Best Buy’s Black Friday HDTV deals are now available. This year’s best deal seems to be the Panasonic TC-P46C2 46-Inch plasma for $499.99. Best Buy has never been known for its Black Friday deals, and this year doesn’t appear to be much different.

• LG 32LD450 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV $379.99 (regular $599.99)
• Sony 46″ LCD HDTV, 1080p, 120Hz, 4 HDMI PC (early bird special) $797.90
• Coby TFTV1525 15-Inch Widescreen LCD, 720p, HDTV/Monitor with HDMI Input $99.99 (regular $149.99)
• Dynex- 24″ 1080p, 60Hz, LED-LCD HDTV DX-24E150A11 (early bird special) $189.99 (regular $249.99)
• Panasonic-VIERA TC-P50G25 50-Inch Plasma (early bird special) $699.99 (regular $999.99)
• Panasonic TC-P46C2 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV $499.99 (regular $597.99)
• Samsung 46″ 1080p 120Hz LED LCD HDTV w/ Blu-Ray Disc Player $999.98 (regular $1,299.99)
• Samsung LN32C350 32-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV $327.99 (regular $379.99)
• Samsung LN46C630 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV (early bird special) $698.99
• Sony BRAVIA DAV-DZ170 Home Theater System (early bird special) $177.99 (regular ($249.99)
• Toshiba REGZA 55ZV650U 55-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with ClearScan 240 (early bird special) $969.99 (regular $999.99)
• Westinghouse – 42″ Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LED-LCD HDTV – LD-4255VX $649.9 (regular $999.99)
• Toshiba – Blu-ray Disc Player – BDX1100 (early bird special) $59.99 (regular $99.99)
• Samsung – 1000W 5.1-Ch. Blu-ray Home Theater System – HT-C5500XAA (early bird special) $297.99 (regular $369.99)
• Init – TV Stand for Most Flat-Panel and Tube TVs Up to 32″ – NT-C3002 (early bird special) $49.99 (regular $79.99)

Here are Best Buy’s 2009 Black Friday HDTV deals. The only standout deal seems to be the 46-inch Samsung LED-backlit LCD for $1599. The various Blu-ray movies for $7.99 are also a good deal.

HDTVs

• Dynex 32″ 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV $299.99
• Dynex 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (DX-L40-10A) $499.99
• Insignia 42″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV (NS-L4Q120-1GA) $699.99
• LG 32″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV 32LH30-UA $439.99
• Panasonic 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV 600Hz w/ Blu-ray Disc Player $999.98
• Samsung 32″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV LN32B530P7F $497.99
• Samsung 32″ 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV LN32B360C5D $397.99
• Samsung 50″ 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV N50B530S2F $897.99
• Samsung 50″ 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV PN50B430P2D $697.99
• Samsung 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (LN40B500P3FXZA) $597.99
• Samsung 42″ 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV $547.99
• Samsung 46″ 1080p 120Hz LED-Lit LCD TV $1,599.99
• Samsung 46″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV $847.99
• Sony 32″ 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV (KDL32L504) $377.99
• Sony 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (KDL405504) $662.99
• Sony 46″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (KDL465504) $852.99

Blu-ray

• Samsung – Blu-Ray Disc Player with 1080p Output – BD-P1600 $149.99
• Samsung – Blu-ray Disc Player with 1080p Output – Black/Red – BD-P4600 $279.99
• Sony – Blu-ray Disc Player with 1080p Output – BDP-S360 $149.99
• Body of Lies Blu-ray $12.99
• Braveheart Blu-ray $12.99
• Dirty Dancing Blu-ray $7.99
• Fast & Furious (Blu-ray) $9.99
• Ghostbusters (Blu-ray) $12.99
• Gladiator (Blu-ray) $12.99
• GoodFellas (Blu-ray) $19.99
• Live Free or Die Hard (Blu-ray) $7.99
• Mad Men: Season 2 (Blu-ray) $14.99
• Monsters vs. Aliens (Blu-ray) $29.99
• Sex and the City Movie (Blu-ray) $12.99
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Blu-ray) $7.99
• Star Trek: First Contact (Blu-ray) $7.99
• Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season [4 Discs] Blu-ray $14.99
• The Departed Blu-ray $7.99
• The International Blu-ray $12.99
• The Matrix Blu-ray $12.99
• The Silence of the Lambs Blu-ray $7.99
• The Terminator Blu-ray $7.99
• Transporter 3 Blu-ray $12.99
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Blu-ray $12.99
• V for Vendetta Blu-ray $7.99
• Wanted Blu-ray $12.99
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Blu-ray $9.99

