According to a report from Video Business, 2009 Black Friday sales of consumer electronics products brought in 1.2% less than they did in 2008, despite the fact that sales volume was up on items like TVs and Blu-ray players. The reason for the lower dollar value, Video Business reports, is the steep discounts that retailers offered during the Black Friday sales push. In fact, the article says unit sales for flat-panel TVs were 15% higher than in 2008. This was negated, though, because prices were about 20% lower.

The moral of this story, I suppose, is that you got a much better deal if you bought a flat-panel TV this year than if you bought it in 2008 or earlier. If you're still in the market, don't despair just because you missed out on Black Friday deals. Retailers are continuing to offer steeply discounted electronics, so you can still find a great TV deal before Christmas.

Warner Brothers is following in the footsteps of Disney and Universal by deciding to offer its physical media in multiple formats with a single purchase. Warner announced this week that, beginning in the first quarter of 2010, it will make its entire theatrical new release slate available in combo packs that include Blu-ray disc and standard DVD copies of the film. Warner says these packs will also include a digital copy of the movie and that they will be sold at standard Blu-ray pricing.

This move, like Universal's earlier announcement that it will be releasing many titles on Blu-ray flippers, is clearly designed to help build consumer acceptance of Blu-ray and prop up sales of physical media. Some consumers favor digital downloads over actual discs, but these combo packs will deliver the best of all worlds.

Disney has had combo packs out for some time, and I'm glad to see Warner join the party, as it's a great thing for consumers. The combo packs allow you to watch the Blu-ray version on your home theater system, take the standard DVD on the road with a portable DVD player and download the digital copy to an iPod or similar device. In other words, it allows you to watch the film just about anywhere, which is how it should be.

In the same announcement, Warner noted that it will also start offering Blu-ray Double Features in late February. These releases won't include standard DVDs, but they will feature two Blu-ray movies packaged together at a suggested retail price of $24.98. The first round of releases will be "Dirty Harry" with "Magnum Force," "Analyze This" with "Analyze That," "Miss Congeniality" with "Miss Congeniality 2," "Grumpy Old Men" with "Grumpier Old Men," and "Presumed Innocent" with "Frantic."

An article from the BBC says 91% of households in the UK are still watching standard-definition television and video, even though 56% of households have an HDTV. The article goes on to report that, at least in some cases, viewers are shunning HD not because of added costs but because of a lack of technical understanding. In some cases, the story says, people may just not understand how to properly connect their sets.

I suspect part of the issue may also be that many consumers haven't truly experienced HD programming. I remember, years ago, having doubts that HDTV would be as good as everybody was saying. Bottom line: I was perfectly happy with the video quality I was getting from standard DVDs. Now that I've been living with HD television for years, I'm really disappointed when I have to watch a show in standard-definition. A lot of this revolves around what you grow accustomed to.

There can, of course, be economic factors influencing the decision to embrace HDTV. I don't fault anyone who decides high definition programming is just too expensive, especially in this economy. While you can get free HDTV signals with an antenna, many communities don't allow aerials to be installed, and cable companies and satellite providers generally charge extra for both HD programming and the receivers needed to decode it.

How about you? Are you on board with HDTV? Do you love it or think it's overrated? Post your thoughts below.

A recent article in Australia's Advertiser and Sunday Mail alerted me to a problem I wasn't aware of: children being injured by unsecured TVs. The article states that four toddlers in Britain have been killed by falling televisions in the past 18 months and that a U.S. study says 8,000 American children are hurt by televisions each year.

Although I have small children in my house, I hadn't thought much about this problem, primarily because the set they're around most of the time is an old-school projection unit that is so large it would take an incredible force to topple it. Many of today's flatscreens, however, could be tipped easily, so I can see how accidents happen. With this in mind, it seems the wall mounting of televisions has more value than just aesthetics and a "cool factor." Wall mounted TVs are not only high enough that toddlers can't reach them, they are - when properly installed - well secured.

