In my basement it's pretty cold in midwinter. I have baseboard electric heaters but if it's just me I throw a blanket on as I sit on the couch. I think the plasma will be just fine for my purposes. Also, from what I read, the 600hz has to do with "motion recovery" which, according to one person writing a review, is perfect for hockey. Another thing I read, all cable and satellite comes in at 720p, so if you have a 1080p, it won't do you any good. But, if I can't afford it for this winter, I'll stick with SD, and if so Sioux hockey isn't in HD anyway, no big deal. But, I believe some day' it will. All TV will be HD some day.