Last-minute Deals on Super Bowl TVs

At the end of last month I said post-holiday sales on TVs would be good, considering everyone is trying to get rid of their old inventory. But this holiday season was a little different from holiday seasons past: The deals on TVs were so good last November and December that there wasn't much room left for prices to go down. So post-holiday sales on TVs have been relatively few and far between, but luckily the best TV I've ever seen in my life is on sale until March 31^st, so I insist on writing about it here since some of you may still want to take the big HDTV plunge before Sunday's Super Bowl kick-off.

Pioneer plasmas are pricey, but they're also almost-perfect. I seriously considered forking over $8,000 of my savings for the Pioneer Pro Elite FHD1, a 50-inch, full 1080p plasma with superb color, clarity, and video processing that makes even iPod video look great. But I came to my senses. Still, my interest was once again piqued when I saw the Pioneer two-for-the-price-of-one deal that's on offer right now. Buy one FHD1 for the regular price ($8,000!) and get a second Pioneer PureVision PDP-5016HD plasma "for free," which effectively reduces the price of the first plasma to $5,500 since the "free" TV costs about $2,500 on its own.

Granted, that free-I-mean-$2,500 TV is only 720p, but it's still HD and you really can't tell the difference more than ten feet away (again, video processing is so good it makes up for those fewer lines of resolution). Besides, unlike the top-of-the-line Elite FHD1, the less high-fallutin' PureVision PDP-5016 comes with speakers, so it's perfect for a place like the bedroom, where you'll be too half asleep to notice the slightly less amazing 720p HD resolution.

Now I'm still not going out to buy these TVs myself, mainly because I don't have the space for two huge plasmas. And there's still the matter of the $8,000 price tag, which is too high, in my opinion, for any number of TVs. But if you're in the market for at least one cost-no-object quality television, and have room to spare, this is a rare deal.

Also, check out Dell's current rebates, which offer anything from $50 to $450 off the computer maker's already well-priced LCD and Plasma TVs, as well as some more expensive Sony Bravia TVs (the Bravia ones are way better). Some of these TVs are actually available for next-day delivery, so act fast. Or try ordering this $1,600 Hitachi UltraVision 42-inch plasma online, then picking it up at your local brick-and-mortar Circuit City.

As always, you can check for TV deals at dealnews.com, which always compiles the best deals on all manner of stuff, electronic or otherwise.

In the meantime, what TV do you plan to watch the Super Bowl on?