What a fun early birthday present. After several weeks of researching and learning about plasma/lcd tvs, I took the plunge and decided on purchasing the Samsung 46″ LCD TV. Now, going to BestBuy and CircuitCity and such, I would talk to the sales people and discuss what I’d researched on the web, and after several conversations, I was convinced that using the internet is absolutely the best way to find the most unbiased research. On top of that, using pricegrabber.com I was able to find the best price on the TV. I ended up paying $600 less than what I would have spent at BestBuy. When I ordered, I was told that the shipment would be sent by consolidated shipper, and to not expect my TV for 12 – 21 days. That night however, I got an email confirmation number with a FedEx tracking number, and the next day, it had already made it from New Jersey to Oakland CA. It then got moved to the San Francisco FedEx hub, and I called them to place a hold on it–as I would not be home to sign for the package and wanted to just go there and pick it up. So last night, a friend and I went to pick up the TV, and last night, I was watching HDTV over the airwaves. Yes, that too people don’t seem to know about–you DON’T have to pay for HDTV :)