<p>Well, out TV is about 15 years+ old, but it is linked to VCR, DVD player, amplifier and probably some other gizmo, so it takes several remotes to operate it. I don’t believe in reading manuals. When, occasionally, I want to watch something, I just call out for one of the guys to operate the remotes. </p>
<p>I am sooo not into technology (Dstark, that’s how we can afford full freight…)</p>
<p>I don’t read manuals either. Of course, I get into problems. ;)</p>
<p>Does anybody just go up to Costco and buy a tv?</p>
<p>I have neighbors who bought their large plasma TV at Costco. They have had it about 2 or maybe 3 years and they love it. Haven’t had any problems.<br>
They mounted it on the wall and when they entertained recently, they had a photo montage running on the TV screen as background. I thought that was a nice idea.</p>
<p>A couple of months ago we finally replaced our old Costco special with a 55" Hitachi plasma. It’s very nice. These models can be either hung on a wall or set on a tabletop with an optional stand. I opted to hang it on the wall. Surprisingly it’s probably more un-assuming than the 32" Tube TV it replaced since the plasma protrudes into the room mush less.</p>
<p>In the smaller screen sizes LCD seems to be the technology of choice and plasma tends to be the choice for the larger screens. LCDs keep pushing upwards into the plasma space as the technology improves. You might have difficulty even finding a plasma much smaller than 42". </p>
<p>From what I’ve read, the off-brands often use older generation displays (the displays are actually only made by a few manufacturers) while the name-brand uses their latest technology.</p>
<p>The bottom line is to view the picture yourself and compare, preferably side by side. Even this though can be skewed depending on settings. </p>
<p>You might want to really think about the size and err on the side of the larger screen. Remember that with the different aspect ratio (width versus height of screen), the same diameter will seem somewhat smaller than the tube equivalent. With the brilliant picture available when viewing HDTV and the number of pixels on the screen, the larger screen is nicer. It’s more theater-like and may leave you wishing for a larger screen. I think I could tolerate bigger than 55" just fine. Maybe next time.</p>
<p>curiousmother and others, if you are buying a plasma so you can hang it on the wall, think about the wires for it first… Where are they going to go? How are you going to wire components or are you? In other words, is there a cable box or DVD player associated with this TV?<br>
As far as the plasma vs. LCD tv goes, for the OP, go with LCD for many of the reasons already stated. LCD will give you a better picture in various light scenarios. There is a good website for buying online. I am a AV installer and the price online is better than my distributor price. I’ll PM the OP.</p>
<p>dstark" try this link</p>
<p><a href=“CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news”>CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news;
<p>and this</p>
<p><a href=“DVD Talk - DVD Movie News, Reviews, and More”>DVD Talk - DVD Movie News, Reviews, and More;
<p>Also if you are going for 32", go little bigger. We have a 40" LCD TV. We were going to buy plasma, but this one had a better price. Mine is plug and play, but the remote has too many buttons, and I have no idea what all of them do.</p>
<p>like UCLA_dad we will buy a big plasma this thanksgiving or X-mas - retirement gift from me-to-me.</p>
<p>
mkm, i feel your pain. Or, perhaps, I 'r you. ;)</p>
<p>Re mounting on wall. Ours can be wall mount or cabinet top. We have the wall mount thing-y (Fry’s threw it in for “free” 
). But… DH was concerned that, with the wires in the wall - if he ever needed to “fiddle”, and believe me he has - it would be a problem. With the right cabinet (which we have - my one contribution to the process - from Crate and Barrell), the flat panel set on the cabinet looks almost the same as if wall-mounted.</p>
<p>So, think about access to your wires if you wall-mount it.</p>
<p>Re the new tv’s being “great in HD, but not in everything else,” I think this is somewhat true. But… more and more programming, even run-of-mill stuff (like Today show, evening news…), is HD. So it begins to hardly matter. I think part of it is now being aware of how good HD can look. Non-HD will look, imo, a little worse than on a “regular” TV, but it is no big deal. Note: if you want to see Live with Regis and Kelly looking their best… don’t get HD. They’re not in HD and they look fuzzy as all get out. I can live with it. :D</p>
<p>Simba, and everybody else, thanks.</p>
<p>Jmmom, you watch Regis and Kelly? (I would make a shocked face, but I don’t know hot to do that one).</p>
<p>But I’m shocked. ;)</p>
<p>We got a 37" plasma Panasonic just before the last winter olympics… and it is fabulous…the depth of picture is tremendous…use google to find a site that has info on repairs…etc…there is a site called <a href=“http://www.refurbdepot.com%5B/url%5D”>www.refurbdepot.com</a> that sells tv’s that have been refurbished… they seem to have a lot of samsung? might not be best model to buy? </p>
<p>I don’t know about the “p is better than i” quote above…except that I have noticed 720 p models of Panasonics cost more than 1080 i models recently? I was thinking about maybe moving the 37" set to another location…and bringing in a 42" or greater unit…</p>
