Quote Originally Posted by MasterCylinder
Any person here with recommendations before I venture out in to this brave new world ?

FYI..........my unique space limitations being what they are, I will be looking for something no larger than a 42-inch total width, which eliminates almost anything more than a 37" screen. Also, I already have digital cable that can be quickly upgraded to HD.

What are the up and downsides of HDTV-CRT, LCD & plasma ?
Hi MC:

Here's what we own:

1) Fujitsu Plasmavision P42HHA30WS (will be using in new home theatre when finished) -- 42" HD commercial Plasma (no speakers, no built-in HD tuner) -- purchased 2 years ago and the picture is still as sharp and clear as it was the day we purchased. We do not have one complaint against this commercial plasma and have been impressed with Fujitsu's responsiveness when we have called regarding technical questions. Oh, well maybe one complaint...it was very expensive. Even if the life of this plasma is only 8 years, I would still feel it was a good investment. I will say that we logged more hours in the past two years on it than most consumers would have for a variety of reasons, and we have not had any change in performance.

2) Panasonic 42" plasma (family room) -- the latest commercial (no speakers, no built-in HD tuner) 8th generation model, $2400, with HDMI -- to be honest, this plasma stinks and we regret ever purchasing it. It's a long story and one that I won't bother you with...To make matters worse, panasonic customer service stinks. Avoid Panasonic commercial monitors...if the unit has a problem, you have to take it to a local service center (there is no in-home service like most consumer models).

3) Philips 32" consumer LCD (master bedroom) -- purchased at CostCo for a steal -- a great value for the money, and can be returned to CostCo if anything goes wrong during the life of the unit. 2 HDMI connections, built-in HD tuner, cable card, slim model, built-in speakers that sound great for a television. We've been impressed with Philips customer support. I'd highly recommend this model. If your cable company supports cable card, you will not need the infamous ugly cable box, only the cable card. Usually is less expensive.

Check out www.avsforum.com. Lots of information but also alot of Panasonic maniacs.