking myself once I saw HDTV prices begin to fall as the technology became more widespread and consumer demand began to fall.
But, with Christmas just around the corner and a 50 inch HDTV going for a reasonable $500 to $1000 this year — a cost savings of about 75% to 90% from the original $5000 plasma HDTV I practically drooled over at Best Buy several years ago — I’m thinking it might be time.
So what do you think?
Only live once? Or are they still too overpriced considering any old TV will do?
If you think it’s a worthwhile purchase, got any tips or must have hardware criteria (brand, pixel count, hook ups, etc) that I should insist upon?
5 Comments
Nov 9, 20105:54 am
I’m by no means an expert, but the two things that are a big deal for me are: color depth (ie. blacker blacks, whiter whites, etc.), refresh rate (find a display at best buy that has two TVs right next to each other, if they have diff hz it will be obvious when there’s a lot of motion), and make sure you look at the number of connections to make sure it will support your devices. There are other practical benefits to a flatscreen, especially if going from a TV with more depth. The space savings are like getting a bigger house all of a sudden :-P
Nov 9, 20109:47 am
I’ve noticed the blacker black problem with a friend’s HDTV… difficult to watch when an actor was in a dark scene.
Nov 9, 201011:55 am
I would shoot for getting a Black Friday deal on an HDTV. I bought mine for $725 3 years ago, and thought I got a spectacular deal…but prices as of late have been amazing. My advice would be to go for 1080p since its most likely something you will be hanging on to for awhile, and if you plan on watching ANY type of blu-ray, you want to get the best experience possible. I also agree with checking the refresh rate, and it should also be noted that many LCD/Plasma TV’s do have different color modes which makes comparing apples to apples in Best Buy sometimes difficult. Most of all DO NOT buy an extended warranty…the failure rate for these TV’s is between 2-3% and most credit cards automatically include an extension of the manufacturers warranty automatically (my visa does).
Nov 10, 20109:42 am
Solid advice all around Micah… esp the 1080p suggestion!
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7:57 pm
Sports in HD will literally change your life. Go for it!