This is a horrible time to buy a new tv, imo.  I don’t want to spend much money (less than $500) but I would like to get something of some quality.  The market for mid level tvs is shit.  it seems that you can easily pickup an old non-hd/ed crt for less than $500 or you have to spend more than $2k for a plasma.  I’m just looking for a 40″ or 42″ tv, so I don’t need anything major.  I would be willing to spend up to $1k if it was hd quality and I knew it was going to last.  I’m very curious why the major players don’t take advantage of the mid market for tvs… it’s wide open