Best Buy’s Black Friday deals have just been released. The are a few standouts, but most of the deals are underwhelming. Check out the entire list below:

HDTVs

• Mitsubishi 60″ WD-60735 1080p DLP HDTV $999.99 (regular price $1299) (link)
• Dynex 19″ 720p LCD HDTV $199.99
• Dynex 32″ 720p LCD HDTV $399.99
• Dynex 42″ 720P Plasma HDTV $599.99
• Insignia 47″ 1080P LCD HDTV $999.99
• LG 32″ 1080p LCD HDTV (w/ Geek Squad Setup) $699.98
• LG 42″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV $1299.98
• LG 47″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV $1499.98
• Panasonic Viera 50″ 720p Plasma HDTV $899.99*(regular price $1399) (link)
• Samsung 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV $799.99
• Samsung 42″ 720p Plasma HDTV $699.99
• Samsung 46″ Class 1080P LCD HDTV $1099.99
• Samsung 720p LCD HDTV $499.99
• Sharp 22″ 720P LCD HDTV w/ built-in DVD player $349.99

Blu-ray

• Insignia Blu-Ray Disc Player $249.99
• Samsung 1080P Upconvert DVD Player $49.99
• Samsung Blu-Ray Player $199.99
• Sony Blu-ray Disc Player $249.99
• Transformers Blu-Ray Disc $9.99

Miscellaneous

• Sony Playstation 3 80GB w/ Ratchet and Clank game + Casino Royale Blu-ray $399.99*
• XBox 360 60GB Console w/4 Games (Lego Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda, NBA2K9, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground) $299.99
• Init Black Metal Stand For TVs Up To 50″ and 300 lb $149.99
• Init Dark Cherry 3-in-1 Stand $249.99
• Klipsch Icon VF-35 5.25″ Floor Speaker $299.99 (each) (original price $399) (link)
• Klipsch Icon VF-36 6.5″ Floor Speaker $374.99 (each) (original price $499) (link)
• Polk Audio 100-Watt 10″ Subwoofer $99.99
• Polk Audio 5.25″ Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) $49.98
• Samsung 5.1-Channel Home Theater System With Built-in Blu-Ray Player $599.99
• Sony 3.1-Channel Surround Soundbar With Subwoofer 199.99
• Sony 5-Disc 1080P Upconvert DVD Home Theater System $359.99
• Sony 7.1-Channel 735-watt Home Theater Receiver $199.99
• Harmony Universal Remote $59.99
• Canon HF10 1080P Camcorder w/HDMI cable$799.97

*Doorbuster item.

If you’re waiting for a Blu-ray player to drop below $200, the Insignia NS-BRDVD is currently the closest to the mark at $230 at Best Buy. This is the base price without coupons or rebates.

The Insignia BS-BRDVD outputs a 1080p signal and is a profile 1.1 player (no BD Live). It also upconverts DVDs.

According to CNET, if your television accepts 1080p/24fps signals, the Insignia will deliver a decent 1080p picture. However, if your HDTV is relegated to 1080p/60fps, you may experience strange lines called moire that appear due to down conversion to 1080i and a reconversion back to 1080p/60fps. If your set has a decent deinterlacing chip, you can set the Insignia to output a 1080i signal and let your HDTV handle the deinterlacing, which may solve the problem.

Load times are also slow. CNET noted it took 49 seconds to load Mission Impossible: III starting with the player at off. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest took 2 minutes and 16 seconds. CNET also noted that other “better” Blu-ray players also have slow load times, just a little quicker than the Insignia (with the PS3 having the fastest load times).

Still, you can’t argue much with the price if you are currently looking for a cheap Blu-ray player that outputs 1080p. Check out CNET’s video review below:

Links:

Insignia NS-BRDVD $229 at Best Buy.

CNET’s review of the Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray Player.

When you set out to buy an HDTV, it’s unlikely you’ll start by researching the store you’ll buy it from. But buying from the right store can be important, especially for getting a fair price or returning the TV in case something goes wrong.

