Mountain View Computer Users Group

Notice that the title of this article is "shopping," not necessarily "buying" on the Internet. You can do a lot of information and price gathering on the Net, whether you actually purchase something online, over the telephone, by mail, or at a bricks-and-mortar store.

Recently I decided that we needed a new television set. One that was bigger and with a better picture than the current one in our great room. I wanted it to be ready for High Definition TV reception and to have many of the other new features that are now available.

My search was not confined only to the Web. I went to the Public Library, where I checked out a recent issue of Consumer Reports with a major article on television sets. I used that approach because Consumer Reports on the Web requires a subscription to their service. I also looked at catalogs I receive at home, such as theCrutchfield Audio/Video Catalog and Buyer's Guide (available online: www.crutchfield.com) and the B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio Catalog (www.bhphotovideo.com).

Nothing quite beats actually looking at and trying out the product you are interested in buying. I have visited the local Sears store and the Best Buy and Circuit City stores in Tucson several times. I checked out the various makes and models, to see what appeals to me. I also talked with the sales people, and so far I have found them to be both helpful and pretty knowledgeable about the many television sets they carry.

But I let the computer do a lot of my walking. When it comes to a product like a television set, doing a good job of investigating what's available and exactly what you want is a complicated one. I went to the sites of the major television manufacturers, such as Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba.

I found on-site dealers by referral from the manufacturers and from comparison shopping sites (such as www.mysimon.com and www.dealtime.com). And I used my old standby, Amazon.com, which carries more different makes and models than any other dealer I visited. Amazon also includes reviews by people who actually own the product.

Sometimes the online dealers do as good as a job as, or even a better one than, the manufacturers not only of describing what features the sets have, but also of explaining what those features do. Often the dealer sites will enable you to compare the features of competing models, side-by-side, to get a better idea of what you are getting for your money.

If you decide to buy a product such as a television set from a local dealer, you can use the information you've garnered about models, features and prices to make sure you get a good deal on the set you want. What I find interesting, though, is that even on a heavy product like a television, you can sometimes get a better price, including the high cost of shipping, from an online dealer.

So, what television set did I finally decide to buy? I haven't yet. There are simply too many different makes, sizes, features, and prices for me to determine which TV I want to invest in. After all, a big TV is something we're going to be using for a long time. Better to hold off on actually putting down the money until I am absolutely certain of which one I want to be watching for the next who-knows-how-many years.

Besides that, the 2004 models are just now coming out, and they promise to be even better than the 2003 versions. One sales rep told me they might even be lower priced!

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