Don’t feel too bad. I paid $1,999.97 for a Sony 40” XBR4 on Amazon (3 years ago - IIRC). I love the tv. They only got better.
Hmmmm. I actually paid about $1,440 for my XBR9 right after Thanksgiving 2009. I keep seeing ~$1,000 LED LCDs.
How has your XBR4 performed?
And I bought just over a year ago a Sony KDL-40EX500 for US$798 (you can get a new one for around US$735-US$750 currently). It’s still considered one of the best 40” CCFL-backlit LCD flat panels out there even now (it’s still in full production—Sony still makes it for people who don’t want Internet apps like you get with the KDL-40EX520).