I just purchased a TH-42PX75U (almost purchased a Vizio GV42lf 1080P LCD but after much reading and comparing at the store, the Plasma just has that "Wow" factor...can put my finger on it but it just looks like it should look)

1) When gaming (or doing anything) if you have IR - is it okay to just turn of the TV? Many people say they put it to a 30 minute sleep timer and set it on Disc. HD...why is that?

2) The break in period - how necessary is it? I have also heard that the factory does a "pre break in" for almost 100 hours - is it okay to just leave it on for 72 hours straight on Discovery HD?

3) Is it true that using the feature that clears your IR will shorten the life span of the plasma? If so, why?

4) Is it better to send a 1080P signal via HDMI? Or is it better to send everything 720P?


I can be patient on my new purchase but at the same time, I do not want to be overkill on the whole break in period and IR for games.

Thanks for the help