2010 Holidays: Is Now a Good Time to Buy an HDTV?

An oversupply of LCD and plasma TVs is causing significant HDTV flat-panel price reductions right in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season. According to the research firm, DisplaySearch, starting in October and continuing through the end of the year, prices will be 12 percent below 2009 levels.

If you have been saying, “I’ll install the home theater system I have always wanted… once displays are more reasonably priced,” then now is a prime time to buy. In fact, with display savings this good, you may have money left over to enhance your viewing experience. Specifically, you can maximize your home theater investment with proper system design, system installation, and professional audio and video calibration.

A home theater professional can ensure that your system is installed to optimize its audio and visual performance with proper placement, accessories, and calibration. Having a trained Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) technician calibrate your new flat panel to industry standards will provide you with the best picture quality possible. In fact, a display properly calibrated will often outperform a higher-end display that has not been adjusted.

I welcome an overall price reduction in flat panels if it means more people allocate the extra capital towards enhancing their home theater experience. If you are interested in having the best picture and sound possible for each dollar spent, then working with a custom home theater installation company to install and calibrate your new display for the holidays is essential.