Bigger is Better...

I bought my plasma from plasma concepts. They were very easy to work with, but the proof is generally when things go wrong. In my case, everything went right--delivery showed up on time, everything worked, no dead pixels. They also got points in my book when I ordered the separate panny DVI card and a DVI cable over their website, and they called me to let me know that the DVI card came with a decent DVI cable. A lot of internet retailers would have just shipped it; they lost out on $90 by being attentive. I appreciated that.

I'd note that they also had a special "AVSForum Members Price" on the panny I bought, just for the asking... Check the threads over at AVSForum.

Labtec--I'd be careful of blanket statements like HDTV via CATV being bad. It is highly dependent upon a lot of factors. I've tried to summarize some of the relevant factors in a post here:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?bhome&1083566550&openusid&zzEdesilva&4&5#Edesilva

YMMV.

Thanks for that, Ed. What's the "dead pixels" thing? Sorry, I'm a complete doofus with this video stuff. What would constitute (in dead pixeldom) reason to send it back?

Dead or "stuck" pixels are pixels that are constantly white, like little tiny "stars" in the sky that is your screen. This can be annoying when watching a movie. If you get a screen with stuck pixels, you should send it back.

A little off topic, but I never knew about avsforum.com. I must say thanks! Being primarily an audiophile with a "decent" HT, I now know where to go when it is time to upgrade the TV.

Thanks!

I am currently in the process of looking for a large flat panel display (FPD) TV and decided that for the moment, TFT-LCD reaction time is still too slow and prices have not come down enough to warrant buying LCD vs plasma (even here in Japan where aggressive foraging can yield quite good prices). I expect my choice will come down to Panasonic or Pioneer but have not completely made up my mind (and won't until I see the new Pioneer 505 out at the end of this month).

FWIW (which ain't much), here in Japan the Pioneers enjoy a better overall reputation/rating among consumers than the Pannies, despite the contrast ratio issue. I think it is partly due to lighter weight and lower electricity consumption but the major issue appears to be color accuracy (perceived good for Pioneers, less so for Pannies). I tend to agree the Pioneers have the best overall color. In their first week of being on sale, the new 42" and 50" Pannies (TH-42PX300 & TH-50PX300 here) have not been a runaway hit vs the Pioneer 434HD and 504HD despite similar prices. People appear to be looking toward the Pioneer 435/505HD series which go on sale later this month. Both the new Pannies and the new Pioneers are probably being released with a respectable but not huge uptick in technology in order to get a new model out before the Olympics, which is expected to be a huge boon to short-term sales for large-size FPD mfrs.