Samsung TXF2899 is an awesome set - if you are considering a 27" Sony or other well-thought of set, you must check out this TV. Bought mine a month ago after being blown away in the showroom vs. Sony, Panasonic and everything else. Highly recommned it. I feel as though I got a better set than Sony - better picture and better sound - for less money.

A bit of background before I get started. I'm a recent college graduate and home theatre fan. I recently bought a laserdisc player (Pioneer 604D) on E-bay because now that DVD is king, there are laserdisc sales all over the web. So far I've amassed over 30 discs at insanely low prices (i.e. "Apollo 13" Spec. edition for $7.99 at lvd.com). I love laserdisc, and will get into DVD soon. Anyway, here's the kicker. The only TV in my apartment is a 13" Sony that is older than I am. It's not that my parents can't afford a new one, they just never wanted to buy one. Hey, it worked pretty well for laserdisc, since I have a subwoofer/satellite combo hooked up to my laserdisc player (you really get used to the small picture after 22 years). But I figured before I go job-hunting, I may as well upgrade. Basically, I wanted good performance combined with good value. I read reviews on this sight, then went to J & R in NYC. Here are my showroom observations.
There were 3 Samsungs in the showroom. All 3 were playing a DVD of "Dr. Dolittle." First thing I noticed was that this model had a far sharper picture than the model I originally wanted to buy, the TXJ2767. It was stunning. It also had, in my opinion, a sharper picture than many of the comparably-sized Sonys and Panasonics. I asked the salesman to switch the DVD's on all the TV's there to widescreen, so I could judge them all evenly. After all, if you're buying a DVD player, most of the time you will be watching in widescreen. This model's sharper picture is due to the fact that it has a full 800 lines of resolution. Believe me, the difference is very noticeable between a TV that has 800 and one that has less. The next Samsung model up from the one I bought had a slightly better picture, due to the fact that it has a digital comb filter, but I figured it wasn't worth spending an extra $100 on. ) The TXF2889 has an analog comb filter. Whatever; the picture is damn good.

Right now, I am putting my player to the test. I have my laserdisc player hooked up to the Samsung through S-video. The picture is great. I played "Terminator 2" and the colors were fantastic. The explosions were beautiful; no bleeding. Ditto for 'Apollo 13". I am going to be up all night playing discs.

If you are looking for an affordable TV with good performance for your home theatre, you should really consider Samsung. For under $500, here's what you get:

28" screen (27" + 1", which they claim allows you to see an extra inch on TV broadcasts and videos)
s-video input
comb filter
4-speaker stereo
3 sets of a/v inputs
universal remote
Picture-in-picture
on-screen programming

It's a breeze to set up. Bottom line- it's as good as Sony & Panasonic, without their BS prices.