Sharp has a good reputation for small HDTVs. They're not the cheapest brand out there, but if you've been buying Sonys and you're going HD, you're particular about the picture and buying a no-name brand will be a hit-or-miss proposition.

The biggest challenge for you probably will be finding a good brand in the size you need. It's getting harder to find good TVs smaller than 20" (widescreen). Sony and Samsung have them. Sharp sells TVs that size, but their AQUOS (the good stuff) doesn't come smaller than 20". I've heard decent things about Dell (but am wary that they will change suppliers after they've garnered the good reviews). There's not much else out there, though, for good stuff.

Thanks, Steve. I suppose we could fit a 20". You are right on about our being used to good picture quality. We tried other brands twice but always came back to Sony.

Maybe we'll just see how it goes, hooking up the little Sony. The HD DVR comes tomorrow. Will see what the installer says. Currently the little TV set can pick up whatever the larger set is tuned to via the small set's Ch. 3. I don't know if that will change because of the HD DVR.

Too bad I didn't think about all this before my cousin retired from Sharp! LOL

What should I know about picking between LCD and Plasma and, (what? Plain old tubes?) for a small screen?

Since this small set will be hooked to HD anyway, would there be some bargains out there in a "good picture, HD-ready, but no digital" set?

Is it silly to hook HD to our old, non-HD 13" Sony?

For 2007 Sony's smallest LCD set was 23".

For 2008 the smallest Sony is a 26".

I can't really speak to LCD versus plasma; perhaps other posters can assist.

You should consider measuring where the TV will go and using those dimensions to compare cabinets. Moving from 13" to 20" sounds like a lot, but if you're measuring a widescreen, the geometry (and, therefore, the measurement) is different and you may find that you can fit a substantially-larger screen if you're not wasting lots of space on a bezel and speakers.