... "Avatar" wasn't showing at the Rivercenter IMAX downtown. And probably won't be -- which is my guess only.

For watching movies on DVD or watching true HD TV programming, I suggest a screen width that's half the distance to prime seats, or perhaps a little wider. That's assuming your plasma will be HD capable (are there any models that aren't??) The rule of thumb used by architects designing high-end home theatres is that the screen should fill about the same proportion of your field of vision as would a movie screen when you're sitting ~ 2/3 back from the front of the theatre. It will give you the "big screen feeling" of a real movie theatre experience, but you will be far enough back from the screen that normal image defects (and all TVs/projectors, etc. have them) won't be noticeable and spoil your experience. All of this assumes that you'll also have the correct DVD player, wiring, cable/satellite box, cable/satellite signal and feed, etc. so that your HD capable plasma screen actually receives a true HD signal. We use a LCD projector, and view on an 8 foot wide screen from 13 feet back from the screen. It gives us the real movie experience, but you could get the same "big screen feeling" by sitting 6.5 feet from a 4 foot wide screen since it fills exactly the same proportion of your field of vision as does ours.

When DD went to off to college last year, she took our LR TV which was something like 17" or so. We rarely watch TV in our house. When I replaced that TV, I did go up in size, but only to a 32" Samsung. Great picture and best size for our LR. LR is 15'x21', and when I first gave in and put a TV in that room, I did not want an entertainment center in my LR. After an exhaustive search for something that was not manufactured expressly as a TV stand, I found a nice black painted piece with a top drawer and 5" double doors under the drawer - use as a spot to hide the DVDs we have. The piece definitely isn't a TV stand per se, but I love it in my LR. When I had to replace the TV last Fall, I specifically chose one that didn't overwhelm my piece. I shopped much more for the quality. Those huge TVs would be a waste in our home. Just last night on the way home from dinner out, we drove around a bit to look at the holiday lights/decorating in our area. Some of the homes had TVs that were so were big, DH & I were commenting about how we could literally watch TV sitting in our car at the curb. The bigger concern would be the quality of the TV, as previous posters have outlined for you, what to look for in a good TV. Personally, I hate when the enormous TV overtakes a room and becomes the focal point. JMHO

The manufacturer's instructions for fertilizer dosage vary quite a bit. IOW - there is a RANGE that covers dosages, not just one specific dose for all applications. How you fertilize and how much you use has a LOT to do with your soil choice and how you water. I prefer to fertilize during the winter with a very low dose of fertilizer every time I water; and I can do that because I flush the soil every time I water. It works great - I never have deficiencies or toxicities, and the ratio of nutrients, each to the others, is always very close to that at which the plants actually use the nutrients. There is a lot of value in fertilizing that way because you can have the lowest EC/TDS (roughly, the fertilizer solution strength) possible w/o deficiencies, which is just about exactly where you want to be. You won't have trouble wetting the gritty mix, even if the bark is completely dry. The reason is, the Turface never becomes hydrophobic unless it's coated with algae; so when you water, the Turface sucks up the moisture very quickly and the surface of the Turface and grit become wet, too. IF the bark has become hydrophobic, water vapor diffusing from the internal pores of the Turface and from the surface of soil particles is absorbed by the bark, which breaks it's tendency toward hydrophobia in just a few (10?) minutes. Dry soil is easier to plant in, but after I get the planting situated, I pour water through the soil until it runs clear from the drain hole. That's so I don't end up with a thin layer of sludge on the bottom of the pot. Keeping your soil free from particles smaller than .100" (a BB is .177") means NO perched water and well aerated soil from the top of the soil to the container bottom, no matter how shallow the pot, which offers more potential than soils made of the same ingredients but with a smaller particle size .... within reason, of course. As soils become TOO porous, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep them moist, so you're looking for lots of water retention w/o having to resort to interparticulate (between particles) water to get it. Al