Spending and guilt

[atlastontheroad]

My ten year old, pitiful but faithful DVD player gave up the ghost on Saturday night while watching a good movie.  The television is about shot too, I haven't bought one since sometime in the twentieth century.

I am pretty much convinced that I need a new television AND dvd player.  Television probably a LCD but I'd like to hear how people like 'em.  I'm lousy at spending money on myself and I'm feeling guilty about spending money on "stuff" as I look at an impending and protracted recession.  So, I don't want to go much more than a grand for the two, less would be better.

Recommendations?  I have basic cable, watch at least one or two DVD movies or series a week and am wondering whether blu-ray is really the wave of the future.

I can research, purchase and put together a computer from component parts without flinching but this stuff is out of my frame of reference.  Opinions?  Great suggestions?

Halp!

atlast....feeling entirely clueless....too many choices

[haulingthescoreup]

I love my (err, our) plasma TV. 42" Panasonic. Don't know what the DVD is, because we usually record off the broadcast onto the Comcast stored program thingy. (I'm sorry; I acknowledge how pathetic I am.)

At any rate, I am a proponent of quality over quantity. If your life is not encumbered with endless stacks of not-so-wonderful, seemed-like-an-idea-at-the-time crap, go ahead and think about acknowledging your growth with a shiny new toy.

That's part of what we all get up and go to work for --the very occasional chance to go make ourselves happy.

[Anonymous]

Get your self a decent 1080P LCD- 

You should be able to get a 42" 1080P LCD and a upconveritng DVD for under $1000 (costco)

I you are into movies and/or have a surround sound system-

$300 for a  Blu ray is worth the difference in resolution- 

But if you have survived this long - you can wait for the prices to drop further.

[cobra19]

al.............yep, certainly many choices. Shop around. Mine is a Hitachi, 50", 1080p flat-panel plasma HDTV, which I purchased at Best Buy last December - just in time for the NFL play offs. There is no comparison with the old LCD monstrosities. I feel it was an excellent purchase. Paid about $2,100 last December.