Black Friday

[Murdoc]

It's been a couple years in America and I've always ignored black friday as it seemed kind of dangerous and only slightly sad to watch the news that day.

 

However, it's about time I get myself an actual tv so I can actually enjoy the games and movies I play, so I figured waiting for next week would be the time.

 

Does anyone have any advice, is it worth even going to the store that day or can I get a pretty decent deal online? I just want to avoid having to step on a grandmother or get clobbered by people, also not really into camping out in front of a best buy at night.

 

Just wondering if anyone had an experience and found the deals marginal between now and then?

[Mangela Lansbury]

I went to do Black Friday stuff a few years in a row with my dad. It's a terrible, harrowing experience and I don't recommend it. We stopped going because a lot of places have absurd limits in place ("Limit 5 per store" on a cheap TV and people start lining up at noon on Thanksgiving? Not wasting my time) and it got a little too violent. Not like punchy punchy grrrr fuck you violent, but like I will jab you with my elbows while I grab something because then I can get to the next thing faster and you won't be in my way violent. Important note: The last time I did the early stuff, stores didn't even open at midnight so it's been a while and maybe things have gotten worse/better.

 

I'd say that you're better off just getting something online or during a normal sale, but I've never shopped for a TV so I wouldn't know! That's just my experience with Black Friday how it's gotten terrible ever since it became a thing.

[JonCole]

The very best TV deals will be doorbusters, full stop. The hottest TV deal that I know of is a 50" 1080p 60hz Panasonic going for $200 (down from $550) at Best Buy with extremely limited quantities.

 

Here are the ad scans for TV's that'll be on sale - http://slickdeals.net/blackfriday/category/tvs/97/

 

Largely the very best deals are for low-end panels, which isn't exactly a bad thing - you usually just get less ports, no 120hz refresh, etc. Saving 60% off a $500+ item is very nice, but it sounds like you're like me - unwilling to do that. I bought a 42" 720p Samsung plasma from Walmart when it wasn't on sale and it was only $400. I don't think I would have gone through the trouble to camp at Best Buy to get that same display or something even slightly better for less, but I just don't go to those lengths for deals.

 

You might want to consider camping out on the Black Friday deals page for Amazon. In the past two or three years Amazon has been delivering doorbuster-quality sales at random intervals throughout the week prior to BF through the day itself. I don't think they sell a whole lot of TVs as part of the lightning deals, but you might get lucky and grab one. The BF Deals page shows a whole day's worth of upcoming deals, so you'll be able to see ahead of time if a TV is incoming so you know when to standby your computer. All you do is click the buy button as soon as the lightning deal countdown timer elapses and hope you get lucky.

[JonCole]

Oops, double posted.

[Bjorn]

If you don't mind sharing, what kind of budget did you have in mind?

[Dewar]

You can still get pretty good black Friday deals if you want to avoid the door buster craziness. More on the order of 10-20% off, but it's still something.

[Mawd]

Isn't Cyber Monday also a thing over in 'murrica? Seems like a much preferable alternative than the consumer electronics version of the Running of the Bulls.

[JonCole]

If your budget is very low, Walmart is selling this 40" 1080p TV for $115 - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Element-ELEFW408-40-1080p-60Hz-Direct-Lit-LED-HDTV/35701682

 

Not available for shipping, but in-store pickup shows as available at all my local stores so stock isn't extremely constrained. Frankly, if I didn't have a TV already I'd probably buy as it doesn't get much cheaper than this.

[SecretAsianMan]

Isn't Cyber Monday also a thing over in 'murrica? Seems like a much preferable alternative than the consumer electronics version of the Running of the Bulls.

 

They call it Cyber Monday but really the online deals will be running the whole weekend.  Some have already started.

[Mawd]

They call it Cyber Monday but really the online deals will be running the whole weekend. Some have already started.

Which is an even better reason to shop online.

Of course catchy names don't always bring the details.

[Murdoc]

Thanks guys!

I figured as much, as fun of an experience of getting a door buster would be, Im too lazy.

I did start to notice the deals seem to be on the lower end stuff, not that I want anything fancy.

My budget is max 550ish, it'd be great to get something cheaper so I can put that into some affordable sound options too.

I think 40 inch will do and while I hate having a giant black square in my living room, I think I'd want to go with 50 just to get a better experience.

What's the deal with 60hz and 120hz? I sit on monitor all day since I was ten and not even sure I'd notice the difference. I did notice on one tv at a place I was staying at it made everything in a movie look stupid, I don't know why that is, maybe that was refresh rate? It's almost like the difference between 48fps and 30 (or whatever the standard I like is).

Anyway, looks like I'll play it safe and go with something mid range thus on sale but not crazy on sale.

Thanks guys!

[JonCole]

At $550, I'd buy this -

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-51-class-50-3-4-diag--plasma-1080p-hdtv-black/8239047.p?id=1218866283709&skuId=8239047

 

It's The Wirecutter's step-up $500 TV pick and it's one of the last glorious Samsung plasmas you can get. I love the black levels of plasma and I'm very satisfied with my budget Samsung plasma (even at only 720p and 42"). Color accuracy matters a lot in gaming where low-light occurs quite often, so plasma televisions (and in the future OLED) are great for it.

