Audio Video News

As the economy continues to stutter, what novel ideas are manufacturers coming up with to tempt cost-conscious consumers?

For the Sharp folks, the All-Star Week in baseball coincides with a Watch It Like the Pros Sweepstakes. Prizes include a trip to the World Series, 30 Aquos LCD TVs, 500 mlb.com gift certificates, and--our favorite--10 packages consisting of a Sharp LCD TV, Blu-ray player, sound bar, and signed jersey. If you want to take a shot, sign up at SharpMLB.com or text a unique code at the point-of-purchase display at more than 4900 Sharp retail locations. St. Louis fans can also enter the sweepstakes at the Busch Stadium All-Star Sponsor Zone, and Sharp plans to hit several other ballparks this season.

Then there's the promo involving Mitsubishi and Vudu. Buy a Mits TV and you'll get the Vudu set-top box free along with $50 in movie credits, a total $200 value. "We simply wanted to provide a value-add bundle other than Blu-ray, something new and exciting for our retailers," said a Mitsubishi executive. Vudu did the same thing with Sharp a couple of years ago.

On the audio side, Denon and Boston Acoustics--both owned by D&M--are cross-promoting receivers and speaker packages with three offers. Buy any Denon receiver and any five Boston Classic Series speakers and get a free Classic 10 sub, a $250 value. Or buy any Denon receiver with the Boston Classic CS2310 5.1 package and the price of the speakers gets knocked down to $500, a $250 savings. Or buy any Denon receiver and any five Boston VS Series flagship speakers and get a VPS 210 sub for $850, a 50 percent discount. Our advice is to go for the third one. We loved the VS Series. Promos available only at participating dealers--see list.