Blu-Ray players have REALLY come down in price lately. I saw a Sony Blu-Ray player at H.H. Gregg the other day for only $100. That's the good news. For a TV, it's all about your space. If you have a large living room, you'll need a larger TV. My Living room is 16' wide by 9' deep, with us really inhabiting only 11' of that width. We have a 42" Vizio 1080P with 120Hz processing, and it's a perfect size. I could go larger to about 47", but any larger and it's taking up too much space. For value, I'd suggest a Vizio. I'm very happy with mine, the picture is stellar. Samsung probably makes the best LCD/LED picture in any price range. I saw a 70" LED Samsung at HH Gregg for just shy of $3000. It was so beautiful, I honestly considered not paying the mortgage and car payments for a month and live off of ramen noodles. When I got mine, I got it from Sam's Club because they provided lifetime warranties on anything you buy from them except for computers or generators. I believe they no longer offer that lifetime guarantee, but the prices are still pretty good. I browsed there the other day online and saw 47" Vizios for less than I paid for my 42" at the time. If you have the opportunity for a short-term part time job or tutoring or something, I say go for it and get your TV! It's so worth it. And Laura will be amazed by it too, though she'll loathe to admit it.