Quote Originally Posted by yamdsp-a1
All valid points, however, I wasn't looking to spend $10K or anywhere near that amount. Hopefully under $3K

I am doing more and more research on the subject. I know a guy who purchased a Panasonic RPTV LCD which he claims is 16" at its widest point for a 50" screen. I am going to look at it this weekend. It is about the same price as the Plasma, weighs about 80lbs and can fit on top of my stereo cabinet - this how he has it set up. That covers a lot of my bases, so it could be a real contender. I am curious how it is effected by ambient light and if there is any glare on the screen.

The plasma is still the front runner though. I don't mind if it runs hot, and it seems to me, the technology has evolved to compensate for the earlier burn in problems, and the black levels are much improved over earlier iterations. I don't really want to hang it on the wall but it would look pretty good in my living room. As will the RPTV.

The search and saga continues....

Yam
Dunno about the Panny but I watched the Rose Bowl on a friend's new Sony 40" lcd (via Dish Network) and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When there was a lot of things happening on screen, there was a visible blurring or "ghosting" of the images. They simply weren't very defined. Also, the black level pretty well sucks. This is an inherent problem with lcd's from what I understand (which is very little) and it makes a difference in the contrast levels present. The colors are beautiful and the brightness seem fine but that wierd imaging during the game pretty much nailed the lid shut on LCD's for me. Honestly, it sounds like you're pretty well sold on plasma's anyway.

Good luck