Home Theaters

Another Sunday, more deals…not quite last minute shopping, unless you’re shopping for Hanukah gifts, Christmas and Kwanzaa aren’t quite here yet…so time is still on your side.

So let’s take a look at what’s on sale at the big guys, and likely to still be there when you get to the store!

Televisions

The largest part of a home theater system, some great deals to be had.

Westinghouse 42″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $850 shipped

OfficeDepot.com offers the Westinghouse 42″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. SK-42H330S, for $849.99, with free shipping. It features a native resolution of 1366×768, ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 800:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m² brightness, dual HDMI inputs, and VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. Price ends December 15.

Olevia 242T FHD 42″ 1080p  Widescreen LCD HDTV for $900

Sears.com offers the Syntax Olevia 42″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. 242TFHD, for $899.99. Shipping adds around $45, or order it online for in-store pickup. Sears.com lists it as the “242FHDTV”, but there’s no such model listed at Olevia.com.  This TV features a 1920×1080 resolution, built-in ATSC and NTSC tuners, 1600:1 contrast ratio, 16:9 aspect ratio, 8ms response time, firmware upgrade via USB connectivity, and HDMI with HDCP, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

Refurbished Samsung 56″ 1080p Widescreen DLP Projection HDTV for $1,000

Today only, Second Act offers the factory-refurbished Samsung 56″ Widescreen DLP HD Projection Television, model no. HL-S5687W, for $999.99. With $150 for local pickup, it’s still a killer deal. (If you want it delivered to your door, it costs another $75.) Features include a 1920×1080 (1080p) resolution, integrated ATSC tuner, 16:9 aspect ratio, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. A 90-day Samsung in-home warranty applies.

RCA 46″ Widescreen 720p LCD HDTV for $998

Walmart.com reduced its price on the RCA L46WD22 46″ Widescreen LCD HD Television to $998. Shipping adds $69.97, or choose Site-to-Store. That’s a $200 drop since Black Friday weekend. Features include 1366×768 (720p) native resolution, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio, 9ms response, built-in ATSC and QAM tuners, and HDMI, VGA, and other video inputs.

Speakers

Speakers make the audio a pleasure or a pain. Good audio makes the home theater experience complete. Let’s look at some deals.

Crutchfield has a free subwoofer PSW10 normally costing $200, with the purchase of any Polk speakers to complete the system. This is a great way to get better sound, and by tying the purchase to other Polk speakers similar sound quality will be had, giving coherent sound. Crutchfield carries almost the full line of Polk Audio, so your choices are many.

Polk Audio Monitor 50 will give great sound for small to medium rooms, at a great price, and includes free shipping if you order before the 12th.  $339.98 for the pair.

Newegg has the YAMAHA NS777 Single Three-Way/Four-Driver Bass Reflex Speaker for $219.99, which includes FREE shipping. These would be a good start on a small room system, and are efficient without being typically ‘Japanese sounding’. A great deal while they last. 

Miscellaneous

Now for the goodies that make a system complete. All the things that we don’t think of right away - and some we do.

Sony 5-Disc DVD Dream System w/ Wireless Rear Speakers, HDMI for $441 shipped

This system makes a great start for a small bedroom, as it doesn’t take up much space. It would make a great start as a gift for those ‘junior videophiles’ we have in the house also. Amazon.com offers the Sony DAV-FX900W 5.1-Channel 5-Disc DVD Dream Home Theater System for $440.99. With free shipping, that’s almost $200 lower than any competing price we could find. This 1,280-watt system features a 5-disc DVD player with HDMI 720p/1080i upconverting, DIAT Wireless Rear Speakers, XM-ready connectivity.

The Empire Strikes Back…the Blu-ray Empire that is…

Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray / DVD Player + 5 movies for $300 shipped

CircuitCity.com offers the Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray Disc / DVD Player for $299.99 with free shipping. Features include 1080p output, DVD+/-R playback, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video outputs. Of note, you can get five Blu-ray movies for free via this mail-in rebate until January 31. It’s good to see that the Blu-ray faction is finally giving the HD DVD makers some competition. Remember, when there was nothing inexpensive on the horizon? The PS3 was the only inexpensive player for Blu-ray content.

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More as the deals come!

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Sorry for the lapse in posting. It has been fitful getting the problems with my Verizon broadband worked out, and while I did not have it I found that non-broadband dialup doesn’t work well when trying to send rich text and pictures - especially with less than cooperative phone lines and ISPs. We’re getting back on track now … and lots to new stuff is being finalized.

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