The holiday shopping season is in full swing and so are the holiday TV deals! This is absolutely our favorite time of the year. It's when you can get both the big picture and the big sound, but with a not-so-big budget.
That's right; you don't have to suffer with a teeny tiny TV to get a good price. Many of the recent deals that we've seen have been on 55-inch models. This is a very nice sweet spot for TV sizes. It's not too big, but is just big enough for a completely immersive viewing experience in most living rooms.
Lately, we've been seeing a ton of great HDTV deals, for plasma, LCD and LED TVs in both 2D and 3D flavors. That's because many manufacturers are already looking at the New Year and new models, and they want to clear out their remaining inventory now, even if it means offering massive incentives to their dealers to lower prices. This means that you could be looking at a new HDTV -- even a fairly large, feature-rich high performance TV -- at a big discount. Don't worry about navigating through the sea of sales that are going on right now. We're making the decision-process easy, by narrowing down our 5 favorite deals on 55-inch plasma, LCD and LED HDTVs. Note: all prices are current as of the time of publication, but they may vary -- or even run out of stock -- by the time you read this.
This model may seem no frills. It doesn't offer 3D or web features. However, it does 1080p very well -- and it does it in a big way. The 55-incher has a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, TruMotion 120Hz technology, Picture Wizard II calibration, and the Intelligent Sensor feature to perfect that viewing experience in virtually any room lighting. It's also a nice hub for your growing AV system, with one USB port, connections for legacy equipment via component and composite video and three HDMI inputs to accommodate other devices in your setup.
If you're looking to make the move to 3D (and LED lighting), look no further than this slim 55-incher. Featuring a full 1080p HD image in both 3D and 2D modes, the UN55D7000 has Micro Dimming Plus technology, 240Hz refresh rate, built-in Wi-Fi, three USB ports and four HDMI inputs. It also has a little added entertainment via Samsung Smart Hub. This platform puts a ton of web-based entertainment -- Netflix, VUDU, Pandora, Explore 3DTV, and more -- at your fingertips. Navigating through all of that content should be a breeze, with the included remote control. It's a standard-looking remote on one side, and a full QWERTY keyboard remote on the other. This makes searching and entering user information a simple matter.
If you're more of a plasma person (and most of us are, here at Big Picture Big Sound), check out Panasonic's TC-P55ST30. This pretty plasma offers full 1080p high-def imagery in both 2D and 3D modes. It also has Panasonic perks such as the 600Hz subfield drive, 3D VIERA Image Viewer and VIERA Link. This set would make for a nice AV hub, with two USB ports and three HDMI inputs. It also has plenty of extra entertainment options, thanks to Panasonic's own VIERA Connect platform. New for 2011, some of the current on-demand, on-screen options include Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, and much more.
Sony is also on sale for the season. This 55-incher has a full 1080p HD image for both 2D and 3D content. Unlike older models, this BRAVIA set also has a built-in 3D sync transmitter, so all you need to get are the compatible 3D glasses (a Blu-ray 3D player wouldn't hurt, either)! Other features include Sony's X-Reality Engine, Edge LED backlighting for bright images and a slim cabinet, Motionflow XR 240 technology, two USB ports, a PC input, and four HDMI inputs. It also has on-screen access to web services such as Sony's own Qriocity, as well as Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, and much more.
This 3D TV is different from the others on the list because it's one of LG's Cinema 3D sets. That means it uses passive 3D technology, which boasts a flicker-free, brighter, more comfortable viewing experience. A lot of that has to do with the glasses that are used with this set. Since they don't need batteries, they are much lighter to wear. Oh, they're also free -- at least with this deal. The package includes four pairs, which should be enough for the whole family. If you need more, then those 3D glasses you "forgot" to return to the theater also work here, or you can buy additional passive 3D glasses inexpensively from a number of different sources. Other 2D features include a full HD 1080p image in 2D mode, LG's web-based Smart TV platform (Netflix, Pandora, VUDU, etc.), two USB ports, and four HDMI inputs.
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