BS...Thats where your wrong and that is a common misperception...I personally set up many TVs and displays and have never tweaked anything to make them look better. We just use the correct cables to make the TVs look good. We had Direct TV satellite service and actually used component cables for 90% of the displays. When we get a new Sony or Samsung, we sooped it up and hooked Bluray up to it with HDMI cables to show off its power. There is no tweaking in stores, and if there was, it isnt anything you cant do at home yourself. There are no special codes or anything. Thats a myth! There is no tweaking to get the best picture. Why would the store make it look that good and then not tell you how to make it look that way at home??? Makes no sense, some associates who dont care might do it but not the half-way decent ones. They'll get you all the info you need on how to make it perform as well if not better then it did in the store.
There are different settings that you can use for brightness but they are put there for a reason and it wasnt so stores can sell the TV. Some rooms need more brightness and others need less. Thats not a gimmick at all, and trust me, brightness wont sell a TV, color reproduction does. You can tell the difference in a plasma from an LCD easy because the colors look more natural. LCD screens tend to look more washed out. Its very noticeable when looking at both at the same time.
I'll show you how stores set up the TVs and there's nothing gimmicky about it, because the TVs are so good these days, they sell themselves. Salesman just give you information on how they work, and what would be best for your situation.
Well now I see panasonic has moved into the LCD market, thanks for the tidbit, that is new because they didnt do so last year.