Phil Carter
Second Unit
Hey folks,
Resurfacing after a few years of lurking, as I'm about to make the move to Blu-Ray and HDTV. I've done some pretty extensive research and am about ready to purchase my plasma set (probably Panasonic TH-50PZ800U or 850U, or Samsung PN50A650 / A550; I'd like a Pioneer Kuro PDP-55020FD but those may be out of my price range). Anywho, I'm already well aware that big-box stores are not going to offer me the best testing / demo environment. I tried visiting a few of the local stores, but the pics on the various sets at the local Fry's Electronics and Best Buy were wildly diverging, exactly what I expected.
If I'm not demoing the picture that way and am buying mostly on the strength of reviews and recommendations, then there's no real reason I can see to buy from a brick-and-mortar store, where prices are going to be higher anyway. There are a few local specialty home theater stores which'll have knowledgeable staff and good viewing environments, but those are all going to have MUCH higher prices. I've checked some of the more reputable dealers like Tiger Direct, NewEgg and so on, and on the exact same model most of them are $400 or even $600 cheaper than, say, a local big-box store like Fry's Electronics or Best Buy; a lot of them even have free shipping.
So -- I'm curious as to how many of you plasma owners have bought your sets online vs. how many of you have bought them locally. Were you able to find a local store that had knowledgeable staff and a decent viewing environment? Or did you buy online, sight unseen? What kind of service or reassurances did you get from your online retailer or your local store?
Inquiring minds want to know! I've settled on the WHAT, now all I need to settle on is the "WHEN" and "HOW".
cheers,
Phil
Resurfacing after a few years of lurking, as I'm about to make the move to Blu-Ray and HDTV. I've done some pretty extensive research and am about ready to purchase my plasma set (probably Panasonic TH-50PZ800U or 850U, or Samsung PN50A650 / A550; I'd like a Pioneer Kuro PDP-55020FD but those may be out of my price range). Anywho, I'm already well aware that big-box stores are not going to offer me the best testing / demo environment. I tried visiting a few of the local stores, but the pics on the various sets at the local Fry's Electronics and Best Buy were wildly diverging, exactly what I expected.
If I'm not demoing the picture that way and am buying mostly on the strength of reviews and recommendations, then there's no real reason I can see to buy from a brick-and-mortar store, where prices are going to be higher anyway. There are a few local specialty home theater stores which'll have knowledgeable staff and good viewing environments, but those are all going to have MUCH higher prices. I've checked some of the more reputable dealers like Tiger Direct, NewEgg and so on, and on the exact same model most of them are $400 or even $600 cheaper than, say, a local big-box store like Fry's Electronics or Best Buy; a lot of them even have free shipping.
So -- I'm curious as to how many of you plasma owners have bought your sets online vs. how many of you have bought them locally. Were you able to find a local store that had knowledgeable staff and a decent viewing environment? Or did you buy online, sight unseen? What kind of service or reassurances did you get from your online retailer or your local store?
Inquiring minds want to know! I've settled on the WHAT, now all I need to settle on is the "WHEN" and "HOW".
cheers,
Phil