[paul1815]

I have a basement room that can be kept fairly dark, and is probably used mostly at night anyhow. We just purchased furniture that will put the viewers at about 9' distance....assuming kids sit on the couch and not the floor! Mostly will watch movies, TV (cable) and play the Wii.

Am thinking of the Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ80U, but am balking a bit at the price. We don't have much of a stereo and would probably need to also purchase some sort of basic sound system. One thing that draws me to this TV is the SD memory card slot...for viewing our digital pics!

Would I be happy with an older model? Would anyone have an idea of a decent low-budget sound system to go with the pana?

Any advice will be appreciated!

[Brian D H]

As you can see from the link, you'll barely be able to see any improvement on the image from a 50" 1080P picture at 9 feet away. You can save quite a bit of money by buying a 720P set and not notice any difference from 9 feet away (the kids sitting on the floor may notice a slight decrease in the resolution, but what do you care?). Personally I have the exact same set up (50" set at 9 feet), and I went with a 720P set for these reasons. When I went shopping I found a 720P set up right next to a 1080P of the same model, and I couldn't see any difference until I got to about 7 feet away.

1080p charted: Viewing distance to screen size - Engadget HD

Another way to save money would be to consider other technologies besides plasma. One of the selling points of plasma (besides how thin it is) is the very bright screen - and you just don't need that since you have good light control. Check out some of the rear projection sets or front projection.

[Gregg Loewen]

since you have light control....
you may also want to consider a front projector and 92-106" screen. Since you are on a budget, look for a 720 p. there is a very nice one for sale right now in the hardware for sale area....BQ w8720.

Good luck!!

Gregg