1080p

I recently purchased this set and so far I've very pleased with it. Here's the thinking that went into this purchase:

Plasma: pro - bright picture, cheaper than LCD, con - burn in, high power consumption.

The burn in risk ruins plasma for me. With video games, use as a computer, and crawls/o...morether features TV, I don't want to buy something that's going to degrade.

LCD: pro -bright wide picture, con - expensive

We were very close to getting a 52" Toshiba LCD, which would have been a fine choice. If you're going to sit 6-7 feet from your set and/or the extra $500+ you'll pay doesn't faze you, go with an LCD from Sony, Samsung or Toshiba.

DLP: pro - cheaper, larger sizes available, con - viewing angle, slightly thicker

For us, it really came down to price and the DLP features being sufficient. This set is available for well under $2000, and (if you can find it), there's a 56" version that should be under $1500. The usual arguments against DLP are

1. The lamp is $300 and needs to be replaced every few years. This is no longer an issue with LED based DLPs like this one.

2. Rainbow effect. I don't notice it, and it's supposed to be greatly reduced in this generation.

3. Viewing angle/brightness. Still an issue, but we're not throwing a bunch of super bowl parties, so it's not an issue for us.

4. Thickness. You can't mount this to a wall, but I don't care about that. This set is ~18 inches thick and about 70 lbs. It's bulky, but not heavy.

If you do pick a DLP, Samsung is the brand to go with. This model is also available in 56" and 67" models. If all the prices are doable, make your choice based on how far away you'll be sitting. For 8-9 feet, the 61" model is perfect, but it'll be overwhelming if you're 6-7 feet away.

After 2 months, I haven't had any problems with this set. With the money I saved by not buying a smaller LCD, I can afford to get a nice Blu-Ray player or a small computer to attach.