Thanks for the ideas...more food for thought; I suspect we all have too many options to select from/narrow down, when we buy stuff these days.

JCL: I am aware of Sony's program. However, their current deal is an offer of a 2 year old model, (not a problem), but only in 55 inch. They were firm on that specific model and size. If I could get the optical block done, in less than 'weeks', I would consider keeping the current Sony for a few more years, but the process is not like dropping it off at the corner TV repair joint for a new tube.

After 60" it would be tough to go down in size, esp in the room we view it in. I'm after 65 min, and the 70s are looking better all the time.