Most of the "Great Deals" you'll find on LED TVs this Black Friday and Cyber Monday are really not so great when you consider what you're getting. If you've never heard of the brand, or if the professional reviews are all mediocre at best, is it really such a good idea to buy one, even if you are saving a few bucks?
This is why we at Big Picture Big Sound seek out the best deals on the best TVs: not some unknown doorbuster garbage, but name brand high quality sets from the likes of Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG.
But many of the top TV vendors are very protective of their pricing: advertise one of their high-end sets for a penny less than the minimum and you could get dropped as a dealer. Amazon finds creative ways around this such as offering free shipping, sometimes free installation as well as their "TV Rewards" program. Amazon's TV Rewards program requires no sign-up and gets you cash back (in the form of an Amazon promotional credit) 35 days after your purchase. Normally Amazon's TV Rewards program is just 2% of the purchase price. This week, Amazon is tripling that amount to 6% of the purchase price of the set, and even going all the way up to 10% or higher for select high-end HDTVs and Ultra HD TVs. And many of the sets are already on sale, which means you'll get an even better deal.
High End, Low(er) Price
We're talking about feature-packed high performance sets, even the highly rated new Ultra HD LED TVs (4K TVs) and OLED TVs from Samsung, Sony and LG. If you're in the market for a high-end flat panel TV, check out this special offer as it is probably the best deal you'll find on a high-end LED or OLED TV this Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Here's a link to the complete list of eligible sets:
Here are a few specific examples (current as of Black Friday, November 29, 9:00 AM).
Samsung UN65F9000 65-inch Ultra HD LED TV: $4497.99 ($4000 below list price) - minus $269.88 back in TV Rewards = net price of $4228.11 (after rewards). This set is actually an even better deal as Amazon is also offering a $600 additional discount off the purchase of a select Samsung soundbars and on-wall installation services. This is a great Ultra HD TV with full 4K resolution (3860 x 2160 pixels) which is four times the detail of a 1080p HDTV. There isn't much 4K Ultra HD content yet, so the set also upscales standard def and Ultra HD content to 4K.
Sony's Ultra HD TV sets are also included in the promotion, but with a full 10% Promotional credit (up to $400). This brings their excellent 65-inch Ultra HD TV set (the XBRX850A) down to a net price of $4098 after the $400 promotional credit. That's $2400 off the list price.
Size Matters
If you're looking for the big daddy of Ultra HDTVs, the wall-sized 84-inch and 85-inch models, there are four choices, LG, Toshiba and Sony in the 84-inch size and Samsung in the 85-inch size.
LG's 84-inch 4K set (the 84LM9600) is discounted to $16,999 and Amazon is offering a $2000 promotional credit, bringing the net price down to $14,999.
Sony's 84-inch set, the XBR-84X900 qualifies for the 6% Reward, bringing the price from $24,999.99 down to a net price of $23,499.99 after the $1500 promotional credit. This set comes with not only free delivery, but free premium installation.
Toshiba's 84-inch set (84L9300U) is the relative bargain of the bunch at a net price of $13,159.99 after $840 in Rewards ($13,999.99 before rewards). It offers the same 4K (3840 x 2160 pixel) resolution of the Sony and LG sets.
And taking the crown for largest of the Ultra HD TV sets at 85 inches diagonally, the Samsung UN85S9 is also the most expensive. But if you must have the biggest, highest resolution consumer TV on the market, the 6% promo credit will take a bit of the edge off the price. The Samsung will set you back a net $37,598.11 ($39,997.99 at purchase with a credit of $2399.88). Never mind the fact that you can buy a pretty nice car (or two) for the same price.
All This and OLED Too!
Last but not least are the new OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs from Samsung and LG. These are the first large screen (55-inch) OLED TVs in the United States. They offer black levels that are even better than plasma TVs but the brightness of an LED TV for the best of both worlds. They're also curved for a more cinematic effect. Both of these sets qualify for the 6% cash back, though the LG rebate is capped at $500 for a net price of $8499.
Samsung's 55-inch OLED TV comes in slightly lower at $8458.11 ($8997.99 at purchase with a future credit of $539.88).