When I eventually settled on the Vizio GV47LF for my HDTV, I noted it was available at Costco. As I began to work out the mechanics of purchasing the TV, I realized that you had to have a membership to shop there. $50 for the right to buy my HDTV? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure that was the television I wanted.

However, with a little research, I realized that even with the $50 fee, the HDTV was too good a bargain to pass up. In the end, I was very happy buying the TV from Costco, as Costco offers many advantages over other big box stores, the biggest being their liberal 90-day return policy and 2-year extended warranty.

Membership

Yes, you need to have a membership to shop at a Costco retail store. When I bought my television last year, I found that the bargain cost of the television justified paying the membership fee. But there were bonus ways to save some money. Costco offers 2% cash back for “executive members.”

There are two tiers of membership. Regular membership costs $50 and you get no cash back. Executive is $100, and you get 2% cash back. If you buy a $2,000 television, you will get $40 cash back, which essentially pays for the upgrade to Executive. Plus, the 2% continues for future purchases. I did not know about this policy and had the regular membership at checkout, but the Costco cashier was paying attention and helped me upgrade.

I just got my check from Costco from the 2% cash back and was happy enough to renew my membership for another year.

Costco also offers an American Express credit card that saves you an additional 1%.  The last thing you probably need is another credit card, but I mention this because Costco does not take any other credit cards except this one. Otherwise, you have to pay with cash or checks.

Return Policy

Another advantage of buying an HDTV at Costco is that they offer a 90-day return policy. That gives you three months to decide if you like the television.

I was originally concerned that my 47-inch HDTV would be too big for my one-bedroom apartment (it wasn’t), or that once I got it home, I wouldn’t think high definition television was enough of an upgrade to justify the cost (it was). I felt better knowing that I had three months to return it and get a full refund (no restocking fee).

The three months are also good in case you stumble across another television you like better. I don’t know of any other stores that give you this much time to return your TV. The 90-day return policy is a big advantage over Circuit City’s and Best Buy’s 30-day return policy.

Price Guarantee

Costco has no official price guarantee policy, but essentially, their return policy is the price guarantee.

If the price of your TV drops by $200 a month after you bought it, you can ask for the difference or return the TV for a full refund then buy it again for the lower price. I’ve read that usually you can talk them into the credit, but again, it’s not their official policy, so you might have to actually return the TV (although I really can’t see that happening). So the 90-day return policy can be seen as a 90-day price guarantee policy.

Price Match

Costco does not price match.

Extended Warranty

Coscto also extends the warranties on televisions to two years from the date of purchase. I haven’t had my Vizio conk out on me, but it’s still nice to know it’s still covered in case it does. Best Buy charges for their extended warranty.

Other Good Stuff

Costco has a concierge service that offers free technical support over the phone if you have any questions about your television.

They also offer an in-house set up of your television (except for wall mounting) for $89.99. The set up includes a crew of 2 to deliver and unpack your television, assembly of an attachable base (but not a television stand), programming of up to two remotes, integration of TV into existing home theater system, stringing of wires up to 15 feet (surface stringing only), a 15-minute demonstration on how to use your equipment, clean up, and packaging removal.

Costco sometimes has coupons that can take hundreds of dollars off the price. Costco coupon booklets come in the mail for members, but you can usually discover the latest coupons through minimum research online or pick them up at the store. I also check out the FatWallet.com forums for deals at Costco that are sometimes localized or not announced.

Conclusion

Costco may seem somewhat impersonal when entering the store; the place is huge, and there are no hovering salesmen in the electronics department. However, I am someone who appreciates being left alone to browse the TVs, as I do all the research myself before entering the store (and so should you). The perks gained from the membership fee more than make up for the cost; a lot of peace of mind comes from the 90-day return policy and extended warranty. It comes down to Costco having the HDTV you want. If it does, don’t let the membership fee throw you off, it’s worth it. Besides, where else can you buy a gallon jar of mayonnaise along with your HDTV?

720p plasmas have always been a smart bargain. So, the second best deal might be the 42″ Panasonic TH-42PX75U for $900 at Best Buy. CNET hasn’t reviewed this set, but they did review its close cousin, the TH-42PX77U, which got a great review. Panasonic plasmas review very well in general.