Black Friday Deals

It is on this Black Friday season between two rivaling 3D TV technologies. Last year almost all 3D TVs have been using active shutter glasses. This year LG is changing the game and focuses almost entirely on 3D with passive polarizer glasses. The advantage of Polarizer glasses is low cost, no charging and 3D effect visible from virtually any angle.

The only disadvantage of Polarizer glasses is the sharpness or clarity of the 3D image and that can be disputed as it depends somewhat on personal taste. For me the difference is very apparent. I prefer active shutter glasses as I find it much more engaging because of the clarity that comes from the higher resolution. The polarizer 3D TVs do really work and the 3D effect is really good enough to outweigh the disadvantages of active shutter glasses. In the end the battle will be taken to price. This is where Black Friday comes in.

Since the introduction of 3D TVs we see steep discounts and elaborate bundles. This is continuing this year. To set the base level lets take a look at a very popular 3D TV deal on Amazon right now.
The LG Infinia 55LW6500 55-inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED LCD HDTV is a top of the line model with a list price of $2,699. It is on sale for $1,499 right now. There are 4 pairs of 3D glasses included.
This is an awesome TV packed with Smart TV and everything else you want in a state of the art TV.
If $1,500 is too much for you, but you still like to have 3D then take a look at Vizio. The company is offering a 42-inch Polarizer 3D TV for only $629.54. The Vizio E3D420VX also has Internet Apps and has a full HD resolution and 120Hz.

So what about active shutter 3D TVs. Looking at the Amazon TV bestseller list there is only one in the top 20 and it is also from Vizio. The 47-inch Vizio XVT3D474SV has a high performance panel with 480Hz smooth motion processing and 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Of course the XVT3D474SV is also packed with internet apps. It is on sale for $938.54 on Amazon.
Samsung is focusing on active shutter glasses and has several awesome 3D TVs on the market that are sold with 3D Bundles, but are not big mainstream sellers at the moment. Right now you get $250 off on the purchase of a Samsung LED 3D HDTV, 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and Megamind 3D Starter Kit on Amazon.

My take on the 3D TV technology war is that the Polarizer 3D TVs will win this holiday shopping season. You will see the most extreme bargains on passive 3D TVs.  If though active shutter 3D TVs sales are too lack luster you will see also extreme deals on these 3D TVs.

3D is still an emerging market (2nd year) and consumer electronics companies are this year selling 3D as a standard add-on. It is easier to sell Polarizer 3D as add-on because of the low-cost and convenience.

Overall, the 3D TV deals are already good, but they should get even more aggressive in the next weeks as we approach Black Friday 2011.