<p>Most of the bigger shows are HD…all games…CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, The Unit, etc etc… public television has some great shows too…</p>
<p>my understanding was that plasma sets burn hotter than LCD…a yr ago, if you wanted > 32" you had to do plasma…not true today…hope that is helpful…</p>
<p>For the multiple remote problem, we also picked up a $50 Universal Remote from – wait for it – Universal Remote Control, Inc. It’s the MX500, and once I spent an hour teaching it about all our “stuff” it has replaced a box full of remotes. I <heart> it, but make sure you save the manual, or have a really good memory about how to set it up.</heart></p>
<p>ebeeee and jmmom,</p>
<p>good point about the wires (in the wall mount vs. cabinet decision)…i hadn’t thought of that. DH said we would look for TVs after the superbowl when the prices would fall, but i’m still waiting…</p>
<p>we have a TV already (10+ years old and still going strong), but I wanted to install a second TV in the room that was meant to be a guest room, then turned into a play room, then into the piano/computer room, then DH’s office (well, that never really happened!), and now i want a room for the kids to play the wii in and spend the night in when they have friends over. (All the bedrooms are upstairs and very close to each other, and when one of my kids has a friend or two spend the night, no one sleeps because we hear everything).</p>
<p>i said we would never have a second TV…maybe this is a mistake…</p>
<p>I wouldn’t fret the wires too much. Most walls are quite easy to run wires in and drywall is easy to repair. If you don’t feel comfortable with it but still want a wall-hanger and hidden wires, Circuit City and others offer installation services.</p>
<p>You can also get creative and place a small table in front and underneath the TV which can hold the video components and then just run the wires from behind it up to the TV and hide the wires in the small gap with a nick-nack or center speaker of a surround sound system.</p>
<p>Another advantage to wall hanging - some of the brackets have the ability to ‘lock’ the TV to the bracket with a padlock for some theft protection.</p>
<p>If you do hang it, pay close attention to the height and make sure you don’t place it too high (like in ads) or it won’t be comfortable to watch. The manual usually will indicate the ideal height.</p>
<p>dtark: another thing you must buy is the high capacity surge protector. Better price at amazon.</p>
<p>Ok. Thanks.</p>
<p>the p vs. i thing is pretty simple.
p displays better motion, i displays better still images. But in general - whatever your tv’s native resolution is will be the best on your tv. (i.e. if your TV native is 1080i, it will look better than 720p, and vice versa if your TV is native 720p). One thing to note is that HDTV signals are broadcast in 1080i…so consider that when choosing between models.</p>
<p>today most new model HDTVs will come either in 720p or 1080i. Really expensive ones will support 1080p - but nothing transmits in 1080p except xbox and playstation so i wouldn’t worry about it. also, you probably can’t tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p on tvs that are smaller than like 60 inches - which most people don’t have anyway,</p>
<p>Also, I would hold off on upgrading to HD-DVD or Blu-ray. You can get $200 dvd players which will upscale to 1080i. Theres a very firm possibility that neither will take off - as the need simply isn’t there. Also, audio on hddvd and bluray hasn’t been figured out yet - its much superior on DVD.</p>
<p>Refering to Marite’s post yesterday–yep, old TV, hooks up to the DVD player if you can find the remote. I wouldn’t know an HD from an LCD from a plasma (isnt that something in your blood?)</p>
<p>Also how we can afford college. I’m amazed anyone has any leftover funds to fund these things. Hats off to all of you; y’all must be better money managers than I am! :).</p>
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<p>Did you miss the part where I only spent $700? I’m not poor, but I am cheap.</p>
<p>I’m amazed that TVs are no longer inexpensive. Comcast Cable rep told me that my 12-year old Sharp (still providing an excellent picture) must be replaced if I want to enjoy the improvements in cable TV service. Well, I guess that’s the march of technology.</p>
<p>Also, with a nod to WashDad, the New York Times had a in-depth story on Oleiva in the business section. Apparently the brand has become so popular that it can hardly keep up with demand.</p>
<p>…if you are considering only up to 32". Then I would also consider a tube tv. (widescreen = 30"/ 34") Tube HDTV’s will have deeper blacks, excellent response rates for fast moving images and very cost efficient. Tube tv technology is very mature and dependable. Bottomline, if you want value then consider a tube tv.</p>
<p>I just bought, for about $90, a DVD player that does “upconversion.” It plays regular DVDs, but “upconverts” the signal to an HD signal to connect to an HDTV via an HDMI cable. Excellent picture quality. Obviously not an HD DVD player, but an excellent compromise for very little money.</p>
<p>Plasma TVs have a problem when you live as high above sea level as I do (7300’). They emit a loud whine which is distracting (or so it is said).</p>