Time is ripe for home electronics deals
If you’re in the market for a new television set or a home-theater system, there will be plenty of deals between now and year-end, according to Robert Silva, a California-based electronics and home theater expert.
Wal-Mart and Circuit City have already begun to sell high-definition DVD players for less than $200. And based on early promotions, Silva expects price wars on plasma and LCD television sets on Black Friday, the first shopping day after Thanksgiving.
“There’s a lot of price competition going on just before the holidays,” Silva said. He is the author of an electronics guide (hometheater.about.com) and the home-theater expert for About.com, an affiliate service from The New York Times.
Home-theater systems can be sold separately or as a theater-in-a-box set, including speakers, a monitor, DVD player and connecting wires. With prices ranging from $200 to $2,000, the boxed sets can save shopping time and money.
Don’t spend on technology that will soon be obsolete, Silva cautions. For example, starting Feb. 17, 2009, television shows will only be broadcast through digital technology. TV sets that depend on rabbit ears or outdoor antennas will no longer be able to pick up signals. And while converter boxes will be available for the older analog television sets, he recommends replacing aging sets with newer models as sales are offered.
If you have a library of videocassette tapes, consider buying a combination DVD/VCR player. Prices for these units have fallen significantly in the last few years to about $120, compared to initial prices of $2,000 and up.
But do your homework before you shop and watch out for the door-buster promotions, which are super-low deals for inferior merchandise. Some dubious promotions (a 27-inch TV for $129 or a DVD player for $30) may not offer the quality or features that you want.
Frugal Duchess is an occasional feature in Weekend Living. E-mails can be sent to Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at sharonhr@bellsouth.net. Sorry, no personal replies.