[Defcon]

There are many knowledgeable people here as well as industry insiders who know this sort of stuff.


I'd like to buy a big screen (54"+) tv soon -the timeline is from now till end of year. I'd like to know if there are major announcements, such as new tech, product lines going out etc that will affect the price. I want a plasma but I could consider something like LED LCD if the price was right and people said just as good. I'm also open to used/last years model if it gets me a bigger tv.


Or alternatively, if the prices will remain relatively the same, I can start looking now. (I'd be looking at the Panasonic V10/Samsung PN58Bxx lines on which there are many threads).

 

[KidHorn]

Prices always go down.


There's never a good or bad time to buy technology. If you wait for the next best thing, when the next best thing arrives, there will be an even better thing on the horizon. The result will be you will never buy a TV. My advice is if you want a TV now, go buy the best one for you now.

 

[saturation]

The best price to buy a technology is about 8-12 months from the release of the model you want. You'll get the lowest price as that model is being phased out, and the new ones are about to be introduced. During that time, you get reports of the reputation for that model, in terms of reliability and quality. If you buy too soon, you'll be an early adopter, and be among those to enjoy it first, or be frustrated with its bugs.


But as far as waiting for the 'best' technology out there before buying, it will be futile. There is always something new coming out. If you wait for the annual CES show, it takes 3-6 months before the technology showed there makes it to store shelves.


If you wait longer than 8 months, towards the 12 months, you risk have the model go out of stock, and not be available at all. However, in the case of this TV, you can see the nadir after 8 months, but it stayed in production longer, leading to some really good deals over 12 months since its release.

 

[MisterMe2]

Kidhorn is 100% correct.


That said, I think the biggest swing factor is the press noise about the 'recovery' If the vendors take an optimistic stance and stock up for a reasonable Christmas, there's a good chance they'll be disappointed. If so, expect some good post-Christmas sales. Impossible to predict - even for economists.


When I say swing factor, I mean on top of the trend that saturation shows. You'll get more dip post-Christmas if there is extra stock