[KidsinVegas]

Target and Walmart TV's may look the same but they are feature stripped models. Not even close. Go to Fry's. Write down the Model numbers than hit Best Buy.

You can buy online, but if something goes wrong the return is a nightmare. And UPS has a tendency to beat the crap out of packages. They throw them, drop them, kick them.

Not exactly the way to treat a TV. Sure this can happen in warehouses too, but the TV's come in much better packed on Pallets.

Direct TV has the best Pic in my opinion.

Good luck.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by hockeygirl4

The reviews online were pretty decent on this brand, except for some minor bugs like the tv shuts off every now and then...probably just an isolated situation though.

It is possible that these TVs are equipped with some sort of "energy saving" device (as one of mine is) that turns it off after a set amount of time (2 hours? 3 hours?) if you don't change the channel, volume, or adjust it in any way. Irritating, if you like to sleep with the TV on.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by KidsinVegas

You can buy online, but if something goes wrong the return is a nightmare. And UPS has a tendency to beat the crap out of packages. They throw them, drop them, kick them.

Big TVs don't get shipped by UPS. They come by freight, and get carried into your house and set up for you so you can see that it works before you sign for it. And returns - they get picked up too, just as they would for a local purchase. The pickup might be less conveniently scheduled (fewer choices of time), but they do the same thing. Also, the warranty for big TVs is for in-home repair. You don't have to take it anywhere.

Direct TV has the best Pic in my opinion.

FIOS has the best picture (confirmed by many experts on AVS Forum) but is not available in Las Vegas.

[Spraynard Kruger]

Originally Posted by airics

ok i know people will not like this. but go to costco or sams and check out the tvs.. and prices then go to Best buy for the specs and info.. Buy where its cheaper.. Incidentally mounting that tv over a fireplace is going to cost a bundle.. most charge extra for this ... you are probably looking at 500 or more for the installation.

I agree with Airics regarding Sams Club. I would also consider Ultimate Electronics and Fry's. The reason why I mention Ultimate Electronics is that they attempt to match any competitors price, including the big box stores. The salespeople I dealt with there there could stand to be a bit more knowledgable though, considering it's their business.

The first question I ask the salespeople on the floor is are they salaried or work on commission. If you are a cash customer and they work commission, ask them to come down 10% from whatever their best price is and you will normally get it.

[jjameson922]

No DynimageLV, they had just the opposite...a really hiiiiiigh fireplace.

To the poster who wants the t.v. to automatically turn off, go to Radio Shack and get yourself an automated timer. We have them on all our electrical outlets for lights to come on and off at pre-set times and on the bedroom t.v.'s.

[MadManofBethesda]

I appreciate everybody's suggestions, and I apologize for not acknowledging your responses earlier, but I have been busy putting out fires here because I learned that our flight to Vegas tomorrow has been cancelled. Ironically, the flight I was worried about tomorrow - from DCA to ATL - is still a go; however, our flight from ATL to LAS was cancelled. It took me three hours to get through to Delta (2 hours of busy signals and one hour on hold), and when I did, I was informed that there were no flights available until Sunday.

Oh well. I'll get there sooner or later.

Thanks again for your suggestions. BTW, I had never heard of Fry's, but it appears to be a regional version of Best Buy. Is that correct?

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Thanks again for your suggestions. BTW, I had never heard of Fry's, but it appears to be a regional version of Best Buy. Is that correct?

While it sells much of the same stuff as Best Buy, the selection is much greater and there is a lot of gear for the techies who want to build their own computers.

I am NOT a techie and I still spend two hours everytime I enter the Las Vegas Fry's store.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

I appreciate everybody's suggestions, and I apologize for not acknowledging your responses earlier, but I have been busy putting out fires here because I learned that our flight to Vegas tomorrow has been cancelled. Ironically, the flight I was worried about tomorrow - from DCA to ATL - is still a go; however, our flight from ATL to LAS was cancelled. It took me three hours to get through to Delta (2 hours of busy signals and one hour on hold), and when I did, I was informed that there were no flights available until Sunday.

Oh well. I'll get there sooner or later.

Thanks again for your suggestions. BTW, I had never heard of Fry's, but it appears to be a regional version of Best Buy. Is that correct?

Here is a better read up on Fry's. They are based in California. Unfortunately, they only have one store in Nevada.

Fry's Electronics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Here is a better read up on Fry's. They are based in California. Unfortunately, they only have one store in Nevada.

Fry's Electronics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a connection between Fry's and Las Vegas, besides the store on Las Vegas Blvd. The guy in charge of purchasing for Fry's received $65 million of illegal kickbacks from vendors, and lost over $160 million to Las Vegas casinos.

His salary was $225k/yr, but he reportedly lost as much as $8 million in a single day.

Debt finally topples a Las Vegas high roller - Los Angeles Times

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Thanks again for your suggestions. BTW, I had never heard of Fry's, but it appears to be a regional version of Best Buy. Is that correct?

Not really.

They're both big electronics chains, but that's about where the similarity ends. Best Buy (aka Worst Buy) caters to the masses & do what they do reasonably well. Their computer stuff is overpriced, sales staff is generally not very knowledgeable & they don't carry a great variety of brands for a number of things. I tried buying a TV from them a little over a year ago & they royally screwed it up, to the point where I had to file a dispute with the credit card company. Thanks to good recordkeeping & a paper trail, I won. They're not especially bad, it's just that there are better choices - Fry's for computer stuff, Fry's/Ultimate/Costco/Sams for TVs, a number of places for appliances. Best Buy's a reasonable generalist electronics place, but I don't shop there much.

Fry's, on the other hand, is a dream for a computer/electronics nut (like me). It's very 'warehouse-y' inside with better selection for both computer stuff & most of their electronics stuff. The salespeople are generally geeks (with tie & pocket protector to match) & can tell you about how the heat spreader & DDR3 RAM capability make one computer motherboard better than another.

If you read the LVRJ, you'll see ads from them almost daily - there's generally chatter about their deals online as well. Don't get me wrong, they have plenty of junk too ... but if you catch them at the right time some of their deals are downright awesome. Not all the deals are advertised, either - last year their had a promotion with Intel that the sales staff didn't know about, but I had pulled the combo SKUs from online & got an Intel Core2Duo E7200 (2.53 GHz) CPU & motherboard for $59. The sales staff kept double-checking cuz they were sure that price wasn't right. That allowed me to build a new(er) computer for my girlfriend very inexpensively.

If I sound like I'm gushing, not everything about Fry's is good. Their customer service sucks. No point in trying to mince words, it's beyond deplorable. That's probably what keeps Joe Average out of the store, cuz if you need help from them, forget it. Find out that computer CPU you bought from them was already opened? Good luck returning it, unless you're really lucky (yes, I've had this happen - they claimed it was opened 'for testing' to verify it worked, when it was obvious someone tried to install it & returned it - thermal paste still caked on the CPU).

One thing they ARE great about is rebates - you buy something with a rebate, keep copies & they'll back it if the rebate company flakes on you. The last couple years, they've had the best deals on Black Friday (after Thanksgiving). They also have major sales for just about every holiday (i.e. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Christmas, etc) When all is said & done, if you can deal with the (lack of) customer service, Fry's is a great place to shop for electronics.