wallet

No time to type full deatails, but Amazon has some great prices on Syntax LCD TVs right now. Big rebates, and you get stuck paying shipping, but the prices were pretty good. They had a 32" that's $699 AR plus shipping that seemed like the best deal......

A decent (not great, not junk, but decent) current plasma should have AT LEAST a 30,000 hour half life; most have 40K hour half lives; many have 50k or 60k half lives (like the Panny). The key is for the first 100-200 hours: turn the contrast and brightness WAAAAY down low, fill the WHOLE screen with non-static images (no network bugs, no black bars, no top or bottom news tickers), and just run the TV. You can even run it while you are out or at work. This is done to 'condition' the phosphors in the panel. The reason plasmas can look dull and washed out after a few years is due to the first few hundred hours having the C and B settings way too high; keep them low early on and it'll add years to your plasma's life. There's a lot written about it over at AVSforum.com; check out the LCD/flat-panel forum. There's even a DVD/CDr 'conditioning' disc tha you can download and burn that just fills the screen with one color at a time for like three seconds each; it runs on a loop, so you just hit play and let it fly.... Link to 'conditioning/break-in' disk download

Assuming it's the 42pf7320a at that price; that's the standard sub-$2K Phillips that's popped up from time to time in the past few months...........

Why wait 'til BF?? Just got my Sunday ads; Killer deal on a 32" starting tomorrow. BB has the 32" Westy for $899 plus tax out-the-door, no MIRs or AOL signups involved. Combine that with the 10% off Reward Zone coupon, and the TV is $809 plus tax....... http://emailinfo.bestbuy.com/P/v3/CouponWrapper.asp?E=4294;866681;574633381;1;02&R=T1_CPN_50147&A=1007&ci=50147

I'm assuming it's the 42pf7320a. It's been on sale several times at that price at BrandsmartUSA in the southeast and Electronics Expo in NJ, going on three months now.......

Thanks for letting me know! I'll do a PM/BVG tomorrow; that's almost 200 bucks back. Was that $100 rebate the one being offered on all HDTVs? I was wondering when I saw the rebate advertised if it would now print for this TV, even tho it's ED not HD.......

The Zenith has to be ordered from the warehouse, as it seems NO BBs have them in-stock (I was shocked to find one NIB at a BB in CT, so I grabbed it for my in-laws, as the NJ wrehouse was completely OOS and we hoped to avoid the hassle of a transfer fromanother district). Have a HT salesdude check their warehouse inventory; if they have some, ordering it should get it into the store in 3-4 days. If the warehouse for the area is OOS and the salesdude says he can't get one for you, you have to speak to the store's Inventory Manager, who can then have one transferred from another district. As of last Saturday, there were still a bunch available in the New England District; IIRC it's district 38 or 39(?).....

If you can afford it, PLEASE spend a few more bucks and buy a better plasma. The $999 Maxent at BB is gonna be drek; there's a reason they will have it for that price. I'n not just saying that because it's inexpensive; this TV has gotten horrible reviews. It the other Maxent at Costco that';s gotten great reviews because of it's Panny guts. A pretty good deal at BB right now is to find a LG/Zenith z42px2d (BB might have to order it from their warehouse); they are on on clearance for $1599, and you can use the 15% off coupon (expires 11/19) found on the main TV paige on bestbuy.com to get the cost down to $1360. Not a great TV, but a pretty dasm good TV that's gotten some very favorable notices, plus it has tons of bells and whistles like QAM and CCslot. Yes, it's only an EDTV. I think the best deals on plasmas and big LCDs are gonna be at the small and medium sized regional chains. Based on current pricing and trends and talking to salesmen in the NJ area, I'd expect to see: Sharp 37d5u : $1799 Panny 37px50u: $1999 Panny 42pd50u: $1499-1599 Westy 37w1: $1399-1499 Philips 42pf7320a: $1799