Panasonic TH-42PD50U 42-Inch Flat Panel EDTV Plasma TV
Best bet for the price range -- incredibly clear HD picture for EDTV
Don't settle for the cheapest plasma you can get -- what's the point of a big screen full of low resolution and fuzzy picture?  I was going to \\"settle\\" for a 30 inch LCD and decided to go for more real estate.  40 inch LCDs are way out of my price range, and I realized during comparison shopping at Best Buy and other brick and mortar stores, that I acutally PREFER plasma to LCD pictures.  Something about plasma to me seems more alive and real and the colors seemed brighter.  Maybe this was just in my head to justify the expense of a 42 inch plasma, but I'm happy with plasma versus LCD.  It's a totally subjective preference so I suggest you comparison shop and not listen or read what the 'experts' have to say. <br /> <br />  I was going to go for the cheapest plasma with a decent image quality I could find -- but then I started looking for the plasma s in this size range with the best overall ratings.  The TH-42PD50U was at the top of the heap as far as meeting qualiy and price.  The tie-breaker was that the TH-42PD50U comes with the stand and speakers -- stands and speakers alone will add a hundreds of dollars to your tv price if you have to purchase them separately.  Definitely the best package for the quality. <br /> <br />   And what quality.  I was expecting a so-so picture quality, having been unimpressed with so called \\"HD tv's\\" and HD signals in DLP and flat screen CRT screens.  The HD channels, using generic component cables, IS AMAZING!!! <br /> <br />   AWESOME PICTURE!!!!  I'm not easily impressed and I'm very picky, but the picture quality was sharp as cut glass, the black were black, the colors were deep and real -- truly a  TV that I can be satisifed staying home and watching movies in comfort as opposed to dropping $10 for a noisy cineplex.  I'm already saving money that way. <br /> <br />   The great reviews for this tv are not hype. I was skeptical at first but very pleasantly surprised.  Good amount of connections, including HDMI.  Even though this is EDTV, it displays in 1080i which is the display quality of HDTV.  Personally, I have no idea what makes an HDTV if not the ability to display in 1080i, which the EDTV TH-42PD50U does.  The picture quality of HD channels in the TH-42PD50U BLOWS AWAY other \\"real\\" HDTV screens in the same size range.  Believe the reviews and test it out for yourself. <br /> <br />  I am SOOOO happy I bought this TV.  It was a little over my budget range, but it's an investment.  I am very happy with the quality of this TV and will have TV until for a long time as opposed to spending a few hundred dollars less on a TV I'm disappointed with and want to upgrade quickly. <br /> <br />  Highly recommended.     <br />    <br /> <br />