Samsung HL-S4666W 46-Inch DLP HDTV
Great TV for the price!
With so many tv's out there I think you have to start at your budget.  Mine was $1200-$1400. How much can you spend? I guess the more you spend the better the tv, right?  I read up on DLP, LCD and Plasma.  All had strengths and weaknesses. So decide on what you want. DLP - the bulb may burn out after 2-3 years and cost $250 but you can replace it yourself. LCD - be careful with the screen and watch out for dead pixels.  Plasma - burn spots if you play PS2 games.  Now that you have the budget and type of tv sorted, which brand?  Samsung, from my research, came out top. All the reviews showed they produce the most reliable and have the better picture quality.  Now the size.  The biggest you can for the budget you have and the type (DLP/LCD/Plasma). I picked the Samsung 46 inch DLP.  I play PS2 games, so did not want to suffer burn spots. This was the largest for my budget of $1200. I ordered from Amazon and delivery was in 8 days (free shipping!). I had found cheaper places but they added shipping taking it over Amazons price.    At first I thought the tv was too big for my 25 x 16 living room but its not.  You get used to the size very quickly and wish you could get bigger! The picture is crisp and there are many settings so you can make your own adjustments to suit you.  I have read that if you keep the brightness to 55 or less you extend the bulb life and 55 is bright enough! The built in speakers are only ok.  Not much bass but I wanted surround sound speakers anyway. (I bought Onkyo 650w and they are awesome with this tv). I have not set the tv up for HD yet (no HDMI cable yet) but when I do, things can only get better.  This tv is well worth its money.  I have no regrets.  The only downside is the low humming sound from the fan at the rear of the tv.  With you volume above 10% you can't hear it though.  Put this on your wish list and see if you can find better value.  I couldn't.  Good Luck!    UPDATE - 11/22/08  I've had the TV over 2 years now.  The picture isstill clear and crisp and I've not replaced the bulb.  DLP TVs have just about disappeared from the shops.  LCD is the way to go!  This TV - the humming or buzzing sound from the rear fan has got louder and is very annoying!  I would NOT recommend this TV.... get LCD !!!