getting a new family tv...need some help

[woodman]

Dear Mr. Nosleep:
Let me help you to (very possibly) avoid making a bad decision here about a new TV set. I have more practical hands-on experience with TV sets (more than 50 years) than anyone around here or anywhere else that I'm aware of.

First off - here's the #1 basic fact:
You can have a good or a bad ownership experience with any make or model of set ... but the "odds" are better with some than with others.
Having said that, I urge you to scratch all of those that you mentioned in your post OFF of your list. Especially scratch off any and all plasma displays as well as any and all direct-view CRT sets ... none of which are a good, low risk investment IMO. Now here are the brands to avoid:

RCA
Zenith
Philips
Panasonic
Sony
Samsung
any "never heard of" brand from China such as Orion, etc.

Brands to consider:
Toshiba
Hitachi
Mitsubishi
Sharp
Sanyo

Then there's also the decision as to which type or technology to buy. The biggest "bang-for-the-buck" will be had with some of the new front projectors using DLP or LCD technology from companies like - InFocus, Epson, Sanyo,etc.. If your viewing room can accomodate one, that is. If not, then the next choice (for b-f-t-b) would be a rear projection set (RPTV) using CRTs. These are being gradually phased out by some mfgs. so some really good bargains are to be had. Be aware that such sets that you will find in dealer's showrooms will not be properly setup and therefore will not look as good as as they are capable of. They also will very likely not look as good as the LCD and/or DLP-based sets that sit alongside them. Don't let such disparities mislead you into thinking that the LCD/DLP sets are capable of MUCH better pic quality ... they're not.

Hope this helps you.