Flat panel HDTVs? I've seen plenty of good-as-new CRT TVs there -- right beside the perfectly good VCRs, record players, tape decks, and non-surround receivers.
Is a flat panel HDTV worth $300 more than an "old" TV? Sensible people can answer "no" to that.
And the market says "yes".
In a third-floor walk-up it is.
That's a nonsensical question. Some sensible people will say no, but some sensible people will say yes. If your free time revolves around television and you make too much money, what's wrong with dropping an extra $300?
If it saves $5 a month in electricity, that extra $300 pays for itself in 5 years, meaning all the other benefits (widescreen, being able to carry a 42" alone, less space consumed) come free.