It hasn't been a problem for me in a few years, but I did used to have one player who would pull out the Playstation prior to session start while everyone else was getting organized. He was a good player, but it sometimes took a half hour to get him to shut it down and come to the table. Now, I avoid the problem by appropriating the TV and throwing up my campaign title screen. Nobody even seems to remember that it's a TV, and the games get running quite quickly.

I wouldn't want to try to run a flat panel TV face up. You could put a sheet of plexi across it to protect the screen, but even so they're not designed to be used in that fashion, and I have no idea if it would cause problems. I've heard that the screens of some plasmas can actually break under the strain of their own weight if tipped over.

Also, you'd need a very large screen to get a decent section of your map displayed at the proper scale for mini use.