DealWatch: Price trends on 120Hz LCD HDTVs

Published January 25, 2010

Although they once demanded a premium, prices on 120Hz LCDs have fallen dramatically, to the point where purchasing a 120Hz LCD is less expensive than purchasing a 60Hz LCD. Below is an in depth look at what you can expect to pay for a new 120Hz LCD.

40" - 42" 120Hz LCD HDTVs

Verdict
Unless space is a factor, there's no reason to choose a 40" 120Hz LCD over a 42" model since the latter are less expensive than their 40" counterparts. Throughout the past 12 months, Dell Home has consistently offered the best deals on 120Hz sets (keep an eye on Dell's TV deals here) and not surprisingly, it's Vizio who started the price war. But don't count the name brands out just yet. The lowest price we've seen all year for a 42" 120Hz LCD TV has come from LG.

By comparison, deals on 40" 60Hz LCDs go for up to $100 less (more typically $50 less), but they're normally off-brands. As a result, if you're looking for a new 40" to 42" LCD and want a name-brand, there's no reason why you shouldn't go 120Hz.

Click to see the latest deals on all 40" and 42" 120Hz LCD HDTVs.

46" - 47" 120Hz LCD HDTVs

Verdict
In November, deals on 46" and 47" 120Hz LCDs surpassed our Black Friday prediction by $154 (we predicted $899). A 60Hz set in this screen size will cost up to $100 less than a 120Hz set.

Click to see the latest deals on all 46" and 47" 1080p LCD HDTVs.

52" 120Hz LCD HDTVs

Verdict:
At $1,075, 52" 120Hz TVs came very close to meeting our Black Friday prediction of $1,049. These sets continue to drop at a slow, steady pace. Contrary to what you may think, deals on 52" 120Hz TVs and 60Hz TVs are neck-and-neck. In fact, this December and January, we saw 52" 120Hz sets break the $1,000 mark for the first time ever. Whereas Vizio dominated deals in the 42" and 46" spectrum, the best 52" deals are coming from name-brand companies like Sharp.

Click to see the latest deals on all 52" 1080p LCD HDTVs.

55" 120Hz LCD HDTVs

Verdict:
This past summer, the bottom fell out of 55" 120Hz LCD HDTV prices. November saw the lowest prices. Those lows were over 50% less than the prices we saw in May. The best deals on these sets aren't quite as good now as they were in November, but they're close, and they're consistently priced.

Click to see the latest deals on all 55" 120Hz LCD HDTVs.

Are you planning on buying or upgrading your current HDTV? Interested in Internet-capable TVs? To tell us what you're buying — or ask us a follow up question — please send us a Letter to the Editors.

^{Shipping prices (where applicable) were factored into the pricing in our data. This data is based on deals listed on dealnews.com, which represent low points, not averages.}

Louis Ramirez is dealnews' Features editor.

DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

DealWatch: Price trends on 120Hz LCD HDTVs

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