The details

The techies in my family have asked for details so here they are.....

I bought a Samsung 42" plasma $659 with a Samsung Blu Ray player $179. Both from Future Shop - best price and free stuff thrown in. I got 3 free blu ray movies and 6 months of a free HD TV upgrade from my existing service provider included in the price. The deal is that I continue to pay my normal rate for TV service and they install a HD dish, HD receiver and give me free channels for 6 months. After that I'll be hooked so I'm sure they will get their money back. lol

My next TV will have all the bells and whistles but this one is great for the money and I'm really happy with it. I was very impressed with the Panasonic Viera but just don't have the extra few dollars right now. It was selling for $1399 with a sale price of $1299. I loved the TV but would have had to wait until after Christmas to buy it if this was the set that I wanted. The reason is that I just bought new living room furniture and don't have tons of cash right now so I'm pacing myself.

The only thing that I don't have is a surround sound system. To be honest, I have never had a good sound system so I don't miss it. My living room opens onto about half the house so it would be hard to position the speakers for good sound quality. It wouldn't be a bad thing for me to wait until I get a house with a more enclosed TV room before I buy a good surround sound system. I was intrigued with Cycling Potato's Bose suggestion and I'll definitely think about it and will have a listen in the stores.

I might be the last person in Canada to get a nice TV but it was worth the wait. Great TV at a great price. Can't beat that.
BB

My eyes hurt

Last night my eyes hurt from watching too much TV. Maybe I shouldn't be sitting three feet away from a TV that is sized for a 10 foot room.

Hmmm... time to rearrange the furniture and then get back to watching. Love the colour and the sound from this TV. Now I'm kicking myself from waiting so long to buy a decent set. The old TV is in the kitchen but I'm not sure if I'll connect it or not. Maybe it would be good to watch cooking shows while I'm cooking. Don't laugh - I do cook once in a while.

Not much snow here compared to southern Ontario. Just a skiff on the ground but I bought a new toque, scarf and mitts anyway.

TV Shopping

Researching prices on the internet is not very productive. The economy is so bad now that the retailers are putting products on sale without advertising the discounts on the web. I learned this today when I decided to buy a new TV.

The TV that I selected was $799 on the internet, $748 at Leons and $659 at Future Shop (including 6 months free HD TV). Definitely worth taking a few hours to drive around.

I started with the Samsung website and used their selection tool to determine the best TV for my living room. Once I had a couple of models in mind I checked the store locater and found several in my immediate neighbourhood. I checked the on-line prices at each store and then started driving around to the different locations. This didn't take long since I live in the big box store shopping district.

The short version of a long day was that Leons is having a weekend sale and the sales price was cheaper than the internet price. Future Shop was undercutting Leons sale price in an unadvertised sale the salesman told me was designed to compete directly with Leons. Best Buy was not having a sale but their accessories were cheaper than the other stores. I checked the price on identical models and also had a look at the overall inventory pricing.

Bottom line - Future Shop had the best price on TV and Blu Ray players. They also threw in free stuff like 3 free Blu Ray movies and a 6 month free HD TV package from my service provider. Best Buy had the cheapest HDMI cables and surge protectors. Leons - not worth the trip since I was paying cash, but they do have a payment plan available if you want to finance your purchase.

Other points -price guarantee and return policy. They both offer a 30 day price guarantee. Future Shop offers returns up to 5 January on today's purchases but Leons will only do an exchange - not a return - if you change your mind about the purchase.

Now it is time to stop blogging and start TV watching.
Cheers
BB

Winter

We have snow. BOO

Plasma or LCD

Hi folks,
I'm finally ready to buy a new TV. I've browsed the stores and read the on-line reviews but can't decide what to buy. Do you have any recommendations?

Also, what sound system do you recommend?

Cheers
BB

The third season

Garden - not quite finished for the season