Here are Costco’s 2009 Black Friday HDTV deals. The most intriguing bargain is the $300 off coupon toward a 55-inch Vizio (the VF550XVT and VF551XVT models?), which already have a pretty low starting price for HDTVs that size. The coupons are good November 27-29.
Costco sells the Sony BDP-BX2 online for regular price $179.99. With coupon would make it $149.99.
Costco has the Panasonic DMP-BD35AK Blu-ray player for $199 ($279.99 – $80 instant rebate = $199.99) at their brick and mortar stores. CNET called the DMP-BD35 the “best player for the money” and noted it was the first standalone Blu-ray player to match the essential features of the gold standard Playstation 3. See their video review below.
This is a solid price for a great player, especially with the inclusion of the HDMI cable. Not a bad deal if you missed out on the Sears’ pricing mistake that had it at $149 a couple weeks ago.
Panasonic DMP-BD35AK at Costco deal discussion at FatWallet.com
CNET’s review of the Panasonic DMP-BD35
Vizio has announced lower prices for some of their HDTVs including a few Black Friday deals. Here are the details:
The Vizio 37-inch VW37L 1080i LCD HDTV will be on sale for $499.99 at Costco for Black Friday weekend (11/28-11/30) while supplies last. The VW37L has 2 HDMI connections, 5500:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and weighs 55 lb. LCD Buying Guide has a review up of the VW37L, rating it a 78.5 out of 100, which appears to be a pretty average rating for their site.
Link to official Vizio VW37L page.
Link to our review of buying an HDTV at Costco.
Vizio 32-inch VP322 720p Plasma HDTV $437.00 at Walmart effective Wednesday. It’s a new everyday low price, so no rush.
Vizio 42-inch VS420 1080p LCD HDTV $698.00 at Sam’s Club locations nationwide while supplies last for the Holidays. Pretty sweet deal also.
Vizio 32-inch VOJ32LF 1080p LCD HDTV $559.99 (yawn) at Sears nationwide through Sunday, 11/30/08.
Link:
Vizio previously made inroads into the world of HDTVs as a bargain brand, but their most recent HDTVs are starting to impress reviewers with their quality as well as their price.
CNET recently took a look at the new Vizio 50-inch VP505XVT 1080p plasma HDTV ($1499 msrp) and was extremely impressed, rating it a 7.7 out of 10, the highest rating yet for a Vizio television. Reviewer David Katzmaier had this to say:
Simply put, the Vizio VP505XVT is one of the better-performing plasma TVs we’ve tested this year from any manufacturer. It delivered deep black levels, relatively accurate color, and solid video processing, thanks in part to HQV.
That’s a pretty strong statement for a bargain HDTV.
Katzmaier liked the Vizio’s cheap price, deep black levels, realistic shadow detail, accurate grascale, extensive picture controls, and 4 HDMI inputs. They didn’t like the fact they noted some false contouring and an inaccurate green primary color reproduction. But overall, they found the set to be “Vizio’s best effort yet” and find it stands toe-to-toe with similar-sized but much more expensive models from other brands. Playback Magazine also reviewed the VP505XVT recently and was likewise impressed.
The Vizio’s $1499 price tag is the suggested manufacturer’s price and is likely to drop quickly in the near future. Be on the lookout for the Vizio VP505XVT on the shelves of Costco soon.
CNET reviews the Vizio VP505XVT
Costco has a few in-store HDTV deals for Black Friday 2008. If you’re looking for a huge LCD this Christmas, Costco may be your place. The deals require coupons. Here’s a link to a scan of the coupons from bfads.net. The coupons are good for November 28, 29, and 30. Check out the deals below.
Costco has the AOC L42H861 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for sale at $799 (original price: $1,000) while supplies last. PC World has a review of the AOC L42H761, which is essentially the same television. The Costco version, the L42H861, has a much better looking television stand (very Sumsung-ish). Prices are getting pretty low for large LCDs, it will be interesting to see what kind of deals there will be on Black Friday 2008.
Helpful Links:
PC World’s review of the AOC L42H761.
Engadget HD post about the AOC L42H861.
Official AOC website.
Costco has the Sharp Aquos LCC-5262U listed as a “hot buy” on their website at $1,699. To give you an idea on price drops over time, one year ago, this is the price I paid for my 47-inch Vizio 1080p LCD from Costco. The Aquos delivers an overall better picture than the comparable 52-inch Vizio.
Helpful Links:
Discussion of Aquos vs Vizio 52-inchers at AVS Forums.
Pioneer’s line of Kuro Plasma TVs are some of the best HDTVs out there, especially when it comes to deep black levels. This may not be a bargain for most people, but if you’re a Pioneer fanboy, it’s a good deal for all five of you. Amazon.com also has it for the same price, but keep in mind that with Costco, you get a two-year extended warranty and 90-day return policy. The Kuro is the HDTV owned by Engadget HD’s guru Ben Drawbaugh.
Deal Link:
Costco.com link (also in-store).
Helpful Links:
Sound & Vision’s review of the Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD.
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.
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.