 

60hz vs 120hz is kind of a silly thing - the main thing you need to know is that PC gamers prefer 120hz because games running at a high framerate will have much more fluid movement and less tearing if the screen can refresh at the same rate as the framerate. Since most console games are locked at 30 or 60 fps, it's not going to make much difference in most cases. I'd prioritize display quality, ports, brand, etc all over refresh rate, personally.

[Murdoc]

Ah cool, Thanks Jon, much appreciated. 

 

I was certainly looking at Samsung because I remember my old samsung tv did a pretty great job. I plan on using this for my main PC monitor now, so maybe it's best to go with 120hz, I dunno, I don't think I'll care to be honest as long as the picture looks good.

 

Also, I am years behind even thinking about this; I thought plasmas went out long ago and were totally replaced by LED and LCD? I guess they produce a better colour from what you are saying?

 

edit: Oh just looking at that description. Ok so yeah they are best for darker rooms, which may not be very suited for me because my living room is super bright most of the time except night.

 

For something smaller and way under budget: this doesn't seem too terrible either. LG 42 INCH LED - Amazon
 

[JonCole]

edit: Oh just looking at that description. Ok so yeah they are best for darker rooms, which may not be very suited for me because my living room is super bright most of the time except night.

 

For something smaller and way under budget: this doesn't seem too terrible either. LG 42 INCH LED - Amazon

 

 

Plasmas aren't perfect or preferred over LCDs for bright rooms, indeed, but they're generally recommended for budget gaming TVs because the way that plasma works means that they effectively have no motion blur due to high refresh rate. Usually on plasmas you won't see the 60hz vs 120hz paradigm because that really only applies to LCD televisions. I could go into depth to explain it, or link you to this article that explains it fairly well though exhaustively, but really all you need to know about plasma vs LCD as it pertains to refresh rate is plasma sets are generally better for gaming on the refresh rate front.

 

Anyways, to get back to the point, I don't think that LG would be great for you because it has a glossy screen. Also, if you intend to be doing PC gaming on it, then 120hz is more important. In a bright room, you probably want an LCD with a matte finish and 120hz. I'd bump it up one tier to this LG which is only marginally more expensive and comes with the features I mentioned - http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-47LB5900-47-Inch-1080p/dp/B00KVLT0HM/

[Murdoc]

Man, so much to learn. Thanks Jon, I appreciate the help. Looks like that samsung plasma is the way for me to go.

 

Thank you a bunch! I've been playing on a 29-30 inch dell monitor from 2010(09?) which is clipping out extreme whites and blacks now, so anything will probably be an improvement

 

edit: Ah nuts, that plasma has a glossy screen too. That may not work, I'll look into it though.

 

Double nuts, nothing has PC input, I guess this went out of style? Weird.

[Mawd]

You could buy an HDMI to Pc input maybe? I think they're kind of cheap, I don't know if they're super great though. I was looking at the opposite type of cable to hook my PS3 to my monitor so I am just assuming that it exists.

Still though with a cheap tv on the table a cable that costs probably >$15 shouldn't be too big a deal.

[JonCole]

Man, so much to learn. Thanks Jon, I appreciate the help. Looks like that samsung plasma is the way for me to go.

 

Thank you a bunch! I've been playing on a 29-30 inch dell monitor from 2010(09?) which is clipping out extreme whites and blacks now, so anything will probably be an improvement

 

edit: Ah nuts, that plasma has a glossy screen too. That may not work, I'll look into it though.

 

Double nuts, nothing has PC input, I guess this went out of style? Weird.

 

I still really like that Samsung plasma and would dig it for myself, but I also use blackout shades in my TV room so it works. The LG I linked is basically the same as the one you listed, but one tier better with a matte/semi-glossy screen and 120hz refresh rate.

 

Does your computer not have HDMI out? Pretty much no televisions have DVI, some still have VGA but that's definitely out of style. You can definitely get a cable or adapter (HDMI Male -> DVI Female, HDMI Female -> DVI Male) for DVI -> HDMI, as they're both digital formats.

[Murdoc]

Yeah, I apparently still live in 2005 and think HDMI on a video card wasn't happening.Turns out my graphics card, as old as it is, has a mini HDMI port, I just never used it because my monitor was pre-hdmi.

 

I ended up going with the 50inch LED. I got hosed on the version number of the panel (so the internet tells me) but I honestly can't tell the difference, it's a gigantic tv that ruins my living room but looks fantastic. I spend the weekend watching movies and playing games, it's great.  Thank you for all the help!

 

While I shouldn't be spending any more money right now, I'm in the market for a new video card since Dragon Age is running into some issues, so I'll be on the watch Friday and Monday for something decent.

[tegan]

Take a picture of the TV!

[Dewar]

Take a picture of the TV, put it up on the TV screen, then take another picture of the TV.