It would be wrong for me to pass myself off as an expert on high-definition TV. I'm just learning. There are plenty of Web sites and books that go into real depth. I'll give you some excellent Web sites along with the column.

But sometimes it helps -- especially with a technology that is new to most of us -- to see things through the eyes of a rank beginner. I qualify. There's no way in the world I could afford to buy the $6,000, 42-inch plasma screen set I have been using. I borrowed it to learn a little about HDTV.

I did do some reading about HDTV and plasma screens before I started the demo period. But some of the things I learned and experienced weren't in any of the books or articles.

A few of my surprises had nothing to do with the high-tech gadgetry. You'll see what I mean as you read along. If you're considering such a major purchase, maybe as a holiday gift to yourself, you will find some useful, and often unpleasant, surprises here.

The first surprise came when the truck delivered the TV. It's massive and awkward to handle, even just unpacking the box. The screen itself weighs about 80 pounds and, especially if you mount the screen on the wall like a painting, you'll need at least one extra set of hands.

Next I learned that there's a lot of clutter that goes with a big screen. You need a sound system -- the plasma screen is just that, a screen, not a complete TV set. You must use the receiver that comes with the screen to tune in channels and process the high-definition picture. In my case, I also needed a special HDTV converter box from my cable company.

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Since I'm a guy, I liked all the knobs, switches and impressive boxes. My wife was not as thrilled. Since it was a short-term demo, I didn't wall-mount the set. Instead, I appropriated a coffee table and used a stand to set up the TV.

But even if we had wall-mounted the set, we would have needed a place to store the receiver and converter box. So we found out quickly that installing an HDTV involves much more than hooking up the cables. My wife hated all the extra gadgets camping out in the den. And the tangle of cables made her grumpy.

Speaking of cables, you need to plan ahead if you are going to wall-mount your screen. Remember that the screen must be connected to a receiver box, audio system and perhaps a cable converter box. So unless you are handy with carpentry, you may need professional help to end up with a seamless installation and with no wires showing.

If I were the kind of guy who could drop $6,000 on an HDTV -- and I would do that in a minute, but my savings is stored in quarters and dimes dropped into a half-gallon wine jug -- the perfect place in my home for mounting the screen would be above the fireplace in the den.

And that would have been a terrible idea. Plasma screens already run a little hot. Putting one right above the fireplace would subject the screen to more heat than it could handle. There would be ways to use a large mantel as a heat deflector.

But that would be just the start of the challenges. Mounting the screen on the bricks above my fireplace would make hiding the wires danged near impossible.

All that means that, if you are considering dropping big bucks on a big plasma screen, you need to:

• Do some scouting around in your home before you start shopping. The screen size may end up being dictated by the location you pick.

• Consider a professional installation. You'll need to consult your experts before shopping. They'll almost certainly want to spend some time in your home helping you find the right location and the right screen for that location.

Is it worth all that trouble? Yes, the difference in picture quality was truly amazing. My normal pattern of TV watching is to camp out on the couch during baseball season but otherwise to spend little time in front of the set.

But with the plasma screen, I ended up watching movie after movie. Between the filmlike picture and the sound from the audio system, watching TV was an almost hypnotic process. In fact, I was reminded of the days when TV first moved into middle-class homes. As a kid, I camped out on the floor in front of the set and -- when nothing else was on -- watched the test pattern.

If $6,000 or so was affordable, I'd gladly tackle the inconvenience and hassle of the installation. But I'll get used to the 21-inch screen of the old TV again. I'm pretty sure that -- within a couple of years -- sets like this will be closer to my price range.

Maybe I can spend those two years convincing my wife that all the extra boxes and wires in the den are worthwhile.