Want A New TV For The New DTV Signal? Check Out These Money Saving Tips

In June, television broadcasts will be transmitted through digital, rather than analog, signals. That has many families planning to buy new digital TV's this holiday season. So is demand driving prices up? Or is the bad economy forcing prices down? We tracked the prices of popular Tv's and show you how to save big money on a big screen in this Seven On Your Side Consumer Watch.

Whether you're going to spend a few hundred dollars on a new TV, or a few thousand, you'll want to save as much as you can.

We tracked popular TV's on store websites over the last four months. Some prices never changed. A few went up a little. But several came down.

As of last week, Best Buy's website price on a Dynex 42 inch 1080p flat panel LCD went down one hundred dollars.

Circuit City's website came down $100 on a Samsung 40 inch series 5 LCD.

And the HH Gregg website price on a Samsung 58 inch 1080p plasma has dropped $400.

Then we went to Best Buy's Jamal Purvis to learn how to find the best deals. He says plasma's are less expensive than LCD's. Said Purvis, "You can buy a 50 inch LCD over here, which that one's $1499. We actually have a plasma, same size at $999."

Purvis says consider lesser known brands, like Insignia, Dynex, or Vizio. Said Purvis, "They give you a very sharp picture, high definition, good video feedback."

And if you buy a TV a couple of inches smaller than you planned, the size isn't much different, but the price is.

Be sure to ask the sales person for a floor model, open box or open item TV. That means it's been returned but its still perfectly good. You can save 10% to 20% by buying one of those. Or buy last year's model. You'll save a few hundred.

You'll find big markdowns on TVs the day after Thanksgiving. But Purvis says many retailers will have even bigger sales closer to Christmas. Said Purvis, "The sales that come on week to week typically top each other."

And use websites like www.techdeals.com, www.planet bargains.com, www.dealcatcher.com, and www.pricegrabber.com. They'll tell you which store offers the lowest price on the TV you want. Because the more money you save buying the TV, the more you'll enjoy watching it.

Another money saving tip: Buy from a store that will refund the difference if the price goes down after you buy the TV. Just keep your receipt.

Don't forget the bigger the TV screen, the bigger your electricity bill. Consumer reports says a 50 inch plasma will cost you $172 a year in electricity. A similar LCD will cost you $72 a year.