fordprefect,

i likely will try to get them to take it back if it's not an easy fix. i was hoping it was.

too bad tv's don't have a degauss feature like monitors do, i'm sure that's the problem.

by the way, i moved it away from my electronics even more, and it seems to have made it go away by %50, but it's still there. i may also try calling hitachi to see if i can easily fix it. that way, i'll also learn how to fix it if it happens aftter the warranty is gone

no kids so no magnet was there, thankfully. i know my speakers are shilded because i used to have a 27 inch tv before and it never got affected

any other ideas?

thanks everyone, i'm actually quite worried about it now.