We just went from a 27" crt tv to a 42" LCD Emerson (bought at WalMart on Black Friday) for Christmas. We LOVE it. It's not even hooked up to HD, just DirecTV. We've only seen HD on it when I get a blu-ray from NetFlix. We really love the picture. We also got a Sony blu-ray player that can stream NetFlix. We got the 4 Monster HDMI cables (5 feet) on Black Friday for $10.00 each. We also got a Wii, which we also love. The bowling is so much fun. We will probably get a Wii Fit for it, too. When we get back to MN, we will get a 46" Sony Bravia or a 50" Sanyo plasma. Our tv has a refresh rate of 60, it works for us. And it cost $398 on Black Friday. The LED and the plasma have beautiful pictures, but the LED is a jump in price. I think they will drop though, as the stores push 3D more. The LED is noticeably brighter than the LCDs, to me. But they all look wonderful in the big sizes compared to a 20 or 26" CRT tv. Like being at the movies!

Parma, I obviously misread the specs on the bob mackie,sorry! You are right about the chinoiserie, I would prefer an accent piece and I really don't want the tv to be a visual focal point (though of course it will be because it IS the tv). You are also right that I am trying to take it on as a whole room and that is overwhelming to me. I am feeling pressure from lots of directions and it isn't helping me to think clearly. (ps.. are you going someplace fun?) Deborahnj- thanks for the view of my tv on a higher stand. That helps. My big concern though is that my room is narrow and the viewing distance is about 10'.. still, I think we'll be fine. bbstx - you crack me up because that's how I'd describe the doohickey too-- but I do know what you are talking about and I'll probably get the same thing (it's an infrared redirector or something?? maybe?). Thanks for the tip!

Hi Carol, I am building out my hometheater in a basement and can help you a little on your speaker/placement issue since I have researched the topic. You have a giant space that you want filled with sound. Given your layout, for TV/Movie watching, I would stick with a 2.1 or 3.1 system (Front R, Center Channel, Front L) and the .1 is the subwoofer. Your rear speakers (for a 5.1 sytstem) are too far away to be used in that manner. Also, given how big your space is, you would need a massive subwoofer or 2 to properly pressurize the room for theater type bass. However, that doesnt mean you cant enjoy some of the bass. Proper placement of a subwoofer involves doing a subcrawl, however, for your purposes, I would probably place it in a corner maybe under the TV. This is will give you some "corner loading" which can maximize some bass (although its more "boomy" rather than a nice even bass sound". Don't put the sub in a cabinet. Ideally, you want the center channel directly under or over the TV aimed out the main listening position so you perceive the dialogue as coming from the TV. Now you also stated that your husband wants music and if you want music in your den and in the dining room, I would put two speakers in the dining room area and hook these up to the "zone 2" section of your receiver. That will allow you to play music in your den and dining room at the same time or each area independently (the midrange recievers, <$600, will allow you to play the SAME source in each zone. If you want to play two different sources, you will need to spend more). If this were my floorplan, this is how I would do it, even though you will have to sacrifice a "true 5.1" setup because your space doesnt really allow it, unless you are willing to put two in ceiling speakers (as rears) above the wing back chairs or speakers on stands behind the wingbacks. Now for products. Receiver: Get a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver with Zone 2 functionality. Denon, Yamaha It seems like you want things discreet, so I would recommend bookshelf speakers. While small, you can achieve great sound for your space. Chane (http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/chane-loudspeakers), Wavecrest (http://www.wavecrestaudio.com/products/hvl-1-two-way-loudspeaker-pair), Infinity (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WY7c39wmgNu/fg_37900_FFBrand%7CInfinity/Infinity-Bookshelf-Speakers.html). Ideally, you want matching speakers for your FR, C, and FL. There are a million speaker companys out ethere. These are in a good price range, recommended often around the internet. And as a disclaimer, I am in no means a pro or audiophile, these are just some ideas I came across in planning my own room.

Where are your speakers going? Are you going to have an AV receiver? In my first media room (which was in my attic), I mounted the TV on the wall, put a small table below and to the right of the TV on which I stacked all the other devices: AV receiver, cable box, DVD player, BluRay player and SACD player. The center speaker was below the TV and the four other surround sound speakers were in their appropriate places. In my vacation home, I (so far) have dispensed with the AV receiver and surround sound. I have the TV on the wall, a small (40" x 4" x 4") soundbar under the TV, and all the other components stacked on a table on the other side of the room. 3 HDMI cable run to the TV and all the source selection is done using the TV remote. I may eventually run the HDMI cables inside the wall, but for now, they run along the baseboard. The soundbar (with wireless sub-woofer) sounds surprisingly good, so I may never upgrade!