Just a tip, WG. It sounds like you have an older plasma tv (as has been mentioned). Some of those older plasmas can be HEAVY. Weigh your tv and make sure that the mount you buy will support the weight. Good luck. And, BTW, your Directv guy is a douchebag. First of all, if he's "in house" (working directly for Directv) he's not supposed to be soliciting that service at all (it's not s a standard service provided by Directv). If he's an independent contractor working for Directv his prices are out of whack. I've mounted several TVs for customers (on my own time as an independent) and never charged more than $100.00.
Your handyman is the best bet, as mentioned earlier.