I have a policy now (since getting hit with a charge back) I make an imprint of each card, master card told me if I had the imprint to prove the card was in my possession they would cover it under their insurance. If you have issues showing id when asked (in a kind and reasonable manner) then...
I find most of the shows on tv not worth watching in the first place so I can't be offended it's on something I want to see. Most groups like that will go out of their way to find something indecent (like if the Cleavers were in the same bed heaven forbid back in the 50's)if it wasn't for tv...
my father in law has a toshiba 27" flat screen and the picture is very grainy he's had it looked at a few times,not sure if it's just a coincidence or if it's a problem with the manufacturer
if you shut the set off and turn it back on and it's still there let it sit off for a few hours then turn it back on do that a few times and it should clear up, to have a tech do it (you don't want to buy a degauser) will be more than you want to spend (figure a service call to the house starts...
plasma has a half life (meaning the brightness is half of when new) of 15,000 hours that's a long time (and about the same as a crt based on service averages)check out rca's scenium line they have some dlp sets that are supposed to be able to wall hang
magnetron is toast, and sharp is a lowend brand (at least the ones with their name on them) only 3 companies make microwaves get a cheapy at wal mart for 49 bucks
under what conditions does it happen? also what kind of car, helps to know the engine design, are you the only one who smells it? you may be super sensitive.
if the fuse blew you'd have no lights, the problem is more than likely the magnetron how old is it and what brand (ge warranties their regular line ones for 10 years parts)
the panasonic set should come down in price shortly, panasonic has discontinued all crt rear projection sets, may be able to get a real good deal. you can get a dlp set for that price but may not have all the features you want
go and see them in person both have good pictures, but do it different and have flaws see which flaws you can live with, it's kinda like speakers both do the job well they are just different ( I like toshiba, but prefer the sony picture personally)
go to a store and audition speakers that's the best advice I can give since your preference may be different than mine, I personally don't like the sound of horn tweeters like klipsh uses
I would say sharp and I kinda like my philips lcd, sharp has a lock on the lcd market that's what they do most so they probably are doing it a bit better
brands is a personal thing, go to specialty stores (not cc or best buy) given your budget just do speakers (a good hu can eat more than half your budget so can a good set of speakers)
bad solder joints are increasing in every brand of tv (you want to see bad look at the repair history for zenith/lg)it's because they are doing so much by machine trying to get them out faster and cheaper than yesterday somethings gotta give, and "we" (consumers) won't pay more on average
given your cost limits start with speakers, don't worry about amps yet, then upgrade teh head unit to one with better power, and features, then go to outboard amps for even better sound quality