Plasma. Authorized dealer?

[Nomo]

The last TV I bought was my Toshiba 57" RPCRT about 7 years ago, so I'm a bit out of touch on the subject of a television purchase.
One of the comments I've always made with regard to audio purchases was the concern of manufacturers not standing behind their warranty if a product was not bought from an "authorized dealer".

Do the same concerns exist when buying a plasma TV?
Is there such a thing as an authorized (online) dealer?

In particular, Panasonic and Samsung.

 

[GlocksRock]

yes, there are authorized online dealers for both mfgrs. For Samsung, select the tv you are interested in on their website, and click the see stores button, that will give you a list of all the authorized online dealers and their current prices. Not sure about Panasonic's list though.