I've had a 1080p 42" Westinghouse LCD for over a year. I never buy extended warranties, but I bought one for this from BB, because it was pretty cheap, and it wasn't a "mainstream" brand. (I've had Sony XBR's last for over 15 years) Love it. If glare is an issue, you should get an LCD. No reflections, and you have them with a plasma. Much wider field of vision than a DLP, too. It's a monitor (no tuner), but I use HD-DVR cable boxes from Time/Warner, anyway, so I didn't care.
I just entered the HD world. It is great. I started out with a 42 Hitachi Plasma from Wal-mart but it went belly up in 3 days. I took it back (they treated me like a criminal but I'm sure they get taken every day) and got a Toshiba 42 1080p LCD. Go to CircuitCity.com and check out the 42HL167. Apply the $200 coupon and you can get that for around $1400 with free delivery. I picked it up because I didn't want to wait. It's a nice TV and after getting it tuned in to my preferences, I'm happy but I prefer a plasma's picture better - but we have a dark room. I think the colors really popped and the sports action was clearer on the plasma but I feared it's longevity.
I got a Sony Grand Wega without 1080p which I think is the most overrated thing in the history of technology. I think you can get a 55in for 1300 nowadays. They aren't true flat panels. Awesome LCD picture, affordable, but the bulb goes out in 2-4yrs.
I can't get around the grey blacks of LCD panels. I'm fine with my 47" Panasonic HD CRT. Its a couple of years old but surprisingly lighter than my previous TV a 27" Trinitron (that was like a 100kg or something close to it) but nearly twice the screen size. IMO LCD's will be worth it only when they start using OLED.
I got the Samsung 4665F almost two months ago when it just came out...you can get a really good deal with some online sellers or thru amazon cnet just recently review the lcd and gave it a 8.3 , best lcd yet I am very satisfied with my purchase, I even reviewed it on few websites, amazon being one of them if you have 2k, go for it
It's technology that's still a long way off for TV sets. Though they're becoming the standard in cell phones and ipod type devices OLED's are thinner and have a wider viewing angle. While the colours are brighter, blacks are black, and consumes less energy.
there's many reasons why plasmas are losing out to lcds. longer life, high resolutions, cheaper to product, no burn in problems. however if you go plasma, go panasonic, they are the best. if you have money then get the pioneer elite.
another advice i'd give is about tweaking your display. 1. all the displays look horrible at bestbuy etc. you need to go to home theater store to at least see what a correct display looks like. basically, jeff van gundy doesn't have a tan. if you dont set your tv right, he will have a tan or he's blushing all the time. 2. its really easy to tweak your tv. just go to the online forums and see what other people have their settings on. you dont have to reinvent the wheel. 3. any good brand name display can look great regardless of technology (plasma, lcd etc)
You get what you pay for. Decide on your price range and get the best thing you can in that price range. For example, if you're like me want a 75" TV. Well it's crazy for me to think that I could ever afford the most awesome TV out there. First, I chose a range of TV. I decide I want at least a 48" and up to a 65". I also could only afford to spend 2500 bucks (This was a few years ago). To start with, a plasma was totally out of the question. Now I'm comparing the 48" LCD's and they are still out of the price range (at the time) and decide that size matter in my living room. I decided that this 57" TV would be perfect for my living room. I shopped around and read consumer reviews on CNET and consumer reports and what not. I ended buying a 57" Sony projection screen TV that support 1080 everything and spent within my range. good luck.
i had pretty much the exact same needs as you, so i waiting for either: 37" LCD or plasma to drop into the $500-550 range or 42" LCD or plasma to drop into the $700-800 range I ended getting an Akai 42" Plasma for $700 after a $100 rebate. And I gotta say, I'm pretty damn pleased for quality vs. money spent.
I came across this site on Digg. It's a UK site so I'm not sure if these models are available over here: Top 10 HDTVS http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/tv/tvs-displays/features/top-10-high-definition-tvs
Sceptre X42GV-Komodo 42" LCD HDTV $900 at Microcenter. 42"" LCD HDTV, ATSC/NTSC/QAM TUNER, 2,000:1, SUPPORTS 1080P/720P/480P, DUAL HDMI Native Resolution: 1366 x 768, Contrast Ratio: 2000:1, Brightness: 500 cd/m2 Response Time: 6 ms, Upscaleable to 1080p using Faroudja Technology http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0257922
If it hasn't been mentioned already, go to the AVS Forum. www.avsforum.com There is far more info there than you can possibly inhale, but light one up, anyway. Dr of Dunk turned me on to it when I was researching my HDTV.
I visit that forum daily. Just be careful if you go into the Blu-ray and HD-DVD messageboards. Those two groups really hate each other.
