My top recommendation is a Panasonic plasma model. Plasma provides better picture quality than LCD with natural contrast, realistic color and the ability to handle motion without the band-aid of 120-hertz processing or other hit-or-miss enhancement techniques. Panasonic's industry-leading technology prevents burn-in and its 720p sets are rated to last 60,000 hours until half-brightness, or 25 years at 6.5 hours of use per day. Its 1,080p plasma sets are rated to last an amazing 100,000 hours, or 42 years. Given the top reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, this is a TV you can buy, enjoy and not worry about.
The 42-inch 720p TH-42PX80U provides Panasonic plasma quality for street prices of only $799 to $899. If you would like a bigger screen with some real impact, the 50-inch TH-50PX80U is widely available for $999. It provides tremendous impact in small rooms and satisfies in bigger rooms. Both are unbeatable values given the picture quality, reliability, advanced technology and the Panasonic name.
Rounding out my plasma suggestions is Panasonic's TH-42PZ80U, a 42-inch 1,080p set. This model has a picture that is clearly better than its 720p counterpart. The difference is more than resolution given its solid, deep, incredibly sharp image and its beautiful, wide-ranging color palette and excellent shadow detail. Blu-ray and HDTV broadcasts are simply stunning, and standard-definition TV looks pretty good, too, which isn't the case with many HDTVs.
