Believe me, I almost bought into the whole LED hype when I first started looking for a panel for our living room. The showrooms are usually too bright to judge the pq of plasmas plus they are trying to push those LEDs out the door.....more $$$ for them, it's just business. Most plasmas you see look dull and are improperly setup by the bigger name stores. I doubt they even break them in correctly or even if at all. I even saw a Sanyo LCD at Walmart that looked better than the panny plasma below it.
Where the heck has Sanyo been these days? Hiding in the back of some K-Mart somewhere? lol
Just like when auditioning speakers...the room makes all the difference in the world. I doubt most folks are watching in such bright enviroments where they need such a "torching" picture. In store it is deceiving. You see these bright colorful LEDs with some demo disc making them look like magical even. It's not like they are horrible panels, they just don't compare to the overall quality of a good 'ol plasma. I don't think they can go but so far with the LED backlights, personally. Who knows....maybe lazer panels will be the next big thing, that's if they can make them affordable to common folks. Until that day, I'll stick with my plasma. Who gives a damn if they cost $5 more a month on your electric bill? Burn-in isn't a problem with newer models...image retention to some degree but it isn't permanent. There's little excuse to not buy a plasma, especially with these low prices you're seeing. Bottom line....I just can't indorse inferior technology such as the "LED" lit panels.
Oh, yeah, I'm glad to see you decided to join us. Welcome to the darkside.