I'm So Confused...

We're getting closer to making a large(r) screen TV a reality, but the more I look, the more confused I get. The Samsung LN40B630 40-Inch is probably my top choice right now. I'd like to get a 46", but I think the price jump is a little too much. The things I will insist on are 120Hz (as opposed to 60Hz, even though the prices for the 60Hz are dropping like crazy) and 1080p.


I've still got lots of review to read and places to look. Maybe this weekend. It's not so much confusing as it is time-consuming. The other considerations require just as much thought. For instance, a Blu-Ray player, one that will allow me to watch streaming NetFlix and allow me to up-convert my regular DVDs to near HD quality. I've heard that a lot of Blu-Ray players just don't hold up, breaking after a few months. Everyone's trying to get me to consider the PS3, but I'm not interested in games (and don't want to get addicted!).

And what about surround sound? If I get surround, the speakers in the back of the room will have to be wireless. $$$

Lastly (and most oddly), Cindy and I rarely watch TV. So why the big screen? I love movies. That's the main reason I want the TV. Currently we get only local channels which is fine with us. I'm hoping I'll still be able to pull the same channels out of the air with the TV's digital tuner. I certainly don't want to pay $60 a month for channels I'll never watch.

Lots of my Facebook buddies (especially Don) have given me some great advice and insight. Still....Decisions, decisions.

iPod Blues

If anyone knows the answer to my dilemma, your help would be greatly appreciated. Here's the situation:

I opened iTunes yesterday and saw that I had a blank iTunes library. Cindy and I both have iPods and separate iTunes accounts. (We use different desktops.) All of her stuff is still intact. Everything I had on my iPod is still there, but there's no evidence that I ever had an iTunes library on the computer. I did a general file search and only Cindy's stuff came up. But when I looked in the "My Music" in my hard drive, I found some of the stuff on my iPod, but not all of it.

I also checked my back-up drive. I thought it would be on there, but it wasn't. (Could be I'm not backing up correctly.)

Yet my iTunes account still shows my correct balance....

I hope there's a way to retrieve my library. I had several podcasts (which can be replaced easily since they're free), TV shows (which I probably wouldn't buy again) and audiobooks stored (which only represent time loading them, not money spent), including the unabridged Anna Karenina (all 30 discs). It's not a huge issue (just an inconvenience), but any help/suggestions would be appreciated.