Just got my new panasonic 46pz85u. What a great picture!! I picked a 46 inch because it was the largest that would fit in the space I have. Also, since one viewing area is about 7 feet away, the other about 10 feet away, it seemed like the right choice. When I got it home, I found that the TV is so close to the sides of the entertainment center that I can't access the side inputs. How big a deal is this? The only option I would have is to get a 42 inch set. Thanks for the help.

You're the only one that can decide if you'll need to use them or not. They're typically used for plugging in a "temporary" source, like a camcorder or game machine. I use mine rarely (maybe 4 times in 5 years). The bigger concern might actually be access to the buttons on the other side of the TV, if you lose your remote or something. However, again, only you can decide if this is an issue that's worth getting a smaller TV over.

It entirely depends on how many HDMI inputs you need. I ended up needing three (HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, HD TiVo) so I was forced to use the one on the left side/front of my Samsung LN-T4669FX. I found a small diameter cable and curled it around to entirely hide it from view behind the front bezel. The HD TiVo could have been connected by component video which would have sufficed for regular TV broadcasts. But by using the HDMI input on that DVR box you have HDCP compliance and can download copy-protected HD movies over the broadband connection.

I would point out that 90-degree hinged HDMI adapters can be purchased which are slightly less than 1/4" thick. It's possible you could access the input with one of these if you have a small gap on that side between TV and cabinet.

Lastly, what is on the other side of the cabinet from the HDTV side connector panel? If you used a 1.25" hole saw in an electric drill, and were very carefull about hole placement, you could probably connect an HDMI cable directly into that side equipment compartment, if that's what is there. To make a neat hole, apply a double layer of masking tape on each side of the wood to control splinters, drill a small diameter pilot hole all the way through, then use the hole saw from both sides, going slowly. Finish by touching up the edges of the hole with a furniture touchup marker that matches the stain of the wood.