Help with a new TV.

You seem to indicate that you have more restraints aesthetically speaking than with a given technology. I can understand that but IMO your making a huge compromise in performance over how it looks in the room. Again, that is not to downplay the importance of looks. If it doesn't get past your significant other neither of you will enjoy it for a long time. Just be sure you understand the limitations of LCD and the warranty that comes with it. LCD, along with DLP and DILA, are still emerging technologies when it comes to everyday video display and plasma still has it's problems as well. Most don't do black worth squat, but DLP and DILA do it better than LCD and plasma. You can't touch plasma HD at the price you mention. If you don't have room for a 12-14" deep set you probably won't consider tube sets. But for the price and size your talking the best HD displays are crt sets. IMO, IME, etc.

I have a 60" Sony GWIV and a 42" NEC ED plasma. I can honestly say HD vs ED is not very obvious unless you are sitting too close to the screen. Especially in a 42" or smaller screen, ED vs. HD is even less obvious.

If I can afford a 60" plasma, that will be my first choice. PQ on plasma is in a different league, nothing come close right now (except maybe the new Sony Qualia 005...)

I have a feeling that the first generation plasma TV's will be regarded as were the first generation CD players and discs in the near future. There are still plenty of bugs to be worked out with the plasma system.

Jond,
I went through the exact decision process approx 6mos ago. I moved into a condo with an oddly-shaped family room that would not accomodate a floor-standing set of any size (while still maintaining ideal conditions for the 2-channel system, of course). Thus, I was looking only at wall-mount units, at this time, LCD vs. Plasma. I opted for a 42" Panasonic EDTV plasma for several reasons. First, the family room has a lot of ambient light, so it was important that the set look good in close to full daylight. Plasma has a BIG advantage here. Second, plasma was more forgiving from wide viewing angles - so it can be enjoyed from anywhere in the room. As to ED vs. HD, I primarily watch DVDs, which are actually slightly better on a ED set. Also, EDTV was more forgiving for standard def signals - the other primary use in my case. Currently, I only have 4 HD channels available, and it accounts for less than 5% of my total use. Besides, ED looks exceptional with a HD signal and the improvement with an HD set was slight. With the slow implementation of HD by the television industry, HD signals will comprise only a small amount of my viewing.
Thus, you really need to balance price with an honest assessment of your viewing practices. The Panny plasma that I picked up is the latest generation commercial version that can be bought for under $2k, delivered to your door. While I also have little regard for Panasonic audio gear, in the world of plasmas, they are very respected, and considered the benchmarks at their pricepoint. No problems/concerns with my set, and the picture is stellar. Good luck in your quest, hope this helps.

Given your budget, placement and aesthetic constraints, a small LCD sounds like it fits your needs. If it is your opinion that the picture is excellent, that it has the necessary ins and outs, and your significant other likes it, then all systems are go for the Sharp. I would add two caveats. First, LCD's are not as good when viewing off angle. When you look at the store's model, adjust your viewing position so that it is similar to the position you will be in at home, especially if it's off-axis. See if you still think the picture is good enough for you. That usually turns me off of most LCD's right away. Second, I would repeat Swampwalkers's point. Observe the TV with motion to see if the motion artifacts are distracting. A tennis match is a good test. If the ball looks like a comet, although novel, it gets old really fast. For little LCD's, I am rather partial to Sony. They make a 26 inch widescreen LCD which should be around the same price point as the Sharp. It's a bit smaller, and Sony tend to charge a premium for their products, but it's pretty good. I was in a store which had three small LCD's. One was a Sharp, although not the model you mention, and one was a Sony. I forget the third one. The credits at the end of a film were rolling by on all three at once. Although none had the reproduction of continuous motion that you would get from a CRT, the Sony was head and shoulders above the others. Of course it cost more, but you could see what you were getting for the extra money.