wow, a lot of great input here to keep me thinking and tinkering. my display looks like the one in "Byte_Butcher's" post.

my display: ltc-4727jr
my pic: 18f2620 i/sp #although i don't [have] to use this model

a friend dropped by a cd74hct138e 3-to-8 decoder saying it would help my pin usage issue. we'll see...

many thanks to all for your input. i'll study all the suggestions and links and see what i can do. thanks again for your time.