I ditto Griffin's comments.
Go spend time looking at the various tv's. Look at them when they are showing "Stuff" that you will be watching. Such as if you are a Sunday football watching person, then go watch them when games are on. Watch out for the sales tactics of "this model is brighter..." etc since most stores will artificially set the TV brightness up high to make it look brighter. Especially if they make more margin on that model.
Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. My brother is an LCD guy. I'm a plasma. The motion on the LCD's just looks weird to my eyes where the plasma looks more realistic. Plus the plasma has better off-angle viewing. Yes the plasma is heavier and can use more energy, but if I am spending the money, I want the picture that makes me the happiest. I spent about a year or more analyzing the options and types before I finally pulled the trigger. The time was more about waiting until I thought I could get away with it (boss) than needing to do the research. But once I bought my plasma, I haven't looked back and have been thrilled with it.
As a side note, I do own an LCD tv which is in the basement as the exercise unit. So it doesn't get used anywhere as much as the primary plasma. But in that case I went for the best I could get for the given price point. Even so, I still prefer my plasma.