Do you know of any children who have been injured by falling TVs? Do you have safety suggestions other than wall mounting? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Screen Size: 46"

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Actual Dimensions: 44.25 x 30.375 x 12.75 inches (with pedestal)

Television Type: LCD

Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080p

Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 30,000:1

Internet Enabled: Yes, but requires optional Bravia Internet Video Link Module

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $1,199

Official Web Site: Sony Style

HDMI Inputs: 3

Antenna/Cable Input: 1

Component Video Inputs: 2

Composite Video Inputs: 2

S-Video Input: 1

Digital Audio Out (Optical): 1

Analog Audio Out: 1

PC Input: 1

PC Audio Input: 1

USB Port: 1 (service only)

Audio Output Power (Watts): 10W x 2

Speakers: 2

Photo © Sony

FLO TV announced this week that it has expanded its programming through an agreement with the Walt Disney Company. FLO TV users now have access to Disney Channel and ABC Mobile.

This is a big deal for FLO TV fans because it means they can now watch a number of popular shows that weren't previously available, including "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Hannah Montana" and "The Wizards of Waverly Place." The announcement is also noteworthy because FLO TV now has most of the major networks covered. It offers programming from ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, along with many cable networks, including Nickelodeon, ESPN and Comedy Central

FLO TV content can be viewed by consumers who subscribe to AT&T Mobile TV and V CAST Mobile TV, on the company's portable device, and on FLO TV Auto Entertainment systems.

Photo © FLO TV

Looking for a last-minute holiday electronics deal? As I predicted during the week of Black Friday, good sales are poised to continue right up until Christmas. Walmart announced this week that it's rolling out a new round of bargains beginning Saturday, and the focus will be on electronics and supplies for holiday meals.

The TV-related deals include ...

Here at About.com, we hope you return to us frequently for news on a variety of subjects. After all, I wouldn't be a guide without all you fine readers. That said, I do read articles from folks outside the About.com world now and again, and one of my favorite tech sites is CNET. Because I respect the work of the fine journalists at CNET, I figure it is worth pointing out that David Katzmaier has written an interesting piece on the 10 most popular televisions of 2009. He assembled the rankings not in order of his favorites but in order of the TVs that received the most page views on CNET during the last 11 months.

The most interesting thing to note is that Samsung and Panasonic TVs dominate the list. Samsung, in fact, holds six of the top 10 spots. It's Panasonic's TC-P50G10, however, that ranks No. 1. Be sure to check out the full CNET list, and post your comments below.

When searching for a new television, you may not place its ability to display photos from a USB drive, SD Card or other storage device high on your priority list, but this is one of the functions that I've come to really enjoy. That's probably because I shelled out about $150 for a 10-inch digital picture frame not so many years ago. You can find digital frames cheaper these days, but your flat-screen TV may just be the best frame you can buy.

I just finished reviewing Vizio's SV370XVT and - as with other sets I've reviewed - was really impressed with the way it displayed photographs. Since you can buy the SV370XVT for less than $700, it looks like a bargain when you consider all you get for the money. Not only does it display photos with even better clarity than my digital picture frame, it allows me to create slideshows accompanied by any music that I like. Also, the pictures get a much larger display than with my frame. All this, and the SV370XVT is a darn good TV, too.

Note that I'm only using the Vizio set as an example because it's the most recent television that I've reviewed. Many of today's televisions are capable of running photo slideshows from USB drives or memory cards. All that I've tested do a wonderful job. Such a good job, in fact, that I suggest checking into this feature before buying a new TV. Of course, not everyone will want to use their TV to display photos, but I find it to be a really nice option for holiday parties.

Do you use your TV as a photo viewer? Is this a feature that's important to you? Be sure to leave your feedback below.

Photo © Vizio

Screen Size: 40" diagonal

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Actual Dimensions: 37.625 x 27 x 11 inches (with pedestal)

Television Type: LCD

Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080p

Refresh Rate: 120Hz

Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1

Internet Enabled: Yes, but requires optional Bravia Internet Video Link Module

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $1,999

Official Web Site: SonyStyle.com

HDMI Inputs: 4

Antenna/Cable Input: 1

Component Video Inputs: 2

Composite Video Inputs: 3

S-Video Input: 1

Analog Audio Inputs: 7

Digital Audio Out (Optical): 1

Analog Audio Out: 1

PC Input: 1

PC Audio Input: 1

Ethernet Port: 1

USB Port: 1

Audio Output Power (Watts): 8W x 2, plus 11W subwoofer

Speakers: 3

Warranty: 1 year parts and labor

Photo © Sony