Tim R. wrote: "So you're making a good case for some
adjustments. Is this stuff in the owner's manual? "

Welcome to the newsgroup!

The owners manual mainly explains
how to access the settings and (sort
of) what each control does.

I can get you started, but first I need
to know what type of flat panel you
have: LCD/LED(both are backlit) or
Plasma.

For the backlight types, the first
things you want to do is (1) turn
the backlight down from full, to
about halfway, and (2) under
advanced settings, turn off
any "eye candy" - garbage like
skin tone enhancer, black level
enhancer, edge enhancer, and
digital noise reduction.

Next, get the TV out of "Vivid"
picture mode. All that is designed
to do is shorten the life of your TV
so you can go out and buy a new one
in 3-4 years(!).

Start with those things and tell me
what you see. It will not be as bright
as you were used with those showroom
settings, but it's not supposed to be.