budget lcd or plasma: 720p good enough?

The pixel count is the most important. Not all TV's cover the full 1920 x 1080 which you need for full BD quality.

Plasma is way better than LCD ( I have both )

You seem to say this a lot when looking for equipment

budget is super tight....

Here is a video that might explain things for you :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0

720p is just as good as 1080p for 50" and smaller. I can quote numerous reviews and expert opinions that all support this. I just bought a 50" plasma 720p from Sears for $900 (minus 10% if you buy on line with their credit card and have it delivered to the store=$810!). Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U. Fabulous picture on HD material and excellent on SD DVD depending on the quality of the film.

It is nice to see that true audio video people can see the difference. I get sick of all the 1080p people going nuts over it. They are not going bluray and have no Idea what true 1080p is. If going at or below 50" and not going to do anything besides cable or satelite then forget about 1080p. As far as budget plasma is without question the much better option. I have the 81 series samsung Lcds and love them. But look at the price. If you are going bluray the 720p will still give you a great picture. Just buy what you like. I would go samsung panasonic or pioneer.

I agree 100% that the size vs resolution is a major factor and at a tight budget I dont think one has much of a choice. lucky for them it doesnt matter. I will go one step further and say 1080P is still a questionable purchase due to individual viewing. A guy who wants to watch mostly sports and cable/sateltite with the occasional Blu Ray ofcourse still doesnt need 1080P. For the guy who watches or intends to watch 1 or so Blu Rays per week then it becomes a more reasonable option and the premium is more justified.....even so a 720P with Blu Ray is still going to look fantastic and you can be careful with your cash, something many of us think about these days.
It does no good to have the best resolution if it never or almost never gets that signal....and only Blu Ray offers TRUE 1080P at this time.