Hi all, I just joined the forum and need some guidance. We are moving to a new house with a larger living room and I need to replace my aging 27" tv. We mostly use the tv for watching dvd's so I figure a widescreen model will serve us best. The tv will be in a corner and the seating will be approximately 11 feet from the screen (I currently sit 8 feet from the 27" set). I don't want the tv to be the dominant feature of the room so I don't really want a huge screen. In fact it would be best if it could be hidden away in a smallish entertainment console when not in use.

I have been looking around the local shops and online and so far like the looks of several 34" 16x9 direct view crt's, the Sony KV-34HS420 and Toshiba 34H84 for instance. I might could fit a 46" tabletop RPTV like the Toshiba 46H84 but I have not actually seen one of those yet. My budget is up to $3000 but I would prefer to spend less than that.

In addition to general advice I have some specific questions:

1. What is the difference between the Toshiba H and HX models?
2. Why are some of you down on direct view crt's? They seem to give a better picture at a lower cost...
3. Why do the plasma tv's always look so much better than anything else in the stores and can I achieve that same look (glossy, wet, I don't know what to call it) with other presumably better technologies? Am I being cynical to assume that the stores have deliberately adjusted the sets to make the plasmas look the best?

Thanks,

Rich