For would-be television buyers, the most wonderful weekend of the year is almost here, thanks to special deals available from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.

Top-tier makers — Samsung, Sony, and LG — will offer rock-bottom pricing on really big screens in leftover and less costly models built in mass quantities for Black Friday consumption. These “offer a substantial value but lack some of the features of today’s top-end sets,” said Greg Tarr, a TV product reviewer for HDGuru.com. One ripe example is the 60-inch Sony KD60X690E, marked down temporarily to $600 from an “everyday” price of $999.99.

Second-tier brands — TCL, Sharp, Element, Insignia, and Polaroid — will mark Thanksgiving and Black Friday with even lower prices. Think $89.99 for a 32-inch Polaroid High Definition TV at Target, and a Sharp 50-inch 4K TV for $180 at Best Buy. The latter, in the estimation of CNET TV tester David Katzmaier, “is perhaps the best deal of 2017 Black Friday so far.”

Maneuvering through mounds of merchandise should not be done impulsively, pouncing on price alone, however.

The bigger, the better

First, measure your space and compare it to a desirable TV’s posted dimensions. As the picture frame (bezel) of current sets has been greatly reduced, it’s often possible to fit a 60- or even 65-inch TV into a location formerly occupied by a flat-screen 50.

And though not an issue if you’re going to wall-mount it, the positioning of the television’s “feet” is critical when it’s being plopped on a piece of furniture.

With a heavier, center-mounted base, the edges of the screen can “float” over the sides of a tabletop.

Also take note of inputs and apps. Some Black Friday specials have only two HDMI connectors. Three or four is better. And leftover “smart sets” often lack on-board access to Amazon Prime Video.

Ultra-high-def and HDR

“Unless you’re buying a screen that’s 70 inches or bigger, you won’t really appreciate the improved resolution offered in a 4K ultra-high-definition TV unless you sit right on top of it,” Tarr said.

What can be noticed from a distance, Tarr said, is the added brightness and wider color range of a 4K set that offers true HDR (high dynamic range). “Less costly 4K sets — the majority of what’s being promoted for Black Friday — don’t have sufficient light output … and a wider color gamut to show the spectral improvements in 4K content encoded with HDR.” Enhancements you could pull from 4K Netflix and Amazon Prime originals and Ultra-High Definition Blu-ray discs.

The above-mentioned Sony 60-incher doesn’t claim to deliver HDR. Nor is there an HDR mode in otherwise fine leftovers such as the 55-inch 4K Samsung UN55MU6290 offered by Kohl’s for $500 (with an instant return of $150 in Kohl’s cash). The 65-inch LG 65UJ6300 online door buster Dell will offer at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving for $800 with a bonus $150 Dell gift card boasts “Active HDR.” Tarr translated: “Accepts HDR signals and posts an on-screen HDR bug but can’t do the full-range enhancements.”