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Save or splurge: The living room

To get the most for your money, you need to know two things: when the good stuff is worth paying extra for and when the economy choice is plenty good enough.

Panasonic<br>TH-50PX600U 50-inch<br>720p plasma | $1,500
Television
Panasonic
TH-50PX600U 50-inch
720p plasma | $1,500
Save or spend: Save
These days, LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs offer similar picture quality for similar prices. The X-factor now is resolution, or pixels making up the screen.

On both you can get the highest available, 1080p, which has about 2 million pixels. But these TVs run up to $1,000 more than 720p sets (which have 1 million pixels) with the same screen size.

And 1080p content is still scarce, warns Ross Rubin, analyst at the NPD Group. Besides, from a normal viewing distance, "the difference is difficult to detect in a TV 50 inches or smaller." (Most rooms don't call for bigger sets.)

Save on pixels; 720p will give you a clear image. Enhance the sharpness with this Panasonic 720p plasma, which has been praised for its contrast.

Television

Theater

Cables

sofa

Blinds

Coffee table

Flowers
The bedroom You spend a third of your life in bed. Why skimp on the mattress? (more)
Wardrobe How to look like a million bucks without breaking the bank. (more)
The office If you're going to take your work home, shell out for a decent seat. (more)
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