I have had a Samsung 16:9 30" tube HDTV since 2002[mated with an external Over-The-Air HDTV tuner] and I've been very pleased with my set.

One of the better informative places for learning about HD is:

http://www.avsforum.com

My set is definitely heavy, almost 125 pounds. That is why I made sure I got a Ikea stand with four caster wheels before they delivered in case I need to move it around.

Since I got an older model HDTV, there is only component inputs[no good for the future Blu-Ray/HD-DVD players as HDMI is going to be "required" from what I have read.]

Unfortunately, one can not really judge picture quality at places like Best Buy or Circuit City--they don't have the right sources and the sets are not set up correctly in terms of "calibration"...setting up brightness/contrast and sharpness close to the ballpark.

One can use the "THX-Optimizer" included on some DVD's to get it close once at home.

The first two Samsungs I got from Sears had geometry problems, but the third one was acceptable.

CRT Tubes sometimes have varying degrees of convergence and geometry problems that flatscreens don't suffer from.

But once you massage your set..you can expect some great movie and television viewing.

A show like CSI, is a whole new animal in HD.

If you really want to go inexpensive, you might check out:

http://outlet.philips.com/

You can get a 16:9 wide set for about $400.

Good luck!

Great site John...thanks for that! Almost as addicting as DVINFO (4am who am I kidding? lol)

The avsforum is one of the best sites on the .net to get home theater info, whether it be traditional or HTPC (Home Theater PC) stuff. They are also getting excited about the new jvc/iodata HD Dvd player. (over 24 pages in the current thread about that one).

Sorry to sound like a stick in the mud, but Sony has had a 40 inch HD crt out for quite some time now (Over a year). But... Sony is getting out of the CRT buiseness so I dont' know how long that option will last (Circuit City has been the main place to buy them). The quality is outstanding, but the price is still over 2K US.

Affordbable 1080p is coming out in 2006.

I recommend checking out www.soundandvisionmag.com for reviews. They also have forums as well.