Bargain hunting: Top TV deals for the festive season

The festive season has kicked off and quite a few prospective buyers may be looking to upgrade their home entertainment system. A core part of that is, of course, the television, and the market is full of options from the likes of LG, Toshiba, Samsung, Panasonic and Sharp. Along with the television, though, many retailers are clubbing in a bunch of freebies, along with exchange offers and cash back schemes.

So what kind of deals can you expect? A lot, obviously, will depend on the amount of money that you are willing to shell out. Another important point that needs to be considered is the size of the television that you are looking at. We decided to categorise the best deals we could find according to the price bracket so you can get the best value for money offer currently in the market.

Rs 10,000- Rs 20,000:
Some of the major manufacturers that are catering to this segment include Samsung, LG and Videocon. By and large, most retailers are selling units that sport 24-inch panels, although you can also get a 26-inch or a 29-inch unit. Videocon’s LED VJP29HH-ZM HD model is one such that offers you a bigger 29-inch TV in this category.

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The Panasonic 22EM6DX comes with a 14 percent discount via online retailers

While we didn’t come across many bundled offers, we did see a lot of retailers rolling out a pretty decent discount for products. Depending on the model, you can expect a price cut ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 3,000. Snapdeal, for example, is rolling out a 14 percent discount for the Panasonic 22EM6DX LED TV. While the official price is Rs 14,900, users can now pick up the same for Rs 12,788. 

By and large, most TVs falling in this bracket give users one or two HDMI ports as well as two USB ports. The LG LED 24LN4140, for example, gives user an HDMI and USB port a piece, which is good enough for entry-level TVs.

The picture engine, dynamic contrast ratio, wide colour enhancer are also features that you should look into while deciding which television to pick up. Sony, for the festive season, has also rolled out a bunch of bundled offers for many of its TV offerings in this bracket. The offer on the 40-inch Sony R452A, priced at Rs 60,900, gives users a range of headphones to pick from. The company has officially rolled out this offer, which means that users can also head on over to any Sony store to get the deals. 

Rs 20,000- Rs 40,000:
As you go up the price bracket, the screen size options increase. Users can now pick up TVs that range from 26-inches to 32-inches. Brands like Sony, Samsung and LG can be found here. Some of the units that users can consider include the Sony BRAVIA KLV-32R422A and the Samsung 32F5100. While the former is priced at Rs 31,900, the latter will set users back Rs 36,500. Discounts offered by many retailers in this bracket range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,000 as well. Videocon’s 40-inch Celista Plus VJK40FF-ZM can be picked up for Rs 31,189 online, while the original price stands at Rs 37,990. 

Samsung’s 32F5100 can be an option users can look at for this price bracket

For the most part, these units offer one or two HDMI ports as well as USB ports. The number of connectivity options you need completely depend on the number of peripheral systems like a set-top-box, music system or gaming consoles you may want to hook up to your TV. Full HD support is seen in most models falling in this category. Perks that users can expect in this category include good video processing engines and excellent contrast and colour ratios. Audio is taken care of with built-in speakers that come with most units offering two 1 way facing speakers that offer mono, stereo and dual modes.
 
Rs 40,000 – Rs 60,000:
Manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, LG and Philips are just a few names that pop up in this price bracket. You can get units that range from 32-inch to a massive 50-inch panels. Some candidates that you can consider include the 40-inch Sony R450A KLV-40R452A, priced at Rs 57,900, the Samsung 6 UA32F6400AR, priced at Rs 54,500 on the Reliance Digital Store.

Full HD support is a given here, with many units also offering 3D support as well. Connectivity options remain the same here, with users getting one to two HDMI and USB ports.

The 32-inch Samsung Series 6 unit that we mentioned before, for example, can be found on the online retailer for Rs 51,990 . Sony also has another offering in this bracket, the W670A, with a 42-inch display and a price tag of Rs 46,900. You can get a free pair of MDR-V55 headphones worth Rs 12,990 with the latter as part of the official Sony bundle, which is a pretty good deal.

Sony’s BRAVIA series comes with a free headphone for users

Samsung also has quite a few interesting deals for this bracket. You can get a free 22-inch LCD TV worth Rs 23,000 with the UA40, UA46 and UA55 TVs. The company is also offering free H1080 HD-DVD players worth Rs 5,900 with the 32B6000 LED TV as well as with all LA37, LA40, LA46 and LA52 LCD models. You can also pick up a P490 DVD player with all LA32 LCD TVs. The company is also offering an ultra slim fit TV exchange offer, although the discount you get will depend on the model that you will be bring in. Samsung is also offering up to Rs 5,000 off on all home theatre systems that you may want to purchase with your TVs.
  
Rs 60,000 and above:
All the major players like Toshiba, Samsung and LG have products in this bracket. This price bracket also comes with a host of discounts and bundled offers. Users can now pick up an LG 47LA6910 47-inch TV, which is said to have a price tag of Rs 1, 13,000 for Rs 90,407. That is a 20 percent discount, which is considerable. The Sony KDL-46W700A 46-incher, which comes for a price of Rs 87,900, can be picked up for Rs 81,199.

Sony is rolling out quite a few good deals for its higher-end models

And the bundled offers are also pretty good. Sony, for the festive season, is now offering a BDP-S4100 3D Blu-ray player worth Rs 28,940 with its X9004 series. One of the models in the series, the X9004A, comes with a 55-inch screen and a price tag of Rs 3,14,900. Added to the package is a free pair of 3D glasses as well as a one-touch remote control. The company is also bundling a free 16GB version of the PlayStation 3 with its W950 series. One such model, the W950A, offers a 55-inch screen and is priced at Rs 1,32,000. Panasonic has also bundled a free Bollywood Hungama voucher worth Rs 10,000 with its Smart Viera 3D TV. The model will set you back by Rs 86,640.   

Quite a few retailers are also rolling out cash back deals for certain credit card holders like ICICI. Kohinoor electronics, for example, is offering a cash back offer of Rs 5000 for all card holders from that bank. Croma, on the other hand, is giving out cash back offers of up to Rs 2,500 for all HDFC cardholders. SBI account holders buying from Reliance Digital can get up to five percent in cash back, which can amount to up to Rs 4,000.

All in all, with so many offers, the festive season looks like a good time to pick up a new TV. It’s only about finding the deal that’s right for you.