TV yearly price cycle

My question is quite similar but to answer just some of yours BF is not the best day to buy for TVs. There will always be better days going forward that will be lower than it is today.

I'm wondering when the 2007 models are no longer sold in the B&M stores like CC/Sears/Frys/BB etc. Since most of these stores carry a 30-day price matching policy even after you buy the TV, it seems like the best time to buy is 30 days before these stores no longer carry the 2007 models.

I don't have an answer, but just more questions.

Does pricing get better (lower than BF or the Xmas season) just before or just after the SuperBowl weekend?

How do these purchashing events correspond to the introduction of new models and lower pricing on the previous models?

I haven't been looking to purchase since about 2000.

There is no set pricing cycle for all Flat Panels; it varies by manufacturer. Furthermore, many will stagger the release of their various TVs.
For instance, last year Sharp released some of its LCDs in early January. IIRC, several years ago, one TV brand released a TV in early December.
However, it is common for many to start in March; others start in September, but some are a bit off of those times of year, as I said.
So, it is best to find out the product release cycle for the various brands in which one is interested, by reading the press releases of the various trade shows.

How would I find out the release schedule for Samsung? I'm leaning heavily towards a LNT5271f (lusting is more like it!), and the 81 is already out. I missed the deals at Black Friday, and now it's $200 more.

I really don't want to wait too long, but I also want the lowest price I can expect to get before, say, February. If I wanted to take advantage of the a 30 day price guarantees, I need to figure out when to take the plunge. If we buy during an (anticipated) before Christmas sale and prices drop in the next 30 days, we can get the better price. But to get all the way to the SuperBowl, we'd need to wait for January to buy. If we buy the week before Christmas, we'd only get to mid January. I'm not sure when Superbowl sales start. 1 week before? 2 weeks? Just a few days? If that's even going to be the best price.

Have we already missed the best short term price? Will Samsung be releasing yet another set that will drop the price more? This is frustrating and confusing! I don't need to get the newest set. I'm happy with the 71! I just am already looking to spend more than I should and need to get the best price possible.

Currently, the U.S. Dollar is declining against most other currencies, so you should anticipate new shipments of foreign goods to increase in cost. If the Christmas stock sells out, new units will cost more next year.

On the other hand, most electronics (or their components) are now manufactured in China, and China tends to peg its currency to the USD, so prices on tv's might stay stable here (and get cheaper in other countries). If China changes policy to peg its currency to the Euro, then there will be trouble!

Just a high-level rundown:

Samsung & most other brands - mid-February to April
Sony - July thru September
Mitsubishi - October and November

Thought I'd follow up on this:

I have been tracking the price trend of the Samsung LCD we bought (LN-T5271f) from Black Friday through just post the Super Bowl, as many people were curious about price trends. I had been told that the best time to buy a TV is on Black Friday. Others said that waiting until just before the SuperBowl yields the lowest price. In fact, in this case, neither was correct. This is only one TV, through only one retailer (Amazon.com), but it does provide some interesting information. The quick summary is that Christmas Eve through January 8 proved to be the lowest price period.

The price moved around a lot. Sometimes it stayed steady for a week. Other times, it had multiple prices in the same day. I started with the Black Friday price, which proved to be good, but not the best price of the season. The price jumped $150 the afternoon of Cyber Monday from its Black Friday Price. It then stayed stable until 12/7, when it dropped $100. A week later (12/17), it dropped another $45. It hit its lowest pre-Christmas price on Christmas Eve, dropping another $5. It stayed at that price through Jan 2, when it rose $30, jumping $220 the next day, but dropped back to its Christmas price by that evening. On 1/8 it hit its lowest price, beating the other price by $5. However, it jumped $150 on 1/11 and another $150 the following day, to reach the highest price in two months. It then dropped $50 on Monday. 10 days later, 1/24, it dropped $150 and stayed there through the SuperBowl, with no special price adjustments. The SuperBowl Price and the Black Friday price were almost identical.

Overall, there was a $300 range from the same retailer in a two month period. In looking at the overall price trend using PriceScan, Amazon was consistently among the lowest prices of any reputable retailers. I think the lesson here is that it makes good sense to play close attention and take advantage of low price guarantees. It can save a lot of money!

It is my understanding that most manufacturers release new models in spring or summer which means you should start to see the prices dropping.

I tracked the price of my Panny after purchase last Feb and found it drop steadily to June. If I had waited 2 more months I could have saved about $200-$300.