I would suggest checking out the Mitsubishi also. It has features the Sony does not have and vice-versa. For some reason the original big screen television company always gets overlooked. I almost did myself.

I've had horrible luck with two high end Sony products and refuse to buy Sony. However a lot of people have great luck with them, just not me. I was more than pleased to find another brand with equal performance when I learned of the Mitsubishi.

You'll need to find an authorized dealer since the Black Diamond series will not be found in Big Box retail stores.

Not basing this on personal ownership, but rather work experience... The company I work for (large hotel chain) has tons of plasma+LCD displays in sites around the world, high altitude, sea level, high temps, cold, humid, indoors and out, used all day as sales presentation platforms... ALL plasmas have died in 3 to 4 years for one reason or another, 90% of the LCDs are still ticking! I'm talking a 300+ sample here... so if it was me, I know which format I'd buy...

I measured and the couch is more like 9 feet from where the TV would be... so is 46 enough?

Get the biggest you can afford.

I'm at about the same distance from my 50" Pioneer and I could still go bigger.

Wow. I'm picking my jaw off the floor... You mean people other than uber rich (not saying that James is not in that category) pay $8K+ for a TV... That just blows my mind.

hey, I am not, so don't worry about that! I won't pay that much. I am in the 3-4k range and maybe more towards 3k. The one I'd really like is 33k, but that ain't happening. I'd add another Porsche to the garage first.

Plenty enough..

That's almost exactly how mine is configured with the 46'' Mitsubishi. Mine is mounted on the stack stone fire place with the bottom of the unit at about 6' high.