Most good plasmas,such as the new Pioneer Kuro models can be engaged with a slight movement of the picture that is impossible to detect when watching, so even when playing games burn-in is quite unlikely. With a Pioneer or a Panasonic plasma a good rule of thumb is don't use it for gaming during the first 100 hours of watching or for static scroll lines on the picture bottom, such as on ESPN and some news channels. After that, good plasmas have a white-out feature in case of the slight chance of residual burn-in--it basically erases it. Since I am a videophile that loves watching good movies and shows, I watch in a dim to dark room. Without a doubt a Pioneer Kuro and even the latest Panasonics have a much superior contrast than any LCD model and this makes thepicture more natural and richer, or if youn want, the colors POP with exactitude. In a bright room and if you have gamester kids and grandkids that frequent the HDTV, I would get a Sony XBR or Samsung, or even one or two of the JVC models. But the 52" Sony's, Samsungs, Sharps,and JVC's aren't quite as good as their 46" and 40" models. The Sony 46" XBR4 or 5 and 40" XBR 4 or 5(and even a 32" XBR 4 or 5 for the bedroom) are about as good as LCD's get at this point. I have a 40" Sony XBR 4 in my bedroom and love it, but compared to my Pioneer Kuro 50" (5080) and in my media room my Pioneer Elite PRO-150FD 60", the Sony isn't in the same ballpark. If your room is dim enough and a 50" plasma is large enough I would save money and the new Pioneer Kuro PDP-5080. While it isn't a 1080p screen, as long as you sit at least 7 feet away it will look as good as any 1080p screen and it is available online between $2,375-$3,000 delivered. Just don't buy the way overpriced warranties. Panasonic sells a 1080p 50" plasma a little cheaper, but I find the Pioneer better. If you want to get an even bigger screen either get the Panasonic 58" 1080p which can be gotten online delivered between $3,200-$3,900. The 60" Pioneer Kuro PDP-6010FD will cost delivered online between $4,050-$5,000--with some dealers asking for full price--up to $6,500. I would get the 60" Pioneer over the 58" Panny, unless budget is a huge issue. Greg

DLP's are the best bang for the buck when it comes to getting a big screen with an excellent picture. Unfortunately, while they are thinner and lighter than traditional rear projection sets, they are still bigger than LCD or Plasma. I have a 52" DLP as my main set, and a 32" LCD in my bedroom. Here is a link that might be useful: LCD-Plasma Comparison

more than likely any LCD TV will (Unless a great big one) will use less power than the 13" TV you have now. Look at the back of your TV, it should show the power (Watts or VA) that it uses. Then look at the new TV sets you are interested in LCD or LED LCD. You can even look the numbers up on the net for TV's you may be interested in. Most "LED" TV's are actually LED LCD TV's and you will pay more for these compared to a "regular LCD TV" soo you wont live long nuff to see the money you save going the LED LCD route (yet). Course stay away from plasma, they are gettin the power levels they draw down, but if you leave the TV on all the time , as you say, The LCD will last longer. Good luck Gary

drystonemason - thanks for the offer! I wish you lived in Colorado. My husband and I have a 70's wall o' brick. Really, the entire back wall of our den is covered in blond brick and the sides have custom built (70's style) cabinetry over the brick. We are planning to rip the cabinets out but our question is, what is the best way to reface this much brick? We plan to put travertine tile below the mantel to break up the look but on the rest of the wall, from what we have read, we have a few options. 1) Use a lime based plaster (not drywall compound) to fill in grout lines and eventually build up and smooth out to a rough, toweled on surface 2) Use mortar and stucco to achieve the same look. 3) Using drywall we can either frame out the whole wall and start over or use liquid nails (a lot of it) to put sheetrock on the areas that are not tiled. Hoping you might have some suggestions on what the easiest route would be considering it IS a whole wall. I will see if I can get a picture to insert which might be helpful.