Before Christmas, we will be making our 1st foray into the high-def arena - and we don't know much about them

Here is what I know so far: 720 vs 1080; plasma vs LCD; contrast ratio - higher = better (see - I don't know much)

What should i look for? Plasma or LCD? Best brands?

I would love to hear from those that have been there already.

LCD

LCD again.

LCD again again.

Okie. That's enough. The rest is just benefit justification. Does the picture look better on brand X TV enough to justify the extra $100 over brand Y TV.

IMHO,

LCD up to and around 32"

Plasma Over 40"

LCD Leaders: Samsung, Sharp, Sony?

Plasma: Panasonic

P.S. Don't be too fooled in stores with the pictures that are showing. Play with them and read about them. Some manufacturers have their Contrast setting pumped to the max in default mode to scream 'look at me' as you walk by all the sets.

Look at the text - is it crisp?, is it blooming, showing ghosts (too much contrast).
Look at high speed action like football, track or soccer - does the grass blur or go mosaic as the picture moves?
How well does the TV show ANALOG signals - yes, you'd be suprised how bad some digital TVs handle an analog (Standard Def) signal.
Play with the set, Go into the menus - Set the Brightness, Color, Contrast, Tint to their mid settings and compare, as much as apples to apples as you can get.
Is it a HDTV (Built in ATSC tuner) or just a HD capable monitor (no tuner)?
If a tuner, you could also probably hook up a generic UHF antenna and get some local HD (and SD) digital channels if you are in range of local broadcast signals.

Prices:
Up to 32", LCD I'd expect to pay $500 - $800
Around 42" Plasmas, I'd expect to pay $1000 - $1500, and probably have ~$1200 in mind/budget, just for planning purposes.

Good Luck.

I'd due LCD up to 46"

I dig LCDs too, and I've been really happy with our Sony 32" Bravia XBR. I honestly don't know crap about TVs, but I can see the difference in picture quality between this TV and others, which is why I bought it. We also have a (now archaic) Hitachi 51" 1080i HD Rear Projector that blew away contemporary flat-panel monitors, back in 2003. It's still a fantastic TV, but we don't use it very often. The smaller one gets more use due to its location in the main living area of the house.

I also looked at a Sharp Aquos that I liked a lot, when we got the smaller TV. It came down to price, and the Sony won. I've never looked back.

You surprise me D-Rod saying LCD so many times !!! Just kidding !!

I would say that for the $$$ you really can't compare anything to Panasonic Plasmas. LCDs are nice, but they still can't compete in the critical viewing arena. They are getting close, but hopefully the OLED can come down in price because it shows great promise.

I hope OLED is what the Triniton was for TV many decades ago.

I would take into consideration what viewing angle you will be watching from. While much improved, LCDs still lack some brightness from the sides. Consider a DLP by Samsung or LG if anyone will be looking at an angle. Make sure it is one with an LED bulb, they should last much longer.

Side note, has anyone ever seen the mirror chip from a DLP? Way cool. Think about it, a million mirrors on about an inch and a quarter surface.

Plasma rocks. Have a 50" Samsung 1080p in our bedroom. Great picture. LCD is ok for small tv's but if you are looking for a really nice large tv plasma 1080p is the way to. Picture from the Bluray is incredible.

Get an LCD unless you want to replace the TV in the very near future....

I recently bought a 42" LCD tv and the biggest tip I got from the store was that Plasma tv's tend to have a lot more glare and aren't ideal in well lit areas but look better in dimmer light. It was noticeable in the store the glare off of the plasma compared to the LCD.

The better plasmas have anti-glare glass, so that should not be a factor. They (plasmas) have about a 10-year life expectancy.

Funny you brought this up.

Just an FYI: I bought a TV calibration DVD and one thing was mentioned is the amount of light that TV is meant (NTSC spec-wise) to be watched at.

It is lower than you think. I'm sure not many of us do it, but it is actually pretty dim.

One of the things suggested after making the settings was to watch the TV for a week or so at the adjusted settings, so you can get used to it. (I still bumped up the brightness (black level) a bit for my tastes, but that was an interesting piece of knowledge.

Plasma... Panasonic. We have a LCD HD and a Plasma HD, plasma without a doubt.

Plasma or LCD, the difference is not great any more due to improvements in each technology. My big problem with plasma is the weight compared to the LCD. If you decide to mount the TV on a wall, you will be more comfortable with hanging the LCD.

If you want a good HDTV at a bargain, get the Sanyo 42" or 46". Wal-Mart has them for $850 and $1100. If you want the best quality at a fair price, you can find some good deals on the Sony LCDs.

Manufacturer figures for longevity are closely guarded but I have added some here for your review:

Panasonic: States in new specifications that new plasma TVs and monitors are good to 60,000 to half life.

Sony:Now out of the plasma market. Does not list a figure for LCD lineup.

Samsung: Lists 60,000 hours for plasma lineup.

Pioneer: States 60,000 hours of use in their 2008 models.

Sharp LCD panels: States 60,000 hour life.