Well, it's been a LONG time since my last visit, but I do remember several of the members here knowing quite a bit about HDTVs. My 21st birthday is in several days, and I'm in the middle of a dilemma. This HDTV will, 98% of the time, be used as my computer monitor.

Option 1: SAMSUNG Black 32" 16:9 8ms Wide HDTV LCD with Integrated ATSC Tuner Model LNS3251D

Total Price With Shipping: $1040 (Amazon)

Pros: This TV is the only one of the three that I have physically seen, as my roommate owns one himself. This is the sleekest of the models, with a beautiful finish and design. It has a ridiculous contrast ratio and great color. Thin, light, and easy to mount on a cantilever arm.

Cons: Only 32 inches, and expensive for what you get.

Option 2:
Olevia Black 37" 16:9 8ms LCD HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner Inside Model 237V

Total Price With Shipping: $860 (Newegg)

Pros: Thirty-seven inch TV for a lower price. Comes with a free digital camera! I have not seen this TV, but the user reviews on Newegg are very, very positive. Contrast ratio is apparently decent.

Cons: Olevia is a lesser-known brand, and apparently many people have had shipping troubles where the TV came busted or dented. It's much thicker and heavier than the Samsung, which could lead to some mounting trouble. Speakers (though I won't be using them) cannot be removed, and the form factor isn't as nice.

Option 3: SCEPTRE Black 37" 16:9 8ms 1080p LCD HDTV w/ Built-in ATSC Tuner & HDMI Model X37SV-Naga

Total Price With Shipping: $1099 (Newegg)

Pros: Another 37 incher, and true 1080p output. Is 1920x1080 resolution really that important? Speakers can be removed.

Cons: Another lesser-known brand; many reviews say the picture is great but the casing feels a bit "cheap". Most expensive of the lot. Average thickness.

Money isn't THAT important to me, but the Olevia is a great deal. New Egg lists these as "Bulk Item" things, which means I can't return them under any circumstances. What do you guys think? Helpppp! ^^

well, the samsung has a 4000:1 contrast ratio, meaning it will be able to get better blacks than the other two monitors. what all are you going to do w/ this tv/monitor?

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Buying any TV online will save you A LOT of $$$$ but it's a gamble. Some vendors will not accept returns even if the unit arrives physically broken or dead. I got my TV through J & R Music and Computer World - via Amazon. I was allowed to perform a visual inspection when the TV arrived. I was not allowed to plug it in till the delivery guys left. If it was dead when I plugged it in...I would have been s.o.l. Luckily my TV came with a 1 year warranty. I was willing to battle with Samsung if I recieved a dead set.

You will benefit buying a set that comes with a warranty of some sort. I believe many TVs do these days. For a TV the size you are looking for, 1080p isn't normally a big deal. You won't notice the difference over 720p if you sit the proper distance from your TV (rule of thumb at least 2X" the size of the TV i.e. 32" TV you would sit 64" from screen). 1080p makes a bigger difference on large TV sets, or if you sit close to your set. I have no experience using HDTV as a computer monitor. I haven't even tried that with mine yet. I imagine higher resolution would make a bigger deal there...considering computers make more use of high resolution. I hear people that use HDTV as computer monitor normally sit much closer to the screen. I read about a guy who has my TV (50") and sits 5' from the screen when using as a monitor...while he would otherwise sit 8'-9' from the screen. I sat about 5' from my TV when I first got it (before re-arranging stuff) and it gave me a headache lol. It was like sitting in the front row of a movie theater.

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Well, I ended up going with the 1080p set. Money wasn't that big of a deal...

It's true that for regular television purposes, there is almost no beneficial gain from 720p to 1080p...nothing broadcasts in 1080p now anyway. The benefit is a 1920 x 1080 resolution on my PC, as opposed to a slightly more anemic 1360 x 768 (which isn't bad, but I'm used a bit more). I will be sitting around 3' away, but that's not static (the TV will be mounted on a cantilever mount on my wall), so I can change it whenever I want.

Reviews on the Sceptre are quite positive, and I'm not worried about picture quality. The one worry is, of course, the is-it-broken-out-of-the-box thing. However, I really didn't have the money to buy any of these from a store, so that really wasn't part of the comparison between the sets. I will inspect it the best I can before the guy leaves, and just hope for the best...(crosses fingers)