LCD TV

Thanks all for the feedback. Its great.

Here's a good deal:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?langid=EN&logon=&sku_id=0926HDS0010123083&CMP=ILC-BBY_hmpg1_slide1

This is a pretty helpful website:

http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions/?tag=hdr;snav

In some cases you'll find that "off" brands like Westinghouse and Vizio provide good bang for the buck.

Take a look at the chart below. At 42" and 12' away you would not get much (if anything) from a 1080p set compared to a 720p set. So I'd recommend to get a good 720p set. Your wife *will not notice*. I'm not trying to be sexist here, bu she will really notice much more how the set looks (when off). Ask her if she would prefer a black set or silver. That will make a bigger difference than the resolution.

Resolution is third on the list of most important characteristics for determining picture quality, and at that size/distance it becomes nearly irrelevant.

You'll save a bundle going with 720p instead of 1080p, which you can, then, add to the budget for your eventual home theatre set.

Here's the article which uses that chart, by the way:
http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

I play a lot of video games, and I can see the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 42 inch.
Depends on the games though. ANd I'm quite the observer.

Most PS3 games I see are 720P, on a 1080P capable machine, so playing it on a 720p tv won't matter too much for gaming. The refresh rate will make the biggest difference.

Of the games I own, Wipeout HD and Killzone 2 are definitely better in 1080p. Uncharted also looks a bit better but not by much.

THe thing is, you buy an HDTV today, most of the products (games, movies), as well as tv shows, are native 720p, so you won't notice a lot of difference. But it will change in the next years, and if I buy a TV today, I certainly buy it for the next 5 years at least, so might as well be prepared.

Yeah I totally agree, I would definitely go 1080P for sure.

If you go into a store like BestBuy and see them all on display, just be careful that when comparing, to take into consideration that the TV's might be configured differently to sell you on a TV.