The 9000 series will come in 46 and 55-inch sizes, and will come equipped with MPEG4 compliant DVB-T and DVB-C tuners. The external media box is similar to the Sony ZX1, where it takes all your video inputs and wirelessly transmits them to your TV, reducing the size of the panel itself. As for the LED backlighting, local dimming is superior to edge lighting because you get better contrast, and therefore deeper blacks, from the picture. (LED backlit Samsung LCDs have had this for awhile.)

Other features the 9000 series is rumored to have DLNA compatibility, USB port and on-screen widgets via the Medi@2.0 platform. FlatPanelsHD expects the 9000 series to be available in summer/fall 2009. [FlatPanelsHD] (Samsung B8000 Series LCD pictured above)

Gary at HD Guru found the most aggressive pricing at J&R, Costco, Fry'sand Vann's. He put together a list of like 23 deals, and even wrote up a guide to judging whether or not you should buy the new TV or last year's model, based on specs and expectations.

You can get a premium 46" Samsung LN46A650 with 120Hz for $1400 at Fry's (if link doesn't work, go here and search). It originally listed for around $2100, but Amazon is selling it for $1500, to give you an idea of how low this is.

There's a 52" Sony KDL52W4100 at J&R for $1550, down from $2200.

The best deals of all seem to be Panasonic plasmas, which is funny because, performance wise, that's where you can pay less for more TV to begin with. The winner here is Panasonic's TH50PZ85, a 50" 1080p plasma for $1300 at Fry's, and he said Costco carries it too for that price, though I don't see it. This deal is amazing not only because it's marked down $900 from $2200, but even Amazon is still listing it much higher, for $1700. Now all you need is money, right? That's the tricky part.

Hit up Gary's list for more deals on a lot more TVs. [HD Guru]