How to save money on home theater gear this holiday season
Save some money with these tips and tricks.
Whether it's a big sale, a hard fought deal, or finding the perfect high-performance-but-low-cost product, Everyone likes saving money. This is especially true this time of year, with a shopping list a mile long.
Check out these tips and tricks to save yourself some big money this holiday season.
Shop online
I know everyone loves waiting in line and dealing with holiday traffic and people's pleasant holiday demeanor, but if you skip the store, you can save some money. In most cases, online retailers will have lower prices on the same products. Many stores offer free shipping, an added bonus for big items (like TVs) that likely won't enjoy the car ride from the store to your home.
Check out buying an HDTV online or in-store and How not to get ripped off buying a TV online for more info.
Avoid expensive add-ons
No matter where you buy your new gear, chances are the retailer is going to try to get you to buy something else during checkout. This makes sense, as there is almost no markup on that new TV (even at over $1,000, amazingly). The way stores make money is through add-ons like cables and extended warranties.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of extended warranties. LCDs and plasmas have been found to be extremely reliable. Receivers and speakers rarely break, unless your kids have a party. Blu-ray players are practically disposable at this point. Sure you'll hear stories like, "Well, I know someone who met a guy whose TV broke," but statistically speaking, your TV is likely to last you decades with no problems. So if you still want a warranty, go ahead, get the peace of mind, just know it's probably a waste of money.
And DON'T buy cables at a store. HDMI cables shouldn't cost you more than $5. Check out my article tetralogy Why all HDMI cables are the same, Why all HDMI cables are the same, Part 2, Still more reasons why all HDMI cables are the same, and the HDMI cable buying guide. You'd think four articles would be enough, but nope. Some people still don't believe that cheap HDMI cables are great. To wit: 4K HDMI cables are nonsense, and There's no such thing as HDMI 2.0 cables.
Keep in mind the "cheap" HDMI cables in most stores are $20, and this is way too much.
The two most popular brands for cheap HDMI are Monoprice and Amazon. Both are good, but depending on what size you one, one might be a better deal than another. Check out Amazon Basics vs. Monoprice: Which HDMI cable to buy?
Avoid floor models and 'doorbusters'
Check out the comments on the "Should I buy a floor-model TV?" article. TVs in stores are left on all day, most all night as well. All TVs lose brightness over time, so if they've been on 24 hours a day for three months, that's several years' worth of normal viewing. That means the TV will be dimmer, sooner, and will likely last less time. So are you really saving money?
Doorbusters, like $200 TVs, are worth what you pay for them. They aren't going to have the picture quality of name-brand TVs. If your goal is to just get a TV, then go for it. If you're looking for something good, these aren't a good deal, they're just cheap.
Along the same lines, don't buy a used plasma TV.
LED vs. plasma vs. OLED
Pretty much every TV you'll find this year will be LED LCDs. This is because all the companies making plasma TVs have ceased production. The F8500 is still a great TV if you can find it, though.
While videophiles lament the loss of plasma, there are a few glimmers of hope. This year's 55-inch OLED model from LG looks great. Some bigger, 4K models are due soon. However, they're all very expensive. One of the other glimmers of picture quality hope is that LED LCDs can do a few things to near the picture quality of plasma. Features like local dimming, High Dynamic Range (HDR), and black frame insertion all improve LCD picture quality.
Also, just because a TV uses LEDs doesn't mean it has good picture quality. In some ways it can actually be worse. Check out LED LCD uniformity issues or Why LED does not mean a better picture
For even more info, check out LED LCD vs. OLED vs. plasma.
Blu-ray players
Pretty much all Blu-ray players have built-in Wi-Fi, 3D, and Internet streaming.
Not all Internet streaming suites are the same, though. All will have Netflix, but not all have VUDU and Amazon Instant Video. If your goal is to get access to the most online content, VUDU and Amazon are vital. Here's the thing, though, if you already have a Blu-ray player, media streamers like Roku and the Apple TV offer the same streaming services, if not more, than a new Blu-ray player. Speaking of which...
Media streaming boxes
Web streamers like the Apple TV and Roku offer the potential of nearly unlimited content thanks to iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Instant Video. Of course, they don't play discs like a Blu-ray player. So $100 for a new Blu-ray player with Amazon Instant Video, or a $100 Roku box with Amazon Instant Video and dozens of other content services. A tough call.
On the other hand, if you just want to add streaming to your current system, streaming boxes are really cool.
Lastly...
This goes for all product categories: if a deal seems too good to be true, or offers a product at a price way below its competition, there's a catch. There's always a catch. Look very closely at the fine print. Rarely is a superspecial offer actually for a good product. It's just there to get you to come to the store so they can sell you something else. Just because something is cheap, doesn't mean it's a good value.
Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics like why all HDMI cables are the same, LED LCD vs. OLED, active versus passive 3D, and more. Still have a question?Send him an e-mail! He won't tell you what TV to buy, but he might use your letter in a future article. You can also send him a message on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff or Google+.