Black Friday has traditionally been one of the busiest and most frantic shopping days of the year but with Christmas sales down in 2007 and the economy looking like a leftover fruitcake, many people are wondering if Black Friday can live up to past performances.

To better grasp the severity of the situation I enlisted the help of Dan de Grandpre, the current CEO of Dealnews.com. Dan is one of the most qualified individuals I know to assist in this as he has over 12 years of deal hunting experience as well as the ability to keenly identify industry trends. The Dealnews.com CEO backs up his team's experience surrounding retail sales and promotions by boasting that Dealnews.com has saved visitors hundreds of millions of dollars.

Black Friday needs only three things to be successful: retailers with amazing deals, willing consumers and money. Without any one of these items Black Friday ceases to be the spectacle that retailers and shoppers have come to know and love. In order to understand how the economy affects any of these three elements it is important to understand the relationship between retailers and consumers.

Black Friday, for those of you who have yet to be initiated, is the day after Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and it is marked by huge sales at retailers and lines that stretch around the store. During these sales prices often hit rock bottom and this year, thanks to many of the major retailers eschewing rebates for instant savings, retailers will be setting records for low prices. Dan de Grandpre, CEO of dealnews, is an admitted techie who with his team of experienced bargain hunters has compiled their predictions for Black Friday 2008!

There are too many categories and deals to list here but here are a few that tempt me to do something I detest: wait in line!

• Small portable laptops starting at $199.
• 42" and up plasma and LCD TVs starting at $499!
• Blu-ray players from $149.
  
• Flash drives, routers and more free after rebate.
  

These are just a few of the deals the dealnews team is predicting. If you are in the market for any kind of electronics this year you should definitely check out the full breakdown of Black Friday items that made the list.

Normally you won't find WalletPop bloggers pushing a large purchase but it's evident to me that those of us who are frugalists still need to purchase big ticket items from time to time and the thing we love most about it is getting the best price. If a good deal isn't enough to convince you to head out on Black Friday then maybe you should check out Buy Nothing Day which takes place the same day and advocates 24 hours of consumer abstinence!

This coming Fall it looks like prices for LCDs will once again plummet as consumer demand has tapered off leaving excess stock in the retail channels. It seems that early in 2008 manufacturers of LCD displays shipped a record number of LCDs especially large ones, which coupled with a faltering economy has turned the HDTV and display business into a "buyer's market". This price drop comes on the heels of a spat of price cuts in May of this year as Sony began to drop prices on its Bravia line.

The price drop is coming because of simple economics, and consumers should hold off at least until September to pick up any large LCD displays. If you are hanging on for another month or two before making the purchase it would be a good time to sock away more money towards your new TV rather than putting it on your credit card. If you can hold off until November, I wouldn't be surprised to see rock bottom prices on name brand LCDs. If prices drop enough you can toss a 42' LCD into that house you're still trying to unload and throw it in with the purchase. In this market you gotta try something!

According to HD Guru, Sony is planning huge price cuts on their 2008 model HD TVs in May. Apparently Sony has been deeply saddened by loosing the number one spot to a slew of rivals and is taking steps to gain back the bragging rights. This is great news for consumers who will see price cuts between 20 and 25% on current models including the Bravia Line beginning in May.

This is awesome news even if you aren't interested in inflating Sony's ego. A move like this should force other major manufacturers to drop price, including Toshiba, Panasonic and even resellers like Westinghouse. Similarly this downward trend in pricing could force plasma TV prices to drop in order to remain competitive. A situation like this could do a lot stimulate the economy; mix the stimulus package with concern for the digital TV switchover, toss in drastically reduced prices and many consumers will easily find a reason to buy a new TV.

If you are in the market for a TV, you better wait a week or so until prices start dropping. If you aren't looking for a Sony brand LCD, put your purchase on hold until the end of the month to let manufacturers and retailers catch up to the price drops. There are few things more annoying than seeing the TV you just set up at home 25% cheaper a week later. If you have already purchased an HD TV be sure to check on the price guarantee many big box retailers have. If it looks like you will run out of time before your new Sony's price is corrected you may want to return it and pick one up when the price drops, watch out for restocking fees if you go this route.

Not that I'm looking, or anything, but experts say if you're in the market for a new HDTV, now is the time to buy it. Conventional wisdom has it that the best time to buy a new TV is in the weeks just after the Superbowl, when retailers are moving out the old to make room for the new.

Of course, actual HDTV sales weren't as spectacular as retailers had hoped...a taste of tapped-out consumers perhaps?

Hope springs eternal. According to some reports, analysts at Pacific Media Associates say we can expect a 15.6% drop on flat panel display prices this year. According to the research company, last year saw a 14.7% price drop on HDTVs, which increased sales by 41%. Sales will continue to skyrocket in the period leading up to the switch to Digital TV next year.

We all know that HDTV's are about the only thing going down in price these days. Will the recession we're in or about to enter (depending on who you're reading) have any affect on this symbol of American consumerism?

If you're running some older analog-only television sets in that extra bedroom or summer home, you may already know that come February 2009, those older televisions that get their signals using an over-the-air antenna will go blank as the FCC shuts off the analog television airwaves to make room for more wireless services here in the U.S.

Now, this won't affect most of us -- cable and satellite customers won't notice any difference -- but for those televisions that need to receive signals from some sort of antenna, you'll need a new converter box. Basically, these $60 (roughly) boxes will allow older, analog-only television sets to receive the newer digital (HDTV) signals broadcast by just about every network television station and turn that signal into an older analog signal that those older televisions can then display.

For those of us with boats, cabins and other places that use analog-only television, what to do! Well, the U.S. Government will supply two $40 coupons for each U.S. household to help defray most of the cost of up to two of these converter boxes just by supplying a name and mailing address.

These coupons won't be mailed until sometime in late February (or later), when national consumer electronics retailers are expected to have the analog converter boxes available. You can apply for your two free $40 coupons by visiting www.dtv2009.gov today and get your name on the list. If you need a few of these boxes, the two coupons will save your wallet $80 come a year from this February.

Starting in February 2009, analog television signals will cease transmission in the U.S., as the transition to digital television should be complete. Actually, progress is heavily underway right now. Go into any store that sells televisions and good luck finding any without the digital tuners already included.

Stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart will begin selling digital television converter boxes starting after the new year (February, to be exact) to allow American television watchers ample time to prepare for their destiny as digital consumers.

Here's an idea: instead of upgrading to new televisions for your home or office, why not save some dosh and bring home converter boxes? They will give your older, antenna-only boob tubes a longer lease on life. As an added bonus, the government will credit you up to $80 for your effort. Where's the downside?

Keep in mind, these credits are really only for the Luddites still using rabbit ears and roof antennas. Cable and satellite customers will be unaffected. Still, there's an estimated 13-21 million households that will need one (or more) of these boxes. If you have a large investment in a big-screen TV or a bunch or perfectly working older TVs, you'll need some of these boxes. They'll be widely-available wherever home electronics are